1986 in music

"See also:"
*
*

Events

*January 23 - The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place. The first artists to be honoured are Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.Fact|date=April 2008
*February 4 - "Control", the third album of Janet Jackson, who would become one of the best-selling artists of all time, was released.
*February 11 - Culture Club lead singer Boy George appears on an episode of "The A-Team"
*February 14 - Frank Zappa appears on an episode of the popular television series "Miami Vice". Zappa portrays a crime boss named "Mr. Frankie".
*February 21 - The Dead Kennedys play their last concert at UC Davis in Davis, California.
*February 23 - In honor of the 20th anniversary of "The Monkees" premiering on television, MTV broadcasts "Pleasant Valley Sunday," a 22-hour marathon of Monkees episodes.
*March 3 - Metallica releases their highly influential album, "Master of Puppets", considered by many in the metal community to be the best metal album of all time
*March 27 - Sammy Hagar performs his first concert as the lead singer of Van Halen
*April 12 - The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle marries actor Morgan Mason
*May 2 - Country music superstar Dolly Parton opens her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
*May 5 - In New York, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Chairman Ahmet Ertegün announces that Cleveland, Ohio has been chosen as the city where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be built
*Alice Cooper returns to the mainstream after a two year hiatus. The Nightmare Returns Tour goes on to become one of the best selling tours of 1986.
*May 10 - Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear.
*May 19 - Peter Gabriel releases "So", his first album in over 4 years. The album reached number 2 on the charts and sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S. "So" contains the chart-topping songs "Sledgehammer" (#1), "Big Time" (top 10), and "In Your Eyes" (top 40). The music video for "Sledgehammer" won 9 MTV Video Music Awards, more than any video in history, and was ranked the #1 video of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. This album also marks Peter Gabriel's introduction into the mainstream of world music artists such as Youssou N'dour (who lent his vocals on "In Your Eyes"). It is interesting to note that Genesis released their hit album "Invisible Touch" in 1986, with Phil Collins on vocals.
*May 21 - Harrison Birtwistle's opera "The Mask of Orpheus" is premiered in London
*May 25 - Norwegian band a-ha wins a recordbreaking 8 awards at the MTV Music award show.
*May 30 - The Monkees begin a highly successful tour of American stadiums on their "20th Anniversary Reunion Tour"
*June 4 - June 15 - U2, Sting, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, the Neville Brothers, and Bryan Adams stage the A Conspiracy of Hope Tour in the US on behalf of Amnesty International, playing five cities on the tour. The final show at New Jersey's Giants Stadium is televised live, and the above-mentioned performers are joined by Joni Mitchell, Howard Jones, Yoko Ono, Third World, and Carlos Santana, as well as the other members of The Police.
*June 6 - After 29 years, CHUM (AM) in Toronto drops its legendary Top 40 format in favor of gold-based Adult Contemporary. Additionally, the final CHUM Chart was published (with Madonna's "Live To Tell" the final Number One song).
*June 27 - Black Flag play their last concert, in Detroit, Michigan.
*August 28 - Tina Turner receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
*October- The Smiths, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, play their final gig as a five-piece.
*October 20 - Duran Duran begin their career as a three piece with the release of the "Notorious" single
*september 27 - a tour bus carrying the heavy metal band Metallica crashes in Sweden, killing their most influential bassist, Cliff Burton.
*Jello Biafra/Dead Kennedys taken to court by the PMRC for content in their album Frankenchrist; Biafra wins
*Cacophony forms
*The Escape Club signs a contract to EMI Records
*Public Enemy signs a contract to Def Jam Records
*Black Flag breaks up
*Madness breaks up
*Prince and the Revolution breaks up
*Wham! breaks up
*White Zombie begin performing
*Poison begins their recording career
*Dick Dale mounts a comeback effort
*Goo Goo Dolls form
*Sweet Children forms
*GTR forms
*Bolt Thrower forms
*Skid Row forms
*The Vaselines forms
*Wet Wet Wet form
*Slayer releases "Reign in Blood", their breakthrough album, and the one that set the stage for many extreme metal bands to come.
* A (then) unknown Country singer, by the name of Garth Brooks marries his first wife, Sandy.
*Ernesto Bonino loses his voice after a surgical intervention
*Megadeth releases one of their most influential and popular albums, "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?".
*John Farnham became a famous Australian celebrity when his monster hit of 1985, You're The Voice zoomed in to the top of the Charts at #1 for a record-breaking 7 weeks. With his smash hit album, Whispering Jack is released, it also contains the single, Pressure Down

Albums released

*"ABBA Live" - ABBA
*"A Kind Of Magic" - Queen
*"Alive & Screamin'" - Krokus
*"American Girls" - American Girls
*"Animal Magic" - The Blow Monkeys
*"Another View" - The Velvet Underground
*"Another Step - Kim Wilde
*"As Close As You Think" - Kevin Ayers
*"Atomizer" - Big Black
*"August" - Eric Clapton
*"Back in the High Life" - Steve Winwood
*"Balance of Power" - Electric Light Orchestra
*"Belinda" - Belinda Carlisle
*"Bend Sinister" - The Fall
*"The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits" - Boney M.
*"Better Than Heaven" - Stacey Q
*"Black Celebration" - Depeche Mode
*"Blind Before I Stop" - Meat Loaf
*"Born Sandy Devotional" - The Triffids
*"The Bridge" - Billy Joel
*"Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" - Killing Joke
*"Bring On the Night" - Sting
*"BTO's Greatest" - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
*"Camper Van Beethoven" - Camper Van Beethoven
*"Cendres de Lune" - Mylene Farmer
*"Change of Address" - Krokus
*"Charlotte for Ever" - Charlotte Gainsbourg
*"Chicago 18" - Chicago
*"Chris Isaak" - Chris Isaak
*"Chronicle, Vol. 2" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
*"Cinema" - Nazareth
*"The Circle & The Square" - Red Box
*"Classics Live!" - Aerosmith
*"Club Ninja" - Blue Öyster Cult
*"The Collection" - Amy Grant
*"The Colour of Spring" - Talk Talk
*"Constrictor" - Alice Cooper
*"Control" - Janet Jackson
*"Crowded House" - Crowded House
*"Dancing Undercover" - Ratt
*"Dangerous Games" - Alcatrazz
*"A Date With Elvis" - The Cramps
*"David Foster" - David Foster
*"Dirty Work" - The Rolling Stones
*"The Divine Punishment" - Diamanda Galás
*"The Doctor" - Cheap Trick
*"Dreaming In Sequence" - Chrome
*"Dreamtime" - The Stranglers
*"Duotones" - Kenny G
*"Eat 'Em and Smile" - David Lee Roth
*"Emerald City - Teena Marie
*"Emerson, Lake & Powell" - Emerson, Lake & Powell
*"EVOL" - Sonic Youth
*"Eye of the Zombie" - John Fogerty
*"Fame and Fortune" - Bad Company
*"Fields of Fire" - Corey Hart
*"Fight for the Rock" - Savatage
*"The Final" - Wham!
*"The Final Countdown" - Europe
*"The Final Frontier" - Keel
*"Finyl Vinyl" - Rainbow
*"First Release - Goo Goo Dolls
*"5150" - Van Halen
*"Flaunt It" - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
*"Fore!" - Huey Lewis & The News
*"Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" - Felt
*"From Luxury to Heartache" - Culture Club
*"Frontal Assault" - Angel Witch
*"Game Over" - Nuclear Assault
*"Gift" - The Sisterhood
*"The Good Earth" - The Feelies
*"Graceland" - Paul Simon
*"Gruts" - Ivor Cutler
*"GTR" - GTR
*"Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc." - Dwight Yoakam
*"Guitar Town" - Steve Earle
*"Hey... Bo Diddley In Concert" - Bo Diddley with Mainsqueeze
*"High Priest Of Love EP" - Zodiac Mindwarp
*"Highlights of a Dangerous Life" - The Johnnys
*"Home and Abroad" (live) - The Style Council
*"Home of the Brave" - Laurie Anderson
*"Horse Rotorvator" - Coil
*"Hot Together" - Pointer Sisters
*"Hwgr Grawth-Og" - Datblygu
*"I Against I" - Bad Brains
*"In America EP" - Britny Fox
*"In the Pines" - The Triffids
*"In The Army Now" - Status Quo
*"In Visible Silence" - Art of Noise
*"Inside the Electric Circus" - W.A.S.P.
*"Inside" - Matthew Sweet
*"Intermission" - Dio
*"Into the Light" - Chris de Burgh
*"Invisible Touch" - Genesis
*"Isyu!" - Ebiet G. Ade
*"Keys to Imagination - Yanni
*"Kicking Against the Pricks" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
*"A Kind of Magic" - Queen
*"King of America" - Elvis Costello
*"Kings of Punk" - Poison Idea
*"Knocked Out Loaded" - Bob Dylan
*"Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" - Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
*"Le Visage de l'Amour" - Dalida
*"Le sixième jour" - Dalida
*"Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death" - Felt
*"Letters Home" - News from Babel
*"Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express" - The Go-Betweens
*"Licensed to Ill" - The Beastie Boys
*"Lifes Rich Pageant - R.E.M.
*"Lightning Strikes" - Loudness
*"Like a Rock" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
*"Little Miss Dangerous" - Ted Nugent
*"Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide" - Guns N' Roses
*"Live Chronicles" - Hawkwind
*"Live in New York City" - John Lennon
*"Live Magic" - Queen
*"Live/1975–85" - Bruce Springsteen
*"Lives in the Balance" - Jackson Browne
*"Look What the Cat Dragged In" - Poison
*"Love in Bright Landscapes" - The Triffids
*"Lyle Lovett" - Lyle Lovett
*"Mad" (EP) - Raven
*"Master of Puppets" - Metallica
*"Master of The Metal" - Messiah Prophet
*"Mean Business" - The Firm
*"Mechanical Resonance" - Tesla
*"Medusa" - Clan of Xymox
*"Menace to Society" - Lizzy Borden
*"Menlove Ave." - John Lennon
*"" - Skinny Puppy
*"Mind's Eye" - Vinnie Moore
*"Minuteflag" - Minutemen/Black Flag
*"Morbid Visions" - Sepultura (Debut)
*"Mosaic" - Wang Chung
*"Music from the Edge of Heaven" - Wham! (US)
*"Nasty, Nasty" - Black 'N Blue
*"Nerve War" - Front Line Assembly
*"New Kids on the Block" - New Kids on the Block (debut)
*"Night Songs" - Cinderella
*"No. 10, Upping St." - Big Audio Dynamite
*"No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" - Van Morrison
*"Not of This Earth" - Joe Satriani
*"Notorious" - Duran Duran
*"November-Coming-Fire" - Samhain
*"Now That's What I Call Music 7" - Various Artists
*"Now That's What I Call Music 8" - Various Artists
*"On the Beach" - Chris Rea
*"Orgasmatron" - Motörhead
*"The Pack Is Back" - Raven
*"Paint Your Wagon" - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
*"Parade" - Prince and the Revolution
*"Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" - Megadeth
*"Pearls of Passion" - Roxette
*"Permanent Sleep" - Lowlife
*"Pleasure to Kill" - Kreator
*"Poolside" - Nu Shooz
*"Portfolio" - The Michael Schenker Group
*"Prince Ivor" - Ivor Cutler
*"Psychocandy" - The Jesus and Mary Chain
*"The Queen Is Dead" - The Smiths
*"QR III" - Quiet Riot
*"R-N-B Skeletons In The Closet"-George Clinton
*"Rage for Order" - Queensrÿche
*"The Rainmakers" - The Rainmakers
*"Rapture" - Anita Baker
*"Raised On Radio" - Journey
*"Raising Hell" - Run DMC
*"Rat in the Kitchen" - UB40
*"Reign in Blood" - Slayer
*"Reivax Au Bongo" - Hector Zazou
*"Rendez-Vous" - Jean Michel Jarre
*"Revenge" - Eurythmics
*"Russian Roulette" - Accept
*"Scoundrel Days" - a-ha
*"The Seer" - Big Country
*"Seventh Star" - Black Sabbath
*"Sex Mad" - NoMeansNo
*"Shot in the Dark" - Great White
*"Silk And Steel" - Five Star
*"Skylarking" - XTC
*"Slippery When Wet" - Bon Jovi
*"So" - Peter Gabriel
*"Solitude/Solitaire" - Peter Cetera
*"Somewhere in Time" - Iron Maiden
*"Sound Of Confusion" - Spacemen 3
*"Stand Tall" - Killer Dwarfs
*"" - The Cure
*"Storms of Life" - Randy Travis
*"Strange Charm" - Gary Numan
*"Strange Land" - Box of Frogs
*"Strength in Numbers" - .38 Special
*"Strong Persuader" - Robert Cray
*"Synthetic Socks" - Ween
*"Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America" - Culturcide
*"10 Kola Nuts" - Mory Kante
*"Then & Now... the Best of The Monkees" - The Monkees
*"They Don't Make Them Like They Used To" - Kenny Rogers
*"They Might Be Giants" - They Might Be Giants
*"Third Stage" - Boston
*"Thrill of a Lifetime" - King Kobra
*"To Hell with the Devil" - Stryper
*"Tom Cochrane & Red Rider" - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
*"Tones" - Eric Johnson
*"Total Terror" - Front Line Assembly
*"Through the Barricades" - Spandau Ballet
*"Trick or Treat" - Fastway
*"Trilogy" - Yngwie Malmsteen
*"True as Steel" - Warlock
*"True Blue" - Madonna
*"True Colors" - Cyndi Lauper
*"True Confessions" - Bananarama
*"True Stories" - Talking Heads
*"Truthdare Doubledare" - Bronski Beat
*"Turbo" - Judas Priest
*"The Twelve Inch Mixes" - Spandau Ballet
*"The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs" - Boney M.
*"The Ultimate Sin" - Ozzy Osbourne
*"Utter Madness - Madness
*"Velvet & Steel" - Dion DiMucci
*"Vinnie Vincent Invasion" - Vinnie Vincent Invasion
*"Walking Through Fire" - April Wine
*"Want Some" - Rough Cutt
*"The Way It Is" - Bruce Hornsby & the Range
*"Weird Love" - The Scientists
*"What Do You Know Deutschland?" - KMFDM
*"When In Rome Do As The Vandals" - The Vandals
*"Whispering Jack" - John Farnham
*"Who Made Who" - AC/DC
*"Who's Got the 10½?" - Black Flag
*"Wonderland" - Erasure
*"The Yellow and Black Attack" - Stryper
*"Yemenite Songs" - Ofra Haza
*"Your Funeral, My Trial" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
*"Zebra/3.V|3.V" - Zebra
*"New Trails - Riders in the Sky

Bands return

*The Monkees

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest [http://tsort.info/music/yr1986.htm chart positions] in the charts of 1986.

Notable hits

*" A Kind Of Magic" - Queen
*"A Matter of Trust" - Billy Joel
*"Addicted To Love" - Robert Palmer
*"All I Need is a Miracle" - Mike + The Mechanics
*"All The Things She Said" - Simple Minds
*"Baby Love" - Regina Richards
*"Bad Boy" - Miami Sound Machine
*"Borderline" - Madonna (UK & Europe only, released in 1985)
*"Best of Both Worlds" - Van Halen
*"Breakout" - Swing Out Sister
*"Big Time" - Peter Gabriel
*"Bizarre Love Triangle" - New Order
*"Calling America" - Electric Light Orchestra
*"Capitaine abandonné" - Gold
*"Captain of Her Heart" - Double
*"Chain Reaction" - Diana Ross
*"Coming Around Again" - Carly Simon
*"Conga" - Miami Sound Machine
*"Dancing on the Ceiling" - Lionel Richie
*"Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins
*"Dreams" - Van Halen
*"Dreamtime" - Daryl Hall
*"Don't Dream It's Over" - Crowded House
*"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" - The Police
*"En Rouge et Noir" - Jeanne Mas
*"Ève lève-toi" - Julie Pietri
*"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" - Wang Chung
*"Flash" - Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
*"For America" - Jackson Browne
*"For America" - Red Box
*"Freedom Overspill" - Steve Winwood
*"Friends and Lovers" - Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
**also recorded as "Both to Each Other" by country music artists Juice Newton and Eddie Rabbitt
*"French Kissin' In The USA" - Debbie Harry
*"Glory Of Love" - Peter Cetera
*"Go Home" - Stevie Wonder
*"Harlem Shuffle" - Rolling Stones
*"Heartbeat" - Don Johnson
*"Hey, You!" - Divine
*"He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" - Alice Cooper
*"Higher Love" - Steve Winwood
*"Hip to Be Square" - Huey Lewis & The News
*"Holding Back the Years" - Simply Red
*"Holding Out For A Hero" - Bonnie Tyler
*"How Will I Know" - Whitney Houston
*"Hymn To Her" - The Pretenders
*"I Wanna Wake Up With You" - Boris Gardiner
*"Is It a Crime?" - Sade
*"Jumpin' Jack Flash" - Aretha Franklin
*"Kiss" - Prince and the Revolution
*"Kyrie" - Mr. Mister
*"Invisible Touch" - Genesis
*"If She Knew What She Wants" - The Bangles
*"Lady In Red" - Chris de Burgh
*"Le Sixième Jour" - Dalida
*"Les Démons de minuit" - Images
*"Libertine" - Mylène Farmer
*"Little Baby" - Divine
*"Live to Tell" - Madonna
*"Living In America" - James Brown
*"Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
*"Locked In" - Judas Priest
*"Love Touch" - Rod Stewart
*"Love Walks In" - Van Halen
*"Lessons in Love" - Level 42
*"Mad About You" - Belinda Carlisle
*"Manic Monday" - The Bangles
*"Missionary Man" - Eurythmics
*"Modern Woman" - Billy Joel
*"Mountains" - Prince
*"Move Away" - Culture Club
*"My Hometown" - Bruce Springsteen
*"Nasty" - Janet Jackson
*"Never As Good As the First Time" - Sade
*"No Lies" - Noiseworks
*"No More I Love You's" - The Lover Speaks
*"Notorious" - Duran Duran
*"On My Own" - Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald
*"Open Your Heart" - Madonna
*"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" - Pet Shop Boys
*"Ouragan" - Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
*"Overjoyed" - Stevie Wonder
*"Papa Don't Preach" - Madonna
*"Parce que je ne t'aime plus" - Dalida
*"Pressure Down" - John Farnham
*"A Question of Lust" - Depeche Mode
*"A Question of Time" - Depeche Mode
*"Real Wild Child (Wild One)" - Iggy Pop
*"Rain or Shine" - Five Star
*"Rock Me Amadeus" - Falco
*"Rough Boy" - ZZ Top
*"Ruthless People" - Mick Jagger
*"Sara" - Starship
*"Something So Strong" - Crowded House
*"Silent Running" - Mike + The Mechanics (released in 1985)
*"Sledgehammer" - Peter Gabriel
*"Slice of Heaven" - Dave Dobbyn
*"Sometimes" - Erasure
*"Somewhere" - Barbra Streisand
*"Stay For Awhile" - Amy Grant
*"Stimulation" - Wa Wa Nee
*"Stripped" - Depeche Mode
*"Stuck with You" - Huey Lewis & The News
*"The Sun Always Shines On TV" - a-ha
*"Sweet Freedom" - Michael McDonald
*"The Sweetest Taboo" - Sade
*"System Addict" - Five Star
*"Take Me Home" - Phil Collins
*"Take My Breath Away" - Berlin
*"Taken In" - Mike + The Mechanics
*"That Was Then, This Is Now" - The Monkees
*"That's What Friends Are For" - Dionne Warwick (duets with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
*"Teenage Frankenstein" - Alice Cooper
*"The Final Countdown" - Europe
*"The Greatest Love of All" - Whitney Houston
*"The Next Time I Fall" - Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
*"The Way It Is" - Bruce Hornsby and the Range
*"(There's Gonna Be) A Showdown" - The Johnnys
*"Throw Your Arms Around Me" - Hunters + Collectors
*"Throwing It All Away" - Genesis
*"Thorn in My Side" - Eurythmics
*"Turbo Lover" - Judas Priest
*"True Blue"- Madonna
*"True Colors" - Cyndi Lauper
*"Too Low For Zero" - Elton John (UK & Europe only, released in 1985)
*"Two Of Hearts" - Stacey Q
*"Typical Male" - Tina Turner
*"Venus" - Bananarama
*"Walk Like an Egyptian" - The Bangles (released in 1985)
*"Walk of Life" - Dire Straits
*"Walk This Way" - Run DMC featuring Aerosmith
*"Wanted Dead or Alive" - Bon Jovi
*"War" - Bruce Springsteen
*"We Built This City" - Starship
*"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (To Have a Good Time)" - Jermaine Stewart
*"West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
*"What Have You Done for Me Lately" - Janet Jackson
*"What You Get Is What You See" - Tina Turner
*"What You Need" - INXS
*"When I Think of You" - Janet Jackson
*"Why Can't This Be Love" - Van Halen
*"Words Get In The Way" - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
*"(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" - Beastie Boys
*"You Give Love a Bad Name" - Bon Jovi
*"You're The Voice" - John Farnham (Released in 1985) in Australia & UK, Canada; not released in the US until 1990)

Published popular music

* "All I Ask Of You" w.m. Andrew Lloyd Webber
* "Crush On You" w.m. Jerry Knight & Aaron Zigman
* "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

*Elliott Carter - "String Quartet No.4"
*George Crumb - "An Idyll for the Misbegotten (Images III)" for amplified flute and percussion (three players).
*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
*Ludovico Einaudi - "Movimento"
*Peter Eötvös - "Chinese Opera"
*Krzysztof Penderecki - "The Song of Cherubin"
*Paul Schoenfield - "Café Music for Piano Trio"

Opera

*Rudolf Brucci - "Gilgamesh"
*Lee Hoiby - "The Tempest"
*Gian-Carlo Menotti - "Goya"
*Michael Nyman - "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat"

Musical theater

* "La Cage aux Folles" London production
* "Charlie Girl" London revival
* "Chess" London production
* "Me and My Girl" Broadway production
* "The Phantom Of The Opera" London production
* ""Time" (musical)", London production (featuring actor Laurence Olivier in hologram form)
* "Sweet Charity" Broadway revival

Musical films

* "HMS Pinafore"
* "Little Shop of Horrors"

Musical television

* "Barnum"

Music festivals

* Inaugural Festival International de Louisiane

Births

*January 26 - Matt Heafy, singer, and guitarist
*February 2 - Blaine Larsen, US country singer
*February 19 - Maria Mena, singer
*February 21 - Charlotte Church, singer
*March 3 - Stacie Orrico, singer
*March 15 - Adrianne Leon, actress and singer
*March 22 - Amy Studt, singer, songwriter and musician
*May 30 - Claudia Beni, singer
*June 28 - Kellie Pickler, American Idol singer
*July 1 - Lindsey Lohan, actress, singer
*September 12 - Emmy Rossum, actress and singer
*October 26 - James War, bassist and singer
*November 5 - BoA, singer

Deaths

*January 4 - Phil Lynott, rock musician
*January 8 - Pierre Fournier, cellist
*February 2 - Francisco Mignone, composer
*February 14 - Edmund Rubbra, composer
*March 4
**Richard Manuel, The Band, suicide
**Howard Greenfield, songwriter
*March 11 - Sonny Terry, blues musician
*March 21 - Raymond Burke, jazz clarinetist
*March 22 - Mark Dinning, US singer
*March 30 - James Cagney, US actor, singer and dancer
*March 31 - O'Kelly Isley, the Isley Brothers
*April 3 - Peter Pears, opera singer and partner of Benjamin Britten
*April 13 - Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer
*June 3 - Anna Neagle, actress and singer
*June 13 - Benny Goodman, bandleader
*June 16 - Maurice Duruflé, composer
*June 17 - Kate Smith, singer
*July 3 - Rudy Vallee
*September 27 - Cliff Burton, Metallica, tour bus accident
*September 28 - Robert Helpmann, dancer
*October 16 - Arthur Grumiaux, violinist
*November 1 - Sippie Wallace, blues singer
*November 3 - Eddie Davis, saxophonist
*November 18 - Lajos Bardos, composer and conductor
*November 22 - Scatman Crothers, singer, dancer and musician

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

*Grammy Awards of 1986

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

*Eurovision Song Contest 1986

Charts

List of No. 1 Hits

*Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1986