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

Events

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January

• January - Israel's Son gained controversy in which Two American teenagers - Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett - had been charged with the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother. Defense lawyers attempted to lay the blame for these murders on the fact the pair had been listening to Israel's Son prior to the crimes what was dubbed the "Israel's Son Murders". Murmur Records released an official statement on behalf of Silverchair, responding to these allegations, which pointed out that silverchair did not condone violence of any kind and that the song "seeks to criticize violence and war by portraying them in all their horror." Although no further connection was made between the song and the actions of the two young murderers, the US video was re-edited, much to the band's annoyance.
• January 8 - Madonna's stalker, Robert Hoskins is found guilty and convicted on five charges of assault, stalking, and threatening to kill the singer.^[1]
• January 16
  • 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, were also on the plane. No-one was injured.^[2]
  • At a pre-trial hearing, Tom Copland, the lawyer representing teenager Nicholaus McDonald, blames Silverchair's song "Israel's Son" for inspiring his client, together with fellow teenager Brian Bassett, to murder Bassett's parents and five-year-old brother in McCleary, Washington, USA.^[3]
• January 18 - Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.^[4]
• January 25 - Madonna receives death threats from Argentine conservatives who are enraged and insulted that she is playing Eva Peron in Evita.^{citation needed} 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!).^[5]
• January 28 - Chris Isaak makes a guest appearance on the television show Friends.^[6]
• January 29
  • La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, was destroyed by fire.^[7]
  • Kiss reveals to the world 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 stage in full makeup and costume for the first time since 1980.^[8]
  • Garth Brooks refuses to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist.^[9] Brooks says that Hootie and the Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did.^{citation needed}

February

• February 4 - Former Milli-Vanilli band member Rob Pilatus was hospitalized when a man hit him over the head with a baseball bat in Hollywood, California, USA. Pilatus was attempting to steal the man's car.^[10]
• February 13 - Tupac Shakur released the first ever rap double album, All Eyez on Me. The album is one of the most influential albums in hip hop history. All Eyez on Me achieved platinum sales in just four hours and reached #1 on the Billboard 200 charts.^{citation needed}
• February 14 - The Artist Formerly Known As Prince marries backup singer Mayte Garcia.^{citation needed}
• 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.^{citation needed}

March

• March 4 - The Beatles' second reunion song was 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.^{citation needed}
• March 13 - Ramones fans rioted in Buenos Aires, Argentina after waiting all night for concert tickets only to find out that the show had been sold out.^{citation needed}
• March 16 - Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's 16th consecutive week stay at #1 in the American charts with "One Sweet Day" ended when Celine Dion's Because You Loved Me hit #1. "One Sweet Day" is the longest consecutive week stay at #1 in the Billboard Hot 100's history.^[11]
• March 18 - The Sex Pistols announced that they would be reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour.^{citation needed}
• March 28 - Phil Collins announced that he was leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career.^{citation needed}

April

• 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 15 - The remaining part of Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
• April 16 - Madonna announces that she is four months pregnant by Carlos Leon, her then boyfriend and trainer.
• April 24 - This Train, Rick Elias, Jimmy A, Phil Keaggy, Carolyn Arends, Third Day & 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/June

• The Galway Early Music Festival is launched in Ireland.
• May 8 - In Los Angeles, California, a judge rules against Tommy Lee and wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee, in their attempt to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos taken from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.
• May 25 - Brad Nowell, lead singer of the band Sublime, is found dead of a heroin overdose in his San Francisco motel room.
• June 21 - The Sex Pistols start their reunion tour in Lahti, Finland.

July

• The Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin, is arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The other band members fire him because they said his "insidious battle with drugs and alcohol" had nearly ruined everything for the band.^{citation needed}
• July 5 - Mark King solo album One Man is release
• July 9 - "Wannabe", the best-selling single by any female pop group, is released in the UK by the Spice Girls.
• July 11 - Robert Simpson's second string quintet premiered at the Cheltenham International Festival by the Maggini Quartet with Pal Banda, cellist.
• July 29 - Jason Matthew Thirsk, bassist of the band Pennywise, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.^{citation needed}

August

• August 1 - MTV2 was launched.^{citation needed}
• August 10 and August 11 - Oasis played at Knebworth, UK, for two consecutive nights in front of 250,000 people. It is considered the peak of the Britpop movement.^{who?citation needed}

September

• September 7 - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot four times in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, while leaving the MGM Grand hotel after seeing the Mike Tyson versus Bruce Seldon boxing match, in what is apparently a drive-by shooting
• September 7 - Michael Jackson starts the HIStory World Tour
• 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.^{citation needed}
• September 13 - Tupac Shakur dies in hospital after his wounds from his September 7 shooting.

October

• October 6 - Country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw get married.
• October 14 - Madonna's first child, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, is born in Los Angeles, California.
• October 30 - Slash officially leaves Guns N' Roses.
• October 31 - Slipknot releases their limited edition album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat..

November

• November 8 - After having first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film Hype!, a documentary on the Seattle grunge scene, opens to general audiences
• November 24 - Crowded House plays its final 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.

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 step-son.^{citation needed}

Date unknown

• House of Pain breaks up which leads to DJ Lethal joining Limp Bizkit.
• Sheryl Crow's self titled album is banned from Wal-Mart stores 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".
• 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.^{citation needed}
• David Bowie's single "Telling Lies" becomes the first song offered as a free digital download by a major record label (Virgin Records).
• Roberto Alagna marries Angela Gheorghiu.
• Coal Chamber signs with Roadrunner Records and Mikey "Bug" Cox replaces John Tor.
• Alice Cooper performs at Sammy Hagar's club, Cabo Wabo, in Mexico. It was recorded and released the next year as a live album.
• The Proms in the Park event is launched in London, UK.^{citation needed}

Bands formed

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• Ace Troubleshooter
• Agalloch
• Alkaline Trio
• All Systems Go!
• Arch Enemy
• Belle and Sebastian
• Chamberlain
• Disturbed
• Dressy Bessy
• Engine Down
• Fountains of Wayne
• Good Charlotte
• Godsmack
• Hadag Nahash
• The Haunted
• Iceman
• Lordi
• Linkin Park
• Mudvayne
• Nightwish
• Quarashi
• Park Ave.
• Puffy AmiYumi
• Sanctus Real
• Skillet
• Slipknot
• Sum 41
• Switchfoot
• Within Temptation
• Matchbox Twenty
• Zebrahead

Bands disbanded

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• 2 Unlimited
• Arrested Development
• At The Gates
• Army of Lovers
• Belly
• Carcass (they reform in 2007)
• Cluster (they reform in 2007)
• Crowded House (they reform in 2007)
• Eric's Trip
• Extreme
• Heavenly
• House of Pain
• Jawbreaker
• Jodeci (hiatus, until 2006)
• The Kinks
• Lush
• Ned's Atomic Dustbin
• The Pogues
• The Ramones
• Ride
• Siouxsie & The Banshees
• The Stone Roses
• Sublime
• Take That (they reform in 2005)
• Vaya Con Dios

Bands return

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

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Release Date Unknown

• Back in the Shootin' Match - Ace Troubleshooter
• Black Earth - Arch Enemy
• Take It From The Man! - The Brian Jonestown Massacre
• Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request - The Brian Jonestown Massacre
• Testing Positive - George Clinton
• All the Pretty Little Horses - Current 93
• A Man Amongst Men - Bo Diddley
• Love in Space - Hawkwind
• Inquilaab - Junoon
• Democracy - Killing Joke
• Neu! '72 Live in Dusseldorf - Neu!
• Curb - Nickelback
• Hesher - Nickelback
• Brown - P.O.D.
• La Passione - Chris Rea
• Telephono - Spoon
• Nénette et Boni - Tindersticks
• Garibaldi Guard! - U.S. Bombs

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest positions in the charts of 1996.^[12]

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Spice Girls	Wannabe	1996		UK 1 - Jul 1996, US BB 1 of 1997, Holland 1 - Aug 1996, Sweden 1 - Aug 1996, Switzerland 1 - Aug 1996, Norway 1 - Aug 1996, Germany 1 - Aug 1996, Éire 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 (5 M sold) - 1996, Scrobulate 59 of pop, RYM 94 of 1996, Germany 170 of the 1990s, OzNet 963, Acclaimed 1504
2	The Fugees	Killing Me Softly	1996		UK 1 - Jun 1996, Holland 1 - Jun 1996, Austria 1 - Jul 1996, Switzerland 1 - Jun 1996, Norway 1 - Jun 1996, Germany 1 - Jun 1996, Éire 1 - Jun 1996, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks May 1996, Australia 1 for 7 weeks Aug 1996, Poland 2 - Jun 1996, Australia 3 of 1996, Sweden 5 - Aug 1996, Italy 6 of 1996, Scrobulate 6 of hip-hop, US BB 17 of 1996, POP 21 of 1996, Germany 35 of the 1990s, RYM 97 of 1996, Europe 98 of the 1990s, Acclaimed 837
3	Los Del Rio	Macarena	1996		US BB 1 of 1996, Holland 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 (10 M sold) - 1993, Sweden 8 - Jun 1996, Germany 26 of the 1990s, Party 102 of 2007
4	Oasis	Wonderwall	1996		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, Holland 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, Holland 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

This section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (April 2008)

• "1979"- The Smashing Pumpkins
• "6th Avenue Heartache" - The Wallflowers
• "Aeroplane" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Ahead By A Century" - The Tragically Hip
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