The first song performed on Saturday Night Live was Billy Preston’s ‘Nothing from Nothing’, played during the programme’s debut broadcast in 1975. The performance began a long-running tradition of live musical guests that became a central part of the American sketch show’s format.

SNL premiered on 11 October 1975, initially under the title NBC’s Saturday Night. Preston appeared as the first musical guest, while Janis Ian also performed later in the episode, which was hosted by comedian George Carlin.