Conversation so far:
Was the Max Weinberg 7 the house band from the first episode?
The show's house band was The Max Weinberg 7, led by drummer Max Weinberg, who also served as a sounding board for O'Brien on the show .
Were other bandleaders considered before Max Weinberg got the job?
CANNOTANSWER.
What notable comedy bits did Weinberg do?
"LaBamba" was also used as the butt of many of Conan's jokes.

Question: Who is LaBamba?
Self-contained rewrite: Who is LaBamba in the Max Weinberg 7 band?