1986 in music

Specific locations

• 1986 in British music
• 1986 in Norwegian music

  Specific genres

• 1986 in country music
• 1986 in heavy metal music
• 1986 in hip hop music
• 1986 in jazz

  Events

• January 30 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, holds its first induction ceremony with many rock pioneers attending.
• May 28 – The Monkees held a press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City to announce officially that they will embark on a 100-plus city tour. The tour became one of the biggest grossing tours of the year.
• June 10 – Bob Geldof is awarded an honorary UK knighthood in recognition of his work in organizing Live Aid and other concerts that raised millions of dollars for the starving people of Africa.
• June 30 – Madonna releases her "True Blue" album, which tops the charts in over 28 countries & becomes the best selling album of 1986.
• September 27 – A tour bus carrying the heavy metal band Metallica crashes in Sweden, killing their influential bassist, Cliff Burton.
• October – Popular music magazine Q is launched in the United Kingdom.
• November 17–18 – Billy Eckstine makes his final recordings, later released on his album Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter.
• December 12 – The Smiths play Brixton Academy, their last ever gig before their dissolution.
• Approximate date – Axé originates in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

  Bands formed

• See :Category:Musical groups established in 1986|Musical groups established in 1986

  Bands disbanded

• See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1986|Musical groups disestablished in 1986

  Albums released

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Release date unknown

• 3.V – Zebra
• Awaken the Guardian – Fates Warning
• American Girls – American Girls
• Back in Line – Steeleye Span
• Between the Earth & Sky – Luba
• The Blind Leading the Naked – Violent Femmes
• BTO's Greatest – Bachman–Turner Overdrive
• Certain Things Are Likely – Kissing the Pink
• Charlotte for Ever – Charlotte Gainsbourg
• Chasing Shadows – The Comsat Angels
• The Circle & The Square – Red Box
• The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
• Concrete Blonde – Concrete Blonde
• A Date with Elvis – The Cramps
• David Foster – David Foster
• Dreaming in Sequence – Chrome
• Emotional – Juice Newton
• Especially for You – The Smithereens
• Good Earth – The Feelies
• Gruts – Ivor Cutler
• Hand to Mouth – General Public
• Hey... Bo Diddley in Concert – Bo Diddley with Mainsqueeze
• Highlights of a Dangerous Life – The Johnnys
• Horse Bites Dog Cries – D.I.
• Horse Rotorvator – Coil
• House of Miracles – The Vels
• Hwgr Grawth-Og – Datblygu
• In America EP – Britny Fox
• Inside – Matthew Sweet
• Isyu! – Ebiet G. Ade
• Journey to The Urge Within – Courtney Pine
• Keys to Imagination – Yanni
• Kings of Punk – Poison Idea
• Klymaxx – Klymaxx
• The Knife Feels Like Justice – Brian Setzer
• Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares – Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
• Le Visage de l'Amour – Dalida
• Le sixième Jour – Dalida
• Letters Home – News from Babel
• Live Chronicles – Hawkwind
• London 0 Hull 4 – The Housemartins
• Love in Bright Landscapes – The Triffids
• Lyle Lovett – Lyle Lovett
• Mad – Raven
• The Man – Bill Drummond
• Mind's Eye – Vinnie Moore
• Minuteflag – Minutemen/Black Flag
• Nerve War – Front Line Assembly
• Nine Lives – Bonnie Raitt
• Not of This Earth – Joe Satriani
• Nuovi eroi – Eros Ramazzotti
• On the Beach – Chris Rea
• One Foot in Hell – Cirith Ungol
• Paint Your Wagon – Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
• Permanent Sleep – Lowlife
• Prince Ivor – Ivor Cutler
• R&B Skeletons in the Closet – George Clinton
• The Rainmakers – The Rainmakers
• Reivax Au Bongo – Hector Zazou
• Running the Endless Mile – John Parr
• Sex Mad – NoMeansNo
• Shakin' Like a Human Being – Kim Mitchell
• Siempre Contigo – José José
• Strange Behavior – Animotion
• Songs from Liquid Days – Philip Glass
• Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America – Culturcide
• They Don't Make Them Like They Used To – Kenny Rogers
• Thrill of a Lifetime – King Kobra
• Throwing Muses – Throwing Muses
• Tones – Eric Johnson
• Total Terror – Front Line Assembly
• The Touch – Alabama
• Transit – Ira Stein and Russel Walder
• Tutu – Miles Davis
• U-Vox – Ultravox
• Velvet & Steel – Dion DiMucci
• Vicious Pink – Vicious Pink
• Vicious Rumors – Timex Social Club
• Walkabout – The Fixx
• Wants You – Rough Cutt
• The Wedge – Pallas
• Weird Love – The Scientists
• Welcome Home – 'Til Tuesday
• While the City Sleeps... – George Benson
• White Fields – The Escape Club
• Yemenite Songs – Ofra Haza
• Yesterday Started Tomorrow'' – Angry Samoans

  Biggest hit singles

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1	Falco	"Rock Me Amadeus"	1985		UK 1 – Mar 1986, US BB 1 – Feb 1986, Canada 1 – Dec 1985, Sweden 1 – Aug 1985, Sweden 1 – Sep 1985, Austria 1 – May 1985, Germany 1 – Jun 1985, Republic of Ireland 1 – Apr 1986, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1986, France 2 – Nov 1985, Switzerland 2 – Jun 1985, Netherlands 3 – May 1986, South Africa 3 of 1986, Norway 6 – Apr 1986, Italy 18 of 1985, US CashBox 19 of 1986, Poland 24 – Jun 1985, POP 29 of 1986, US BB 30 of 1986, Germany 50 of the 1980s, RYM 63 of 1985, Scrobulate 65 of 80s, KROQ 74 of 1986
2	Madonna	"Papa Don't Preach"	1986		UK 1 – Jun 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Sweden 1 – Aug 1986, Norway 1 – Jul 1986, Italy 1 of 1986, Republic of Ireland 1 – Jun 1986, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Mar 1987, Netherlands 2 – Jun 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jul 1986, Poland 2 – Aug 1986, Germany 2 – Jul 1986, Austria 4 – Aug 1986, Australia 9 of 1986, US CashBox 18 of 1986, US BB 19 of 1986, POP 35 of 1986, 37 in 2FM list, RYM 43 of 1986, Germany 215 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 761
3	Berlin	"Take My Breath Away"	1986		UK 1 – Oct 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Netherlands 1 – Sep 1986, Sweden 1 – Sep 1986, Republic of Ireland 1 – Oct 1986, Oscar in 1986, Switzerland 2 – Oct 1986, Germany 3 – Sep 1986, Austria 4 – Nov 1986, Norway 4 – Oct 1986, Poland 4 – Nov 1986, Australia 6 of 1986, POP 7 of 1986, US BB 13 of 1992, RYM 16 of 1986, US CashBox 21 of 1986, Italy 37 of 1986, TOTP 37, Scrobulate 80 of 80s, OzNet 251, Germany 310 of the 1980s
4	Pet Shop Boys	"West End Girls"	1985		UK 1 – Nov 1985, US BB 1 – Mar 1986, Norway 1 – Jan 1986, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1986, US CashBox 2 of 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jan 1986, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1986, Sweden 3 – Jan 1986, Germany 3 – Jan 1986, Austria 5 – Feb 1986, France 7 – Oct 1985, KROQ 11 of 1984, Poland 14 – Jan 1986, RYM 15 of 1985, US BB 16 of 1986, South Africa 18 of 1986, Scrobulate 32 of 80s, POP 43 of 1986, Germany 232 of the 1980s, WXPN 478, OzNet 694, Acclaimed 890

Notable hits

Published popular music

• "All I Ask of You" w.m. Andrew Lloyd Webber
• "Crush On You" w.m. Jerry Knight & Aaron Zigman
• "I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm Alright Now" w.m. Eric Burdon
• "The Lady in Red" w.m. Chris de Burgh
• "True Colors" Cyndi Lauper
• Montego Bay Amazulu – a minor hit in the U.S. in September.

  Classical music">European classical music">Classical music

• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 9
• Pascal Bentoiu – Symphony No. 7, Op.29
• Elliott Carter – String Quartet No.4
• George Crumb – An Idyll for the Misbegotten for amplified flute and percussion.
• George Crumb – Federico's Little Songs for Children for soprano, flute/piccolo/alto flute/bass flute, and harp
• Mario Davidovsky – Salvos for flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, violin and cello
• Jacob Druckman – Reflections on the Nature of Water, for solo marimba
• Ludovico Einaudi – Movimento
• Peter Eötvös – Chinese Opera
• Morton Feldman
• *For Christian Wolff, for flute and piano/celesta
• *For Stefan Wolpe, for choir and 2 vibraphones
• Lorenzo Ferrero
• *La fuga di Foscolo
• *Anemia
• *Passacaglia, for flute, clarinet, and string quartet
• *Intermezzo "Portella della Ginestra"
• *Ninna-nanna
• Karel Goeyvaerts –
• *De Heilige Stad, for chamber orchestra
• *De Zeven Segels, for string quartet
• Martun Israelyan
• *Violin Concerto
• *Sonata No. 2 for cello and piano
• Wojciech Kilar – Orawa, a symphonic poem for a string orchestra
• György Kurtág – Three Ancient Inscriptions, for voice and piano
• Alvin Lucier – Hommage to James Tenney, for double bass and pure wave oscillator
• Witold Lutoslawski – Chain 3 for orchestra
• Per Nørgård
• *Viola Concerto No. 1 Remembering Child
• *Najader
• Krzysztof Penderecki – The Song of Cherubin
• Paul Schoenfield – Café Music for Piano Trio

  Opera

• Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus is premiered in London, UK on May 21
• Rudolf Brucci – Gilgamesh
• Lorenzo Ferrero's opera Salvatore Giuliano is premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on January 25
• Lee Hoiby – The Tempest
• Gian-Carlo Menotti – Goya
• Michael Nyman – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

  [Jazz]

[Musical theater]

• La Cage aux Folles – London production
• Charlie Girl – London revival
• Chess – London production
• Me and My Girl – Broadway revival
• The Phantom Of The Opera – London production
• Time – London production
• Sweet Charity – Broadway revival

  [Musical film]s

• Absolute Beginners
• HMS Pinafore
• Long Da Lishkara
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Naam
• Otello

  Musical television

• Barnum

  [Music festivals]

• Inaugural Festival International de Louisiane

  Births

• January 1 – Lee Sung-min, South Korean singer and actor
• January 2 – Trombone Shorty, American trumpet and trombone player
• January 3 – Lloyd Polite, American singer
• January 5 — Teppei Koike, Japanese singer and actor
• January 6 – Alex Turner, English singer and guitarist
• January 7 – Megan Washington, Australian musician and singer-songwriter
• January 11 – Mithoon, Indian film score composer and singer
• January 17 – Chloe Rose Lattanzi, American singer and actress
• January 20
• * Victoria Asher, American keyboard player
• * Kevin Parker, Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
• January 22, Ella Edmondson, British musician
• January 24 – Raviv Ullman, Israeli-American actor and musician.
• January 26 – Katie Waissel, English singer-songwriter
• January 26
• *Hero, Korean singer
• *Matt Heafy, singer, and guitarist
• January 28 – Michael Paynter, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
• February 2 – Blaine Larsen, US country singer
• February 6 — U-Know, Korean singer
• February 14 – Tiffany Thornton, American actress
• February 15 – Amber Riley, American actress, stage performer, singer and author
• February 19 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer
• February 21 – Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter, activist and actress
• February 23 – Skylar Grey, American singer songwriter
• February 25 — Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer
• February 26
• * Crystal Kay, Japanese singer, songwriter, radio host and actress.
• * Juliet Simms, American Singer-songwriter, model and former front woman of the band Automatic Loveletter..
• March 3 – Stacie Orrico, American singer, songwriter and occasional actress
• March 6
• * Maya Postepski, Canadian musician and producer
• * Ginny Blackmore, New Zealand singer and songwriter
• March 9
• * Brittany Snow, American actress, producer and singer
• * Young Fyre, American record producer
• March 12 – Danny Jones, British musician, singer and guitarist
• March 13 – Rose Elinor Dougall, English singer, songwriter and musician
• March 14 – Este Arielle Haim, Multi-instrumentalist, and singer, member of sisterhood and band Hiam
• March 15
• *Adrianne Leon, American actress and singer
• *Natalie Prass, American singer-songwriter
• March 17 – Andrew Goldstein, American singer, songwriter and record producer
• March 18 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer, songwriter and model
• March 20
• * Ruby Rose, Australian model, DJ, recording artist, actress, television presenter, and former MTV VJ
• * Dean Geyer, South African–Australian singer-songwriter and actor
• * Oscar Görres, Swedish songwriter, record producer and musician
• March 22 – Amy Studt, English singer, songwriter and musician
• March 26
• * Jonny Craig, Canadian singer and songwriter
• * Jonathan Groff, American singer and actor
• March 28 – Lady Gaga, American singer, songwriter, activist and pianist
• April 2
• *Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter
• * Mykki Blanco, American rapper, performance artist, poet and activist.
• April 4 — Eunhyuk, Korean singer
• April 8
• *Bridget Kelly, American singer-songwriter
• *Erika Sawajiri, Japanese actress and singer
• April 28 – Jenna Ushkowitz, South Korean-born American actress, singer, and podcast host
• April 30 – Dianna Agron, American actress, singer, and dancer.
• May 12 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian French actress, dancer and martial artist
• May 13 — Alexander Rybak, Norwegian singer
• May 14
• *Alyosha, Ukrainian singer
• *Joseph Attieh, Lebanese singer
• * Amy Shark, Australian indie singer-songwriter and producer
• May 16 – Charlie Fink, British songwriter, producer and filmmaker
• May 17 – Hannah Lux Davis, American music video director
• May 21
• * Myra, American singer
• * Da'Vine Joy Randolph, American actress and singer
• May 30 – Claudia Beni, Croatian pop singer.
• May 31 — Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian musician
• June 5 – Gin Wigmore, New Zealand singer-songwriter
• June 10 — Tinchy Stryder, English rapper and producer
• June 13 – DJ Snake, French DJ and record producer
• June 24 – Solange Knowles, American singer, songwriter, activist, model, and actress
• June 25 – Aya Matsuura, Japanese singer
• June 27 – Drake Bell, American actor/singer/musician
• June 28 – Kellie Pickler, American Idol singer
• June 29 – Austin Drage, British actor and singer
• July 2 – Lindsay Lohan, American actress, musician, singer/songwriter, documentary-maker, businesswoman and model
• July 5 – Adam Young, American singer-songwriter and producer
• July 17 – Jason Aalon Butler, American musician
• July 21 – Rebecca Ferguson, British singer and songwriter
• July 28 = Alexandra Richards, American DJ
• August 1 – Marissa Paternoster, American artist, singer and guitarist
• August 19 – Christina Perri, American singer/songwriter, musician and artist
• August 26
• *Laza Morgan, singer
• *Cassie, American singer, dancer
• August 28 – Florence Welch, English musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, author, poet and performer,.
• August 29 – Lea Michele, American singer, actress
• September 10 – Ashley Monroe, American country music singer-songwriter.
• September 12 – Emmy Rossum, American actress and singer
• September 15 – George Watsky, American hip hop artist, author, and poet
• September 19 – Ilya Salmanzadeh, Swedish music producer
• September 21 – Lindsey Stirling, American violinist, dancer, youtuber, record producer and performance artist
• September 27 – Alison Wonderland, Australian electronic dance music DJ, producer and singer
• October 1 – Jurnee Smollett-Bell, American actress and singer
• October 6 – Meg Myers, American singer-songwriter
• October 22 – Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, actress
• October 24 – Drake, Canadian entertainer.
• October 29 – Nataly Dawn, American musician
• November 3 – Jasmine Trias, Filipino-American singer-entertainer
• November 5 – BoA, South Korean singer
• November 7 – Toro y Moi, American singer, songwriter, record producer and graphic designer.
• November 8 – Nikola Rachelle, British recording artist and songwriter
• November 15 – Jerry Roush, American singer-songwriter
• November 20 — Oliver Sykes, English heavy metal vocalist
• November 21 – Colleen Ballinger, American comedian, actress, singer and YouTube personality
• November 25 – Katie Cassidy, American actress, singer, voice actress
• December 8 – Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter and actress
• December 15 — Xiah, Korean singer
• December 20 — Anoop Desai, American singer-songwriter
• December 30
• * Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter
• * Caity Lotz, American singer, dancer, actor, martial artist
• unknown: Kristin Hayter, American neoclassical industrial musician. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist and activist against abuse

  Deaths

• January 4 – Phil Lynott, bassist/singer and co-founder of Thin Lizzy, 36
• January 6 – Joe Farrell, jazz saxophonist, 48
• January 8 – Pierre Fournier, cellist, 79
• February 2 – Francisco Mignone, composer, 88
• February 14 – Edmund Rubbra, composer, 84
• February 15 – Galliano Masini, operatic tenor, 90
• March 4
• *Richard Manuel, 42
• *Howard Greenfield, songwriter, 49
• March 11 – Sonny Terry, blues musician, 74
• March 21 – Raymond Burke, jazz clarinetist, 81
• March 22 – Mark Dinning, US singer, 52
• March 30 – James Cagney, US actor, singer and dancer, 86
• March 31 – O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers, 48
• April 1 – Donald Grobe, operatic tenor, 56
• April 3 – Peter Pears, opera singer and partner of Benjamin Britten, 75
• April 6 – Boris Gutnikov, violinist, 54
• April 8 – Yukiko Okada, singer, 18
• April 13 – Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer, 53
• April 19
• *Dag Wirén, composer, 80
• *Estelle Yancey, blues singer, 90
• June 3 – Anna Neagle, actress, singer and dancer, 81
• June 13 – Benny Goodman, bandleader, 77
• June 14 – Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist, 67
• June 16 – Maurice Duruflé, composer, 84
• June 17 – Kate Smith, singer, 79
• June 29 – Dusolina Giannini, operatic soprano, 83
• July 3 – Rudy Vallee, singer, 84
• July 18 – Don Wilkerson, saxophonist
• July 31 – Teddy Wilson, jazz pianist, 73
• September 27 – Cliff Burton, 24
• September 28 – Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer, 77
• October 16 – Arthur Grumiaux, violinist, 65
• October 22 – Thorgeir Stubø, Norwegian jazz guitarist, 42
• November 1 – Sippie Wallace, blues singer, 88
• November 3 – Eddie Davis, saxophonist, 64
• November 6 – Elisabeth Grümmer, operatic soprano, 75
• November 7 – Tracy Pew, bass guitarist, 28
• November 13 – Rudolf Schock, operatic tenor, 71
• November 18 – Lajos Bárdos, composer and conductor, 87
• November 22 – Scatman Crothers, singer, dancer and musician, 76
• December 1 – Horace Heidt, pianist and bandleader, 85
• December 10 – Kate Wolf, folk singer and songwriter, 44
• December 30 – Charles Magnante, accordionist, composer, arranger, author, and educator, 81

  Awards

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened; the following artists were the first inductees: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and record producer Sam Phillips.
• Grammy Awards of 1986
• Eurovision Song Contest 1986
• 28th Japan Record Awards

  Charts

List of no. 1 hits">List of number-one hits (United States)">List of no. 1 hits

• Hot 100 no. 1 hits of 1986 – U.S.