1996 In Music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.

Specific locations

* 1996 in British music
*1996 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

* 1996 in classical music
*1996 in country music
* 1996 in heavy metal music
*1996 in hip hop music
* 1996 in Latin music
*1996 in jazz

Events

January

* January 8 – Robert Hoskins is found guilty and convicted on five charges of assault, stalking, and threatening to kill Madonna.
* January 16
** At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact the pair had been listening to " Israel's Son" by Silverchair prior to the crimes, which are dubbed the "Israel's Son Murders". Murmur Records released an official response, stating that Silverchair do not condone violence of any kind and that the song "seeks to criticize violence and war by portraying them in all their horror."
** Jamaican authorities open fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, ''Hemisphere Dancer'', mistaking it for a drug trafficker's plane. U2 singer Bono and Island Records executive, Chris Blackwell, are also on the plane; no-one is injured.
* January 18 – Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.
* January 19–February 4 – The Big Day Out festival takes place in Australia and New Zealand, headlined by Porno for Pyros and Rage Against the Machine.
* January 25 – Madonna receives death threats from Argentine Peronists who are enraged and insulted that she is playing Eva Peron in '' Evita''. After she arrives in Argentina, over 50 walls throughout the city have been spray-painted with the words: ''¡Viva Evita! ¡Fuera Madonna!'' (Long Live Evita! Get Out, Madonna!).
* January 26 – The controversial musical '' Rent'' is given its first public performance at the New York Theatre Workshop, a day after the death of its creator, Jonathan Larson.
* January 28 – Chris Isaak makes a guest appearance on the television show '' Friends''.
* January 29
** La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, is destroyed by fire.
** Kiss reveals that they have reunited with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, with a surprise appearance on the American Music Awards. The band took to the podium in full makeup and costume for the first time since 1983.
** Garth Brooks refuses to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist, briefly explaining his belief that all music is "made up of a lot of people".

February

* February 4 – Former Milli Vanilli band member Rob Pilatus is hospitalized when a man hits him over the head with a baseball bat in Hollywood, while Pilatus is attempting to steal the man's car.
* February 13
** Tupac Shakur releases the first ever rap double album, ''All Eyez on Me'', one of the most influential albums in hip hop history. ''All Eyez on Me'' achieves platinum sales in just four hours and reaches No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 charts.
** Take That formally announce that they are splitting up.
* February 14 – The Artist Formerly Known As Prince marries backup dancer Mayte Garcia who is fifteen years his junior.
* February 19 – Jarvis Cocker disrupts a performance by Michael Jackson at the BRIT Awards. During an elaborate staging of " Earth Song" Cocker crashed the stage, lifted his shirt and pointed his bottom in Jackson's direction before getting into a scuffle with security. Cocker later stated that his actions were "a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing".
* February 20
** Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard are acquitted of first degree murder. The jury deadlocks on voluntary manslaughter charges and a mistrial is declared.
** '' Storytellers'' premieres on VH1. The first episodes features Ray Davies.
* February 22 – MCA Records buys half of Interscope Records. Time Warner had owned half of Interscope until September 1995 when it sold off its share due to political pressure for the explicit lyrics of the label's gangsta rap artists.
* February 28 – The 38th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. Alanis Morissette won four awards, including Album of the Year for '' Jagged Little Pill'', while Seal's " Kiss from a Rose" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Hootie & the Blowfish win Best New Artist. The ceremony also notably features the reunion of the original lineup of Kiss, introduced by Tupac Shakur for their first appearance in full makeup and outfits since 1979.

March

* March 4 – The Beatles' second reunion song is released as part of their first reunion since the band's breakup 26 years earlier. The song is a finished version of "Real Love", a John Lennon demo from 1980.
* March 13 – Ramones fans riot in Buenos Aires, Argentina after waiting all night for concert tickets only to find out that the show had been sold out.
* March 16 – Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's 16th consecutive week stay at No. 1 in the American charts with " One Sweet Day" ends when Celine Dion's " Because You Loved Me" reaches #1. "One Sweet Day" enjoyed the longest consecutive stay at No. 1 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's history.
* March 18 – The Sex Pistols announce that they will be reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour.
* March 28 – Phil Collins announces that he is leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career.

April

* April 1
**Roberto Alagna marries Angela Gheorghiu backstage at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
**John Squire announces his departure from The Stone Roses.
* April 3 – M.C. Hammer files for bankruptcy.
* April 4 – The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia's widow, Deborah, scatter part of Garcia's ashes in the Ganges River in India.
* April 10 – Alice in Chains plays at Majestic Theatre in New York City for a MTV unplugged record and video to be released in July.
* April 15 – The remaining part of Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
* April 16 – Madonna announces that she is four months pregnant by Carlos Leon, her then boyfriend and trainer.
* April 17 – Carlo Bergonzi gives his American farewell concert at Carnegie Hall.
* April 24 – This Train, Rick Elias, Jimmy A, Phil Keaggy, Carolyn Arends, Third Day and Ashley Cleveland perform a tribute concert for Rich Mullins at Nashville's Cafe Milano. Speakers included Reunion Records executive Terry Hemmings, record producer Reed Arvin, disc jockey Jon Rivers, and author Brennan Manning.
* April 28 – Oasis play the second of two gigs in Maine Road, home of Manchester City F.C., featured on the video "…There and Then".

May

* May 8
**The Galway Early Music Festival is launched in Ireland.
**In Los Angeles, a judge rules against Tommy Lee and wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee, in their attempt to keep '' Penthouse'' from publishing still photos taken from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.
* May 11 – A 17-year-old fan is crushed in the festival seating section at a concert by The Smashing Pumpkins in Dublin, Ireland, despite the presence of 110 security guards and repeated admonishments from the band telling the crowd to stop surging towards the stage. The fan dies of her injuries the next day and the band cancels that night's show in Belfast as a result.
* May 18 – The 1996 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, is won by Irish singer Eimear Quinn, with the song " The Voice". It is Ireland's record seventh, and most recent, win at Eurovision.
* May 25 – Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell dies of a heroin overdose at age 28.
* May 30 – Depeche Mode leader Dave Gahan is arrested upon his release from hospital, having overdosed on a heroin and cocaine 'speedball' in a Los Angeles hotel room and been pronounced clinically dead for two minutes in an ambulance. Gahan is ordered by the court to complete a nine-month rehabilitation.

June

* June 2 – Alice Cooper performs at Sammy Hagar's club, Cabo Wabo, in Mexico. It was recorded and released the next year as a live album.
* June 12 – The final of the Eurovision Young Musicians 1996 competition is held in Lisbon, Portugal. The winner is German violinist and pianist Julia Fischer.
* June 15–16 – The first Tibetan Freedom Concerts are held in San Francisco.
* June 19 – Japanese duo Chage and Aska become the first Asian group to participate in '' MTV Unplugged''.
* June 21 – The Sex Pistols start their reunion tour in Lahti, Finland.
* June 25 – Jay-Z releases his debut album ''Reasonable Doubt''.
* June 26 – Sammy Hagar leaves Van Halen.
* June 27 – DJ Screw, creator of chopped and screwed rap and leader of Screwed Up Click, records the 35 minute long ''June 27'' freestyle with Houston rappers Big Moe, Bird, Key-C, Yungstar, Big Pokey, DeMo, Haircut Joe and Kay-Luv.
* June 28 – Kiss kicks off the Alive/Worldwide reunion tour at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. It's the first tour by the original lineup of the band since 1979.

July

* July 3
**This World releases their first album since 1986
** Alice in Chains performs their last concert with lead singer Layne Staley in Kansas City, Missouri while touring with Kiss.
* July 8 – The Spice Girls release their debut single " Wannabe" in the United Kingdom. The song proves to be a global hit, hitting number 1 in 31 countries and becoming not only the biggest selling debut single by an all-female group but also the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.
* July 11 – Robert Simpson's second string quintet receives its première at the Cheltenham International Festival by the Maggini Quartet with Pal Banda, cellist.
* July 13 – Phil Anselmo of Pantera overdoses on heroin after a Texas homecoming gig.
* July 16 - Michael Jackson performed a concert for Hassanal Bolkiah's 50th birthday at the Jerudong Park Amphitheater.
* July 19 – The Proms in the Park event is launched in London, UK.
* July 27 – Adrian Erlandsson & Patrik Jensen form The Haunted.

August

* August 1 – MTV2 is launched. The first video played is " Where It's At" by Beck.
* August 6 – Influential punk rock group The Ramones play their final show at The Palace in Hollywood.
* August 10-11 – Oasis play the largest free-standing gigs in British history at Knebworth House, Stevenage. 2.7 Million people apply for tickets and a sold-out crowd of 350,000 attend the concerts, 175,000 each night. Stone Roses guitarist John Squire joins the band onstage to play guitar to Champagne Supernova.
* August 15–16 – Phish hosts The Clifford Ball at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. The event is the first of their festivals, currently totaling ten. 70,000 people show up. Some say the event is considered a precursor to the large scale music festivals of today.
* August 27 – Aaliyah released her album '' One in a Million''.

September

* September 4 – At the MTV Video Music Awards, Van Halen makes a surprise appearance with original singer David Lee Roth.
* September 7
** Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot several times in what is apparently a drive-by shooting, whilst being driven from the MGM Grand Hotel along Sunset Strip in Las Vegas after seeing the allegedly fixed Mike Tyson versus Bruce Seldon boxing match. He dies six days later.
** Michael Jackson starts the HIStory World Tour.
* September 10 – Wal-Mart announces it will not be carrying Sheryl Crow's upcoming self titled album because of the lyric "Watch out, sister, watch out, brother/watch our children while they kill each other/with a gun they bought at Wal-Mart Discount Stores."
* September 11 – David Bowie's single " Telling Lies" becomes the first song offered as a digital single by a major record label (Virgin Records). Bowie launches the single by hosting an online chat in which he and two other people pretending to be him answer questions from the audience; Bowie tells the truth, while the other two are "telling lies".
* September 12 – Controversy follows The Eagles when the band dedicates " Peaceful Easy Feeling" to Saddam Hussein at a United States Democratic Party fundraiser held in Los Angeles.
* September 13 – Tupac Shakur dies as a result of injuries sustained six days earlier.
* September 21 – Meg White marries John Anthony Gillis, who took Meg's name and changed his name to Jack White. They would form The White Stripes one year later.
* September 24 – Weezer releases its second record, ''Pinkerton''. Due to its darker vibe and its departure from their earlier style, it sold less well and was critically panned.
* September 27 – Sasha and Digweed release '' Northern Exposure'', which has gone on to be considered one of the greatest dance albums of all time.

October

* October 4
** Eddie and Alex Van Halen announce that David Lee Roth will not be continuing as lead singer of Van Halen and that Gary Cherone will be the band's next vocalist.
**C-Block releases the single " So Strung Out", which reaches fourth chart position in Germany.
* October 6 – Country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw get married.
* October 13 – Prince's son Gregory Nelson dies from Pfeiffer Syndrome.
* October 14 – Madonna gives birth to daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.
* October 15 – Korn's second studio album, '' Life is Peachy'', debuts at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and goes on to sell 6 million copies worldwide.
* October 27 – '' Pop-Up Video'' premieres on VH1.
* October 28 – MTV India is launched.
* October 29
** Slash announces in a faxed statement that he is officially leaving Guns N' Roses.
** Ian Brown and Mani officially dissolve The Stone Roses.
* October 31 – David Brookes is fined £45 in Hampstead Magistrates' Court for disrupting the "quiet enjoyment" of the public by playing his bagpipes on Hampstead Heath. Described as "a pain in the neck" by a spokesperson for the College of Pipers in Glasgow, Brookes vowed to buy a bicycle in order to continue playing in the open air, so "they'll just have to catch me." He said he had been piping on the heath for twenty years and had been given permission to do so, adding that he was surprised by the ruling because social workers were allowed to distribute condoms there.

November

* November 8 – After having been premièred at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film '' Hype!'', a documentary on the Seattle grunge scene, opens to general audiences.
* November 12 – Eminem releases his debut studio album ''Infinite''.
* November 24 – Crowded House plays its farewell concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in front of an audience of almost 200,000. Proceeds from this concert support the Sydney Children's Hospital. The band subsequently reunites a decade later with a new studio album and tour.

December

* December 7 – The Sex Pistols finish their reunion tour in Santiago, Chile.
* December 16 – Max Cavalera leaves Sepultura because of Sepultura not renewing his wife Gloria's contract as manager as well as being overwhelmed by the death of his stepson.
* December 31 – The twenty-fifth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Shawn Colvin, KC & the Sunshine Band, Spice Girls, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Usher.

Also in 1996

* Jesper Strömblad leaves Hammerfall.
* House of Pain breaks up which leads to DJ Lethal joining Limp Bizkit.
* The Monkees embark on their ''30th Anniversary Reunion Tour''.
* Singer Tori Amos is sued when a man crashes his car after being distracted by a billboard advertising her album. The billboard featured a photo of Amos breastfeeding a piglet.
* Coal Chamber signs with Roadrunner Records and Mikey "Bug" Cox replaces John Tor.
* The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is passed in the United States, deregulating the number of radio and TV stations that any one broadcaster can own.

Bands formed

* ''See Musical groups established in 1996''

Bands disbanded

* ''See Musical groups disestablished in 1996''

Bands reunited

* The Monkees
* New Edition
* Poison
* Kiss
* Devo
* Supertramp
* Patti Smith

Albums released

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Release date unknown

* '' All the Pretty Little Horses'' – Current 93
* ''Atom-Powered Action!'' – Bis – EP
* ''Better Can't Make Your Life Better'' – Lilys
* ''Bis vs. the D.I.Y. Corps'' – Bis
* '' Black Eye'' – Fluffy
* '' Boc Maxima'' – Boards of Canada
* ''Chixdiggit!'' – Chixdiggit
* '' Classics'' – Joey Beltram
* ''The Closing Chronicles'' – Nightingale
* '' Corey Hart'' – Corey Hart
* '' Dead Man Walking'' – Various Artists
* ''Digilogue'' (compact disc version) – :zoviet*France:
* ''Creature'' – Moist
* '' Eleventeen'' (EP) – Eve 6
* ''Garibaldi Guard!'' – U.S. Bombs
* '' G.'' – Gotthard
* '' Get Fired Up'' – Murk
* '' Get Your Legs Broke'' – Len
* ''Hamsters of Rock'' (EP) – Spacehog
* ''Hank Plays Holly'' – Hank Marvin
* ''Hank Plays Live'' – Hank Marvin
* ''Holy Land'' – Angra
* '' In Sides'' – Orbital
* ''Introducing Save Ferris'' (EP) – Save Ferris
* '' Katatonia/Primordial'' – Katatonia/Primordial
* '' La Passione'' – Chris Rea

* ''Lucky'' – Skin
* ''Lynda'' – Lynda Thomas
* '' Petitioning the Empty Sky'' – Converge
* ''A Man Amongst Men'' – Bo Diddley
* ''Music of Hair'' – Andrew Bird
* '' Nénette et Boni'' – Tindersticks
* '' Neu! '72 Live in Düsseldorf'' – Neu!
* '' Not in My Airforce'' – Robert Pollard
* ''Out of the Everywhere'' – Angie Aparo
* ''Ravendusk in My Heart'' – Diabolical Masquerade
* ''The Secret Vampire Soundtrack'' – Bis – EP
* '' Shakespearean Fish'' – Melanie Doane
* '' Six Pence for the Sauces'' (EP) – Drake Tungsten
* '' The Smiths Is Dead'' – Various Artists – The Smiths tribute
* ''Still Life'' – The Paradise Motel
* ''Tao of the One Inch Punch'' – One Inch Punch
* ''Time'' – Steeleye Span
* ''Vans Warped Music Sampler 1996'' – Various Artists
* ''Welcome to the Infant Freebase'' – The Soundtrack of Our Lives
* '' Wild Hog in the Red Brush'' – John Hartford

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highes
chart positions
in the charts of 1996.

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

Classical music

* Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen – Trumpet Concerto No. 2
* Michael Berkeley – Viola Concerto (revised)
* Elliott Carter – Clarinet Concerto
* Mario Davidovsky – Quartet No. 2 for oboe, violin, viola, violoncello
* Peter Maxwell Davies –
**''Strathclyde Concerto No 10: Concerto for Orchestra''
** Symphony No. 6
* Joël-François Durand – ''Les raisons des forces mouvantes'' for organ
* Lorenzo Ferrero – ''My Piece of Africa'', for violin, viola, violoncello, and contrabass
* Francesco Filidei – ''Danza macabra'', for organ
* Joep Franssens
** ''Sanctus'' for orchestra
** ''Winter Child'' for piano
* Vinko Globokar – ''Oblak Semen'', for trombone
* Alexander Goehr – Viola Concerto
* Sofia Gubaidulina – Viola Concerto
* Hans Werner Henze – ''Labyrinth'' (revision of 1951 work)
* Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann – ''Homage a Nelson Mandela''
* Wojciech Kilar –
**''Agnus Dei'' for mixed choir a cappella
**Piano Concerto No. 1
* Frederik Magle – Christmas cantata: ''A newborn child, before eternity, God!''
* John Pickard – Third Symphony
* David Sawer – ''Tiroirs''
* John Serry Sr. – ''Five Children's Pieces'', for piano
* Juan Maria Solare – '' Diez Estudios Escénicos''
* Karlheinz Stockhausen – '' Orchester-Finalisten''

Opera

* Lorenzo Ferrero – ''La nascita di Orfeo''
* Daron Hagen – '' Vera of Las Vegas''
* Franz Hummel – ''Gesualdo'' (14 January 1996, Kaiserslautern)
* James MacMillan – ''Inés de Castro''
* Michael Obst – ''Solaris'' (4 December, Muffathalle, Munich Biennale)
* Karlheinz Stockhausen – ''Freitag aus Licht'' (12 September, Leipzig Opera)Heinz Josef Herbort, "Erlösung trotz alledem: Freitag, Karlheinz Stockhausens fünfte LICHT-Oper, in Leipzig uraufgeführt", ''Die Zeit'' 1996, no. 39 (20 September).

Jazz

Musical theater

* ''Chicago'' ( Kander and Ebb) – Broadway revival
* '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' ( Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway revival
* '' I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change'' – off Broadway production
* ''The King and I'' ( Rodgers and Hammerstein) – Broadway revival
* '' Once Upon a Mattress'' – Broadway revival
* '' Rent'' ( Jonathan Larson) – Broadway production opened at the Nederlander Theatre and ran until 2008
* '' State Fair'' – Broadway production opened at the Music Box Theatre and ran for 110 performances

Musical films

* '' Aur Ek Prem Kahani''
* '' Everyone Says I Love You''
* '' Evita''
* '' Glastonbury the Movie''
* ''Grace of My Heart''
* '' Hommage à Noir''
* '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame''
* '' Hype!''
* '' James and the Giant Peach''
* '' Saajan Chale Sasural''
* '' That Thing You Do!''

Births

*January 12 – Ella Henderson, English singer and songwriter
*January 13 - Lauren Sanderson, American singer-songwriter
* January 15 – Dove Cameron, American actress and singer
* January 16 – Jennie Kim, South Korean rapper, singer, and model ( Blackpink)
*January 17 – Alma (Finnish singer), Finnish singer, songwriter, music producer, musician and activist
*January 23 – Chachi Gonzales, American actress and dancer
*January 27 – Braeden Lemasters, American actor, musician, voice actor and singer (Wallows)
*January 28 – Emily Piriz, American singer
* February 2 - Remi Wolf, American singer-songwriter
*February 3 – Rhap Salazar, Filipino singer-songwriter and actor
*February 9 – Kelli Berglund, American actress, singer and dancer
*February 19 – Mabel, Spanish-born Swedish-British singer and songwriter
*February 24 – Cristian Imparato, Italian singer
*March 17 - Tokischa, Dominican rapper, internet entertainer and performance artist ( Madonna)
* March 24 – Jack Edward Johnson, pop rap musician in duo Jack & Jack
* March 26 – Kathryn Bernardo, Filipina singer and actress
* April 3 – Sarah Jeffery Canadian actress, dancer and singer
* April 5 - Mura Masa, a Guernsey-born electronic music producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
*April 11 – Summer Walker, American singer-songwriter
*April 14