It doesn't get any bigger than Saturday Night Live. For over 50 years and counting, the weekly sketch comedy series – broadcast from NBC and produced out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City – has also featured the biggest names in music as guest performers. Naturally, some acts wind up better than others. But which among them deserves recognition as the greatest ever?
Here's some trivia for you: Saturday Night Live's tradition of musical guests started as soon as the show itself did. In its premiere episode on October 11, 1975, funk singer Billy Preston and folk musician Janis Ian were the first to perform, paving the way for future major artists over the ensuing decades. From avant-garde jazz to hardcore punk to Korean pop, SNL has been an unofficial barometer for what's "in" in the zeitgeist; to look back is to see American culture transform in real time.
