Ray Charles: the best ever ‘SNL’ host, according to Bill Murray
Bill Murray joined Saturday Night Live in its second season, and somehow instantly made it seem like he’d been there right from the beginning. He became a vital member of the cast for three seasons from 1977 to 1980, which helped him launch an all-conquering movie career in the ’80s.
During his time on the show, Murray delivered iconic sketch after iconic sketch and truly honed the unique comic persona that would make him an A-list movie star. However, if you ask him, there was one time he didn’t even feel worthy to be standing on the SNL stage – and it was because he was nervously standing beside a host so incredible he towered over every other entertainer that had come through Studio 8H.
On December 4th, 2024, Murray appeared on Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast. The NFL brothers asked him about the best celebrity hosts he worked with on SNL, and the Ghostbusters star didn’t waste any time zeroing in on a genius pianist and singer. “There’s only one that stands above all others,” Murray stated. “It was Ray Charles.”
Charles pioneered soul music in the ’50s and became so successful that he was one of the first Black artists to be given creative control over his music by a major record label. He had three number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and his album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music topped the Billboard 200 in 1962. However, by 1977, he had left ABC Records and recorded the album True to Life for Atlantic Records – and this was the album he was promoting when he hosted SNL on November 12th.
Murray was undoubtedly starstruck by working with a living legend like Charles on that fateful evening, but he was also amazed by how incredibly prepared he was. “Ray Charles completely buries every other entertainer I’ve ever met or worked with or read about,” Murray gushed, before confirming he was “an extraordinary person.”
He revealed he was stunned by how many musical performances Charles gave, including playing solo, playing with the Raelettes, playing with his septet, and with the standard Saturday Night Live orchestra. A stunned Murray chuckled, “And he may have played with his quintet as well!”
On top of his musical prowess, though, Murray was overjoyed that Charles was able to hold his own in the comedy sketches he was asked to take part in. He “knew all his lines cold” and performed so well that, when the entire cast appeared at the end of the show for their customary curtain call, a bashful Murray felt like he didn’t truly deserve to be taking up space beside him.
“At the end of that show, they play that song…and you’re like, ‘Hey man, I had a great week,'” Murray remembered. “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.” He has described it as his “greatest moment of absolute and total humility.”
In recent years, Murray’s reputation has become tainted thanks to years of his poor behaviour catching up with him, and it often seems like he rarely has a kind word to say about anyone. So, it’s actually quite heartwarming to find out that even someone as grouchy as Murray can still get excited talking about a legendary performer he’s a fan of.
