Saturday night (Jan. 24), Blake Shelton joined the ranks of country stars like Garth BrooksJohnny Cash and Taylor Swift, taking the 'Saturday Night Live' stage as both host and musical guest. The singer and 'The Voice' coach appeared in all but two of the show's eight sketches and performed twice, giving him plenty of chances to show off both his acting and musical skills.

But the night's best sketches let him show off both. 'Wishin' Boot,' a parody country music video, starred Shelton, Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon -- dressed to look like Alan Jackson, Wynonna Judd and Reba McEntire, respectively -- singing about a magical cowboy boot. (Press play on the video above to watch.)

Near the end of the night, Shelton appeared in a sketch that starts out simply enough: The fictional morning show 'Topeka Today' was doing a segment on a 97-year-old widower (played by Taran Killam) who wrote a song about his deceased wife (portrayed in photos by McKinnon). Shelton played the local musician who helped the man make the tune a reality ... but what started out sweet quickly went sour because, as it turns out, the wife was sort of a terrible person. (See video below.)

Shelton also got to bring out his guitar -- and his country side -- for his 'SNL' opening monologue, a riff on the variety show 'Hee-Haw.' With various cast members surrounding him, Shelton tried to explain to the New York comedy crew how old-school country humor works. He wasn't so successful; apparently it's not OK for anyone but Shelton to make fun of Miranda Lambert's cooking. Watch the monologue here.

Throughout the evening, Shelton also played a dating show contestant, himself on a 'The Voice' vs. 'American Idol' episode of 'Family Feud,' a parole board member and a doubtful magic show audience member. For his musical numbers, Shelton performed 'Neon Light' and 'Boys 'Round Here' with his band, which included Gwen Sebastian as a backup singer.

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