1996 in music

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 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!.
• 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.

  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 25 – Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell dies of a heroin overdose.
• 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 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 nine. 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 whilst being driven from the MGM Grand Hotel along Sunset Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, after seeing the allegedly fixed Mike Tyson versus Bruce Seldon boxing match, in what is apparently a drive-by shooting 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. 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 :Category:Musical groups established in 1996|Musical groups established in 1996

  Bands disbanded

• See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1996|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
• Democracy – Killing Joke
• Digilogue – :zoviet*France:
• Creature – Moist
• Eleventeen – Eve 6
• Garibaldi Guard! – U.S. Bombs
• G. – Gotthard
• Get Fired Up – Murk
• Get Your Legs Broke – Len
• Hamsters of Rock – Spacehog
• Hank Plays Holly – Hank Marvin
• Hank Plays Live – Hank Marvin
• Holy Land – Angra
• In Sides – Orbital
• Introducing Save Ferris – 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 – 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
• Telephono – Spoon
• Third Day – Third Day
• Time – Steeleye Span
• Vans Warped Music Sampler 1996 – Various Artists
• Welcome to the Infant Freebase – The Soundtrack of Our Lives

  Biggest hit singles

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1	Los Del Rio	"Macarena"	1995		US BB 1 of 1996, Netherlands 1 – Aug 1993, Austria 1 – Feb 1996, Switzerland 1 – Mar 1996, Germany 1 – Apr 1996, Australia 1 for 9 weeks Nov 1996, UK 2 – Jul 1996, US BB 2 of 1996, Norway 2 – Jun 1996, Australia 2 of 1996, POP 2 of 1996, Global 7 – 1993, Sweden 8 – Jun 1996, Germany 26 of the 1990s, Party 102 of 2007
2	Spice Girls	"Wannabe"	1996		UK 1 – Jul 1996, US BB 1 of 1997, Netherlands 1 – Aug 1996, Sweden 1 – Aug 1996, Switzerland 1 – Aug 1996, Norway 1 – Aug 1996, Germany 1 – Aug 1996, Republic of Ireland 1 – Aug 1996, New Zealand 1 for 1 weeks Nov 1996, Australia 1 for 11 weeks Jan 1997, US BB 3 of 1997, POP 3 of 1997, Austria 4 – Aug 1996, Australia 5 of 1996, Poland 22 – Aug 1996, Italy 31 of 1996, Global 33 – 1996, Scrobulate 59 of pop, RYM 94 of 1996, Germany 170 of the 1990s, OzNet 963, Acclaimed 1504
3	Celine Dion	"Because You Loved Me"	1996		US Billboard 1 – Mar 1996, Japan 1 – Mar 1996, Australia 1 of 1996, Australia 1 for 3 weeks – Aug 1996, ASCAP song of 1996, Oscar in 1996 , Grammy in 1996, Golden Globe in 1996 , US Platinum, US BB 3 of 1996, Switzerland 3 – Jun 1996, ARC 4 of 1996, Holland 4 – May 1996, Poland 4 – May 1996, Germany Gold, POP 4 of 1996, UK 5 – Jun 1996, Belgium 5 – Jun 1996, US Radio 9 of 1996, Japan 11 of 1996, Sweden 12 – Aug 1996, Germany 13 – Oct 1996, Brazil 19 of 1996, Switzerland 20 of 1996, Austria 23 – Jun 1996, UK Silver, Party 134 of 1999
4	Oasis	"Wonderwall"	1995		New Zealand 1 for 1 weeks Mar 1996, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1996, UK 2 – Nov 1995, Scrobulate 2 of rock, Sweden 4 – Nov 1995, RYM 4 of 1995, Norway 5 – Dec 1995, US BB 8 of 1996, Netherlands 9 – Dec 1995, Australia 10 of 1996, Austria 12 – Mar 1996, Poland 15 – Jan 1996, US BB 16 of 1996, Switzerland 17 – Feb 1996, POP 20 of 1996, Virgin 22, Germany 24 – Feb 1996, Europe 70 of the 1990s, Acclaimed 123, Belgium 146 of all time, WXPN 856
5	Robert Miles	"Children"	1996		Sweden 1 – Mar 1996, Austria 1 – Apr 1996, Switzerland 1 – Jan 1996, Norway 1 – Apr 1996, Germany 1 – Feb 1996, UK 2 – Feb 1996, France 2 – Feb 1996, Netherlands 3 – Feb 1996, Italy 3 of 1996, US BB 21 of 1996, Australia 26 of 1996, Germany 32 of the 1990s, Scrobulate 71 of house, RYM 159 of 1996, OzNet 336

Top hits on record

Classical music

• Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen – Trumpet Concerto No. 2
• Michael Berkeley – Viola Concerto
• 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
• 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 –

  Opera

• Lorenzo Ferrero – La nascita di Orfeo
• Daron Hagen – Vera of Las Vegas
• Franz Hummel – Gesualdo
• James MacMillan – Inés de Castro
• Michael Obst – Solaris
• Karlheinz Stockhausen – Freitag aus Licht

  Jazz

Musical theater

• Chicago – Broadway revival
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – Broadway revival
• I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change – off Broadway production
• The King and I – Broadway revival
• Once Upon a Mattress – Broadway revival
• Rent – 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
• Hype!
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• James and the Giant Peach
• Saajan Chale Sasural
• That Thing You Do!

  Births

• January 12 – Ella Henderson, English singer and songwriter
• January 15 – Dove Cameron, American actress and singer
• January 16 – Jennie Kim, South Korean rapper, singer, and model
• January 17 – Alma, Finnish singer, songwriter, music producer, musician and activist
• January 23 – Chachi Gonzales, American actress and dancer
• January 27 – Braeden Lemasters, American actor and singer
• January 28 – Emily Piriz, American singer
• 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 24 – Jack Edward Johnson, pop rap musician in duo Jack & Jack
• April 3 – Sarah Jeffery Canadian actress, dancer and singer
• April 11 – Summer Walker, American singer-songwriter
• April 18 – Ski Mask The Slump God, American rapper
• May 14 – Martin Garrix – Dutch DJ and record producer
• May 15 – Birdy, English musician, singer and songwriter
• May 31 – Normani Kordei, American singer, songwriter, dancer and member of girl group Fifth Harmony
• June 1 – Tom Holland, English actor and dancer
• June 15 – Aurora, Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer
• June 25 – Lele Pons, Venezuelan-American internet personality, actress, singer, dancer and host
• June 27 – Lauren Jauregui, American singer, songwriter and dancer and member of girl group Fifth Harmony
• July 11 – Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter
• July 13 – Jena Irene, American singer-songwriter
• July 18 – Yung Lean, a Swedish rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer
• August 1
• *Cymphonique Miller, American actress and singer
• *Ellona Santiago, Filipino-American singer
• September 1 – Zendaya, American actress, singer and dancer
• September 5 – Sigrid, Norwegian singer-songwriter
• September 6 – Lil Xan, American rapper
• September 10 – Jack Finnegan Gilinsky, pop rap musician in duo Jack & Jack
• September 17 – Slayyyter,American musician
• September 19 – Pia Mia, Guamanian singer, songwriter and model
• October 1 – Shenseea, Jamaican dancehall reggae performer and deejay.
• October 14 – Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, first child of Madonna
• October 15 – Zelo, South Korean rapper
• October 29 – Astrid S, Norwegian singer-songwriter-model
• November 1 – Lil Peep, American rapper
• November 6 – Stefanie Scott, American actress and singer
• November 7 – Lorde, New Zealand indie pop singer-songwriter
• November 19 – RiceGum, American YouTube personality, comedien and musician.
• December 11 – Hailee Steinfeld, American actress and singer-songwriter
• December 17 – Kungs, French DJ, record producer and musician.

  Deaths

• January 20 – Gerry Mulligan, saxophonist, 68
• January 21, in a car accident, the London Boys:
• * Edem Ephraim, 37
• * Dennis Fuller, 37
• January 25 – Jonathan Larson, composer and writer of the hit Broadway musical Rent, 35
• January 26 – Henry Lewis, American bassist and conductor, 63
• January 30 – Bob Thiele, record producer, 73
• February 2 – Gene Kelly, actor and dancer, 83
• February 3 – Audrey Meadows, American actress and singer, 73
• February 7 – Boris Tchaikovsky, composer, 70
• February 15 – Wild Jimmy Spruill, guitarist, 61
• February 16 – Brownie McGhee, blues singer and guitarist, 80
• February 17 – Evelyn Laye, English actress and singer, 95
• February 20 – Toru Takemitsu, composer, 65
• February 21 – Morton Gould, composer conductor arranger ASCAP President, 82
• February 26 – Mieczysław Weinberg, composer, 76
• March 4 – Minnie Pearl, comedian and country musician, 83
• March 15 – Olga Rudge, violinist, 101
• March 22 – Don Murray, drummer, 50
• March 31 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, singer and songwriter, 37
• April 2 – Booba Barnes, blues singer and guitarist, 59
• April 18 – Bernard Edwards, 43
• May 8 – Celedonio Romero, leader of the Romeros guitar quartet, 83
• May 10 – Ethel Smith, organist, 93
• May 11 – Walter Hyatt, singer/songwriter, 46
• May 17
• *Kevin Gilbert, studio engineer, songwriter with Toy Matinee, Tuesday Night Music Club, 29
• *Johnny "Guitar" Watson – guitarist, 61
• May 25 – Brad Nowell, lead singer and guitarist of Sublime, 28
• May 30 – John Kahn, rock bassist, 48
• June 15 – Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer, 79
• June 20 – Jim Ellison, singer and guitarist of Material Issue, 32
• July 12 – Jonathan Melvoin, touring keyboardist for The Smashing Pumpkins, 34
• July 16 – John Panozzo, drummer for Styx and brother of Chuck Panozzo, 47
• July 17
• * Chas Chandler, 57
• * Marcel Dadi, French country and western guitarist, 44
• July 22 – Rob Collins, original keyboardist of The Charlatans, 31
• July 29 – Jason Thirsk, Pennywise bassist, 28
• August 11 – Mel Taylor, drummer, 62
• August 13 – David Tudor, pianist and composer, 70
• August 14
• *Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor, 84
• *Al Cleveland, songwriter and producer, 66
• August 23 – Jurriaan Andriessen, Dutch composer, 71
• September 1 – Vagn Holmboe, Danish composer, 83
• September 9 – Bill Monroe, bluegrass singer, composer and mandolin player, 84
• September 12 – Eleazar de Carvalho, Brazilian orchestral conductor and composer, 84
• September 13 – Tupac Shakur, rapper, poet, actor, 25
• September 28 – Bob Gibson, folk singer/songwriter, 64
• October 2 – Joonas Kokkonen, Finnish composer, 75
• October 6 – Ted Daffan, country musician, 84
• October 11 – Renato Russo, lead singer and composer for Legião Urbana, 36
• October 17
• * Berthold Goldschmidt, German composer, 93
• * Chris Acland, Lush drummer, 30
• November 2 – Eva Cassidy, American vocalist, 33
• November 5 – Eddie Harris, jazz saxophonist, pianist and organist, 62
• November 10 – Manik Varma, Indian classical musician, 76
• November 13 – Bill Doggett, jazz and R&B pianist and organist, 80
• November 30 – Tiny Tim, musician, 64
• December 5 – Wilf Carter, Canadian country musician, 91
• December 10 – Faron Young, country singer, 64
• December 29 – Mireille, French singer, 90
• December 29 – Jerry Knight, vocalist, bassist, songwriter and producer, 44

  Awards

• Eurovision Song Contest Main article: Eurovision Song Contest 1996
• Grammy Awards Main article: Grammy Awards of 1996
• MTV Video Music Awards Main article: 1996 MTV Video Music Awards
• Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Music Prize was awarded to Different Class, the album by Pulp.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The following artists were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: David Bowie, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jefferson Airplane, Little Willie John, Pink Floyd, The Shirelles and The Velvet Underground.

  Glenn Gould Prize

• Toru Takemitsu, Tan Dun

  Charts

• Triple J Hottest 100 Main article: Triple J Hottest 100, 1996