One of the most memorable musical acts on Saturday Night Live was The Blues Brothers, which were actually Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Of course, they are not the only great SNL cast members who have surprised audiences with their musical talents. See for yourself by taking a look at this list of comedic geniuses who can also sing, dance, and play instruments.
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen has demonstrated his skills with multiple musical instruments on SNL on various occasions, from playing guitar as Prince, drums as Fericito, or piano as Joshua Rainhorn. Outside of Studio 8H, he would perform on his other great sketch comedy TV show, Portlandia, and even served as Seth Meyers' bandleader on Late Night for a while.
Maya Rudolph
Arguably the single funniest SNL sketch led by Maya Rudolph sees her demonstrate her amazing pipes as a woman who overdoes it a little bit with her World Series National Anthem performance. The daughter of famous soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph also made a great Beyoncé on the "Prince Show" sketches and, speaking of the late artist, she is part of a cover band called Princess. She even started in music before SNL when she was a keyboardist and backing vocalist for the '90s band The Rentals.
John Belushi
Not only did John Belushi perform with Dan Aykroyd as The Blues Brothers on the Studio 8H stage but the duo also had a record deal, a hit concert tour, and led one of the best SNL movies ever as Jake and Elwood Blues. The late comedian also performed a striking impersonation of Joe Cocker, including once with the "Feelin' Alright" singer himself.
Melissa Villaseñor
One of Melissa Villaseñor's most impressive impersonations on SNL was a spot-on Dolly Parton but she had been matching the vocals of artists like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears during her earlier stand-up days. Since her SNL exit in 2022, she has continued to demonstrate her singing talent, such as with her collaboration with Wolves of Glendale for the song "Life's Better in Spanish" in 2024.
Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey debuted his character Derek Stevens in an SNL sketch featuring a ridiculous song called, "The Lady I Know," which is concluded with the repeated lyric, "Chopping broccoli." Then and any other time he would appear as the vapid pop star, Carvey would actually play the song on piano, which he would also incorporate into his early stand-up and demonstrated in his audition for the show.
Jimmy Fallon
Before becoming a "Weekend Update" co-host, Jimmy Fallon had a recurring segment with acoustic parodies of hit songs commenting on various topics. He would go on to incorporate his musical talents into his career as a late-night talk show host and has since released a few musical comedy albums.
Eddie Murphy
After his skillful impersonations of artists like Stevie Wonder and James Brown helped save SNL in the 1980s, Eddie Murphy would later prove that his musical prowess was not limited to comedic imitations. He scored a hit single later that decade with "Party All the Time" and became an Oscar-nominated SNL alum with his performance in the 2006 musical, Dreamgirls.
Andy Samberg
Golden Globe-winning former SNL star Andy Samberg is also known as a member of the comedy hip-hop trio The Lonely Island, alongside Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. Many of the best SNL Digital Shorts, which the group was in charge of, are their music videos, such as "Lazy Sunday" and "I'm On a Boat."
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler would perform music often on "Weekend Update," whether it was as himself debuting original tunes like "The Hanukkah Song" or as Opera Man, recalling the week's biggest headlines in melody. The Uncut Gems actor continued to make music a part of his career with movies like The Wedding Singer and the musical grown-up animated movie, Eight Crazy Nights, as well as in his stand-up routines.
Dan Aykroyd
If Dan Aykroyd had not introduced John Belushi to the blues, The Blues Brothers would have never taken the Studio 8H stage and experienced the success they had. Outside his performances as Elwood Blues, the Ghostbusters actor also participated in the chorus for the iconic 1985 recording of "We Are the World."
Martin Short
Martin Short's most notable musical contributions to SNL happened after his one-season stint at Studio 8H when he would return as a host. However, the comedian has numerous musical accomplishments outside the show, from his Tony Award-winning performance in Neil Simon's Little Me to an insult-filled duet he and Steve Martin performed while on tour.
Kate McKinnon
While known better for her hilarious physicality and characterizations, Kate McKinnon has had a number of chances to show off her pipes on SNL. For instance, she had host Ariana DeBose in awe when she joined the future Oscar winner for a medley of songs from West Side Story.
Christopher Guest
During his sole season on SNL, Christopher Guest could be seen playing guitarist Nigel Tunfel in one of the best movies about music, the 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. The fictional English heavy metal group would reunite for subsequent performances and album recordings, namely 1992's Break Like the Wind and 2009's Back from the Dead.
Taran Killam
Very rarely did Taran Killam, who was also a MADtv cast member for a little bit, have much opportunity to sing on SNL. However, he took many opportunities to carry a tune on Broadway, performing in shows like Hamilton and Spamalot.
Ana Gasteyer
Only a singer as talented as Ana Gasteyer could impress Celine Dion with her impersonation of the French-Canadian diva enough to be invited to join her in concert. The SNL star, also known for performing with Will Ferrell as married music teachers, The Culps, has performed on Broadway as well, such as when she played Elphaba in a Chicago production of Wicked.
Kenan Thompson
Many recurring characters played by Kenan Thompson – one of the longest-running SNL cast members – are musically inclined, such as What Up with That? host Diondre Cole. The former All That and Kenan & Kel star for co-writing an R&B parody song called, "Come Back, Barack," which he also performed with Chris Redd and host Chance the Rapper.
Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer, who was on SNL from 1979 to 1980 and once more from 1984 to 1985, has demonstrated his musical talent in movies like This is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. The Simpsons star has also co-written a satirical stage musical called J. Edgar! The Musical and released five solo musical comedy albums.
Garrett Morris
Before he became a Not Ready for Primetime Player, Garrett Morris was a Julliard-trained singer who performed with Harry Belafonte and did various Broadway shows. He utilized these talents in various memorable moments on SNL, such as when he performed a particularly risqué tune as an inmate auditioning for a prison theatre program.
Robert Downey Jr.
Perhaps if Robert Downey Jr. was given a chance to show off his vocal range during his short SNL tenure, he could have lasted a little bit longer. The Oscar winner and Marvel movie star recorded an acclaimed rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River" for a holiday album called Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas and released a studio album in 2004 called The Futurist.
Paul Shaffer
There is really no surprise that Paul Shaffer is musically talented, given his tenure as part of Studio 8H's house band and The Blues Brothers Band and as the bandleader for David Letterman's late-night TV career. What might be surprising to some – despite making history as the show's first F-bomb dropper in an infamous SNL moment – is that he was actually part of the cast during Season 5.
Pete Davidson
Given his popularity, Pete Davidson could probably release a hit album, having debuted some surprisingly good rhymes on SNL and impressed fans with his viral parody of Barbie's "I'm Just Ken," called "I'm Just Pete." The comedian once had the opportunity to perform his favorite song, "Gangster's Paradise," with the legendary rapper who crafted the song, Coolio, for a Comedy Central event.
Jim Belushi
Years after John Belushi's death, Dan Aykroyd teamed up with John's younger brother for an album called Have Love, Will Travel. Jim Belushi would also perform with a more recent iteration of The Blues Brothers Band as "Zee Blues" and he also composed and performed the theme song for his sitcom, According to Jim.
Christine Ebersole
Somehow, SNL never really figured out what to do with Christine Ebersole, whose one-season stint is much forgotten. Luckily, she would still achieve much notoriety for her Tony Award-winning performances in Broadway musicals 42nd Street and Grey Gardens.
Cecily Strong
Before Cecily Strong left SNL in 2022, she had demonstrated her singing talent as one of the main stars of Apple TV+'s musical fantasy comedy series, Schmigadoon! Thus, audiences knew to expect some special when she ended her Studio 8H tenure singing "Blue Christmas" with host and Elvis star Austin Butler.
Chloe Troast
It is a shame that Chloe Troast only lasted one season on SNL because she has one of the strongest singing voices of almost anybody to join the cast. She wowed audiences with songs she performed as a woman posing as a young orphan named Cassidy and as Mama Cass in fake footage from the recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music."
Michael McKean
Before he joined the cast, Michael McKean appeared on SNL as Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins and, when he hosted in 1984, was joined by Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest for a special musical performance as their other fictional band, The Folksmen. Speaking of, when The Folksmen reunited for the 2003 mockumentary A Mighty Wind, McKean won a Grammy for its title song, and another track from the film, "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," earned him an Oscar nomination.
Will Ferrell
Probably Will Ferrell's most famous musically inclined character is Marty Culp but we also know from a certain legendary SNL sketch that he can play the cowbell like no one else. The actor also did all of his own singing in the final act of StepBrothers.
Chevy Chase
There is a great cold open from the first season of SNL in 1976 starring Chevy Chase as future president Ronald Reagan, who tries to prove that the conservative politician and actor could still be "hip" by playing keyboard in a jazz band. The comedian actually plays the keys pretty sloppily in the sketch but that is by design, as he is a very talented piano player in real life. While in college, Chase played drums in a band called The Leather Canary, alongside his college friends Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a band that would go on to become Steely Dan.
Billy Crystal
Despite blessing SNL with many "mahvelous" memories as a host and brief cast member, none of Billy Crystal's most memorable moments from Studio 8H are particularly musical in nature. However, there are plenty of memorable musical moments throughout his career, such as when he hosted the Oscars and honored the Best Picture nominees with parody renditions of popular songs or when he and John Goodman performed "If I Didn't Have You" for the Monsters Inc. soundtrack.
Phil Hartman
The late Phil Hartman had a million-dollar voice that he put to grand use throughout his time at SNL and in other notable credits from his career but not for anything related to music. However, at the end of his very last show, he participated in a The Sound of Music parody, singing the final "Good night" lyric in such a genuine and endearing fashion.
Jason Sudeikis
During his seven years as an SNL cast member, very rarely did Jason Sudeikis make any musical contributions in a sketch, save when he played possessive '80s pop star "Ocean Billy" in a Worst of Soul Train DVD ad or one-half of Bon Jovi rip-off band, Jon Bovi. He has since gotten more use out of his musical talent on an annual basis by hosting a charity event called Thundergong.
Nasim Pedrad
We heard Nasim Pedrad's singing voice in a few SNL sketches, such as a music video for a song about getting busy with your significant other in your childhood bedroom while staying with family for the holidays. It is a wonder why she never got her own song in Disney's 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin.
