The only thing more challenging than performing on Saturday Night Live is also having to host the show — double duty, as they call it.

This has happened quite a few times over the course of the show’s 50-year career. Because why not get all the bang for your buck? Charismatic performers usually make for great hosts.

To be fair, the lines between host and performer are so often blurred on the show it can hard to tell where one duty ends and the other begins. Johnny Cash, for example, hosted SNL on April 17, 1982 with Elton John as the musical guest, but Cash wound up doing an awful lot of singing that night anyway. Or when Paul McCartney appeared on the show in May of 2026 as the musical guest, he also popped into one of the sketches, portraying a mechanic named Nigel.

But for the purposes of this list, we’re focusing solely on rock ‘n’ roll artists who have been called in to officially play the role of both host and musical guest, organized chronologically.

Key Takeaways

• Paul Simon: He was the first artist to serve as both host and musical guest on SNL.
• Kris Kristofferson: He showcased his versatility by hosting and performing in July 1976.
• Ray Charles: Widely regarded as one of the best hosts in SNL history.
• Dolly Parton: Her appearance highlighted her multifaceted talents in April 1989.

1. Paul Simon

Show Dates: Oct. 18, 1975, Nov. 20, 1976, May 10, 1986 and Dec. 19, 1987

It’s fitting really that Paul Simon, a native New Yorker, got to be the very first musical guest to also serve as host on Oct. 18, 1975, which was literally the show’s second episode ever. Simon did it again just over a year later on Nov. 20, 1976, bringing with him a friend named George Harrison to perform a few songs. Then in May of 1986 he co-hosted with Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty fame while he and Ladysmith Black Mambazo provided the musical talent. Finally, he hosted one more time on Dec. 19, 1987, where Linda Ronstadt was the musical guest.

Watch Paul Simon on ‘SNL’ in 1976

2. Kris Kristofferson

Show Date: July 31, 1976

There really wasn’t anything Kris Kristofferson couldn’t do — act, sing, songwrite, you name it — which basically made him the perfect person to both host and perform on SNL‘s July 31, 1976 episode. Rita Coolidge, who was married to Kristofferson at the time, also performed.

Watch Kris Kristofferson on ‘SNL’ in 1976

3. Ray Charles

Show Date: Nov. 12, 1977

In 2024, Bill Murray was asked about who he thought was the best SNL host and his answer could not have been clearer.

“There’s only one that stands above all others. It was Ray Charles,” he said (via Variety). “Ray Charles knew all his lines cold. Ray Charles came on and played solo, he played with the Raelettes, he played with his septet and he played with the Saturday Night Live orchestra. And he may have played with his quintet as well. And he killed and murdered every single one of [his performances]. At the end of that show, they play [“Georgia on My Mind”], they play the song, and saxophones playing and you’re like ‘Hey man, I had a great week.’ You’re up there on the stage and you’re waving at people — I did not want to stand on that stage. I had no business being on that stage with Ray Charles.”

Watch Ray Charles on ‘SNL’ in 1977

4. Art Garfunkel

Show Date: March 11, 1978

Obviously if you have Paul Simon on your show, you must also balance the scales by having Art Garfunkel on it. He hosted an episode on March 11, 1978, on which he performed “All I Know,” “Scarborough Fair,” “Crying in My Sleep” and, with the help of co-musical guest Stephen Bishop, “Wonderful World.”

Watch Art Garfunkel on ‘SNL’

5. The Rolling Stones

Show Date: Oct. 7, 1978

Why invite just one Rolling Stone onto Saturday Night Live when you can invite all of them? That’s what happened in October of 1978 — the whole band came on to serve as both performers and hosts, marking the first time they’d done a TV performance in nearly 10 years.

“The appearance of the Stones on the show Saturday night was unquestionably, for the moment, the hottest ticket in New York,” reported The Washington Post back then. “Building entrances were jammed with teeny-boppers, some of them not so short in the tooth.”

Watch the Rolling Stones on ‘SNL’ in 1978

6. Frank Zappa

Show Date: Oct. 21, 1978

Most of these host/guest episodes turned out great, but that was not the case when Frank Zappa came on the show in 1978, two years after his first appearance. The musical portion was fine, but the rest went south – Zappa broke character on air and was generally found by the cast and crew to be difficult to work with. He never appeared on the show again after it.

“It’s a very difficult thing to do; they never make it easy on anyone who hosts the show,” he said the following year. “All the direction and attention goes to the sketches. They’re not called skits – they become incensed if you call them skits – and it’s all designed to accommodate the people who are regulars on the show, so anybody who goes on there to host is at a severe disadvantage.”

Watch Frank Zappa on ‘SNL’ in 1978

7. Ricky Nelson

Show Date: Feb. 17, 1979

On paper, Judy Collins was the musical guest for the Feb. 17, 1979 episode of SNL. But host Ricky Nelson performed four songs of his own: “Hello Mary Lou,” “Travelin’ Man,” “Fools Rush In” and “Dream Lover.”

Watch Ricky Nelson on ‘SNL’ in 1979

8. Debbie Harry

Show Date: Feb. 14, 1981

On Valentine’s Day 1981, Debbie Harry of Blondie hosted the show and also performed alongside the hip-hop group Funky Four Plus One. It had been Harry’s idea to invite them on the show, making them the first rap group to perform on SNL.

“At the time, we didn’t know the impact of what we did to become the first rap group, you know, to ever be on national television,” MC Sha-Rock, the only female member of Funky Four Plus One, said in NBC’s Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary. “Debbie Harry fought for us. We were innocent-looking; there were similarities with her being with an all-male band.”

“They were so fresh and entertaining,” Harry added. “It seemed like a great idea.”

Watch Debbie Harry on ‘SNL’ in 1981

READ MORE: The 20 Most Controversial Saturday Night Live Moments of All Time

Rock’s Biggest ‘Saturday Night Live’ Performances

Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin