Musician Cameos In '90s Sitcoms That Turn Back The Clock

Full House's undeniable association with The Beach Boys began long before the show even aired. John Stamos, who would go on to make a name for himself playing Uncle Jesse on the indelible sitcom, started performing with the band in the mid-'80s. Once he joined the show, and it became a hit, the Boys inevitably followed. Their apex episode is “Beach Boy Bingo,” in which they perform at a concert with the Tanner family backing them up.

Over the course of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carlton danced with such unbridled enthusiasm to Tom Jones's “It's Not Unusual” on such a frequent basis that it became a genuine pop culture phenomenon. So imagine people's elation when Tom Jones actually showed up in Fresh Prince as Carlton's guardian angel, and they did a duet of the song. That's wonderfully unusual. Talk about '90s sitcom gold. 

On its face, ‘60s pop group/television stars The Monkees appearing on ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World seems to be one of the unlikeliest crossovers in television history. However, before the members united for the episode “Rave On,” some of the members showed up in earlier episodes, showcasing the acting talent they highlighted in their own television series from 1966 to 1968.

For example, bass guitarist Peter Tork played Jedediah Lawrence in “Career Day,” and vocalist Micky Dolenz played Norm In “Band on the Run" and directed “Turnaround.” In “Rave On,” Tork, Dolenz, and Davy Jones perform The Temptations' “My Girl” and Buddy Holly's “Not Fade Away.”

Nineties R&B supergroup Boyz II Men is part of the origin story of Nicky on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The story is told in the set-in-the-future episode “Twas the Night Before Christening,” where Phil recounts to Nicky how Will luckily managed to score Boyz II Men for his christening five years earlier. Certainly not your everyday christening. We see the group perform a heavenly rendition of “Silent Night." In the end, Phil reveals that Nicky's middle names are the first names of the group's members, which is a bold choice.

Although the legendary punk band would call it quits a few years later, the Ramones' appearance on The Simpsons in the 1993 episode “Rosebud” was exciting to see at the time. The band sings “Happy Birthday” to Mr. Burns at his birthday event. Of course, the performance is subversive, which prompts Mr. Burns to order the killing of the Rolling Stones. How else would a Ramones appearance on The Simpsons turn out? Smithers tries to clear up the misidentification but is unsurprisingly ignored.

So many musicians cameoed on The Simpsons throughout the 1990s that it's hard to choose a standout. That being said, undeniable ‘90s staple the Red Hot Chili Peppers matched the ‘90s-ness of the show's peak in popularity. The alt-rock band appeared in the 1993 episode “Krusty Gets Kanceled" and performed “Give It Away." They also did some hilarious acting, complete with Flea giving an entirely out-of-place “Hey, Moe!”