Musicians Who Appeared On A TV Series

The great rock singer Ellen Foley ("Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" by Meat Loaf) was a regular on Night Court. In addition to her solo albums, she also recorded albums with The Clash and Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson.

 

Oh he did much more than that (great version of "Little Atoms," by the way); he also sold his leaky lemon of a mid-life crisis sports car to Hank. What a great episode that was.

 

Lemmy is in one of the Comic Strips too IIRC. Kate also recorded the song 'KEN' for the series.

 

Rosemary Clooney was George Looney's aunt.

 

Mick Fleetwood and Kid Rock on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives.

 

John Denver was in a episode of "McCloud"

 

He was also in several episodes of the "Sons Of Anarchy"

 

Leather Tuscadero!

 

Korla Pandit... His "Adventures in Music" was the first all music show in TV history. 15 minutes every weekday morning on KTLA, 1949 - 1951.

 

Jaye P. Morgan is a woman. She also appeared in an episode of "The Odd Couple" as herself. Felix tries to write her a song. At one point he asks Oscar, "What hops and rolls?" Oscar replies "A frog with a hernia"

 

One of my favourite SCTV bits (and not the only time Rick Moranis played Neil Young on the show - he once performed a hilarious rewrite of "Needle And The Damage Done" that references Graham Nash and Stephen Stills). But many musicians appeared on NBC's version of SCTV and took part in skits - of course there was always a song. But Levon Helm, Dr. John, Roy Orbison, Hall & Oates, The Plasmatics, Dave Edmunds, Crystal Gayle, Third World, The Tubes, The Boomtown Rats and John Mellencamp (who memorably morphed into Ed Grimley) were among the performers on the show who also acted on it.

 

He was also in an episode of "Parks And Recreation"

 

And he had a role at the tale end of a Will & Grace episode playing a supposed member of the Gay Mafia. Not to mention Cher who appeared twice.

 

Noddy Holder turned up in UK Sitcom Max and Paddy:

 

Nancy Sinatra - The Sopranos (sang to Frank Vincent's character when he was made boss)

Alanis Morissette in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

She also appeared in an episode of Sex and the City.

 

Sonny Bono appeared in an episode of the Golden Girls.

 

Does Ricky Nelson count? I don’t think he was a singer going in to Ozzie and Harriet, but he was by the time he came out.

 

I'm a major Columbophile, and even if you're not a Johnny Cash fan this has to rank as being one of the best episodes of all (it's called 'Swan Song', by the way).

The Man In Black nearly gets away with it!

 

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I'll offer Clarence Clemons and Steve Earle as drugs counsellors on The Wire.

And Method Man as a dealer.

 

I think everyone up to this 11th page instinctively understood that cartoons don’t count as real musicians

 

Good one, thanks for the link.

 

And if you broaden the term "series" to include daytime quiz shows (using that term loosely), there's Morgan's many appearances as a regular on the panel of The Gong Show — where she revealed a decidedly salty sense of humor.

 

It wasn’t their real voices, though. Same thing with the Jackson 5 cartoon (which was re-aired in syndication after Thriller came out).

 

Janet Jackson was Willis’ girlfriend on Diff’rent Strokes. She wanted to be an actress before she got into singing (and went on to take more acting roles after she became a music star).