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.
• February 21 - The Dead Kennedys play their last concert at UC Davis in Davis, California, USA.
• February 23 - In honor of the 20th anniversary of *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 Master of Puppets.
• March 15 - "Heartbeat '86", a charity concert for the Birmingham Children's Hospital, is held at the NEC. Performers include Roy Wood, UB40, The Moody Blues, Electric Light Orchestra and Robert Plant. George Harrison makes a surprise appearance playing Johnny B. Goode with everyone at the end of the show.
• March 27 - Sammy Hagar performs his first concert as the lead singer of Van Halen.
• April 12 - Former Go's-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle marries actor Morgan Mason.
• May 2 - Country music superstar Dolly Parton opens her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA.
• May 3 - At the age of 13, Sandra Kim becomes the youngest-ever performer to win the Eurovision Song Contest. The winning entry at the 31st annual contest (held in Bergen, Norway) is titled J'aime la vie, and is Belgium's only winning entry to date.
• May 5 - In New York, USA, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman Ahmet Ertegün announces that Cleveland, Ohio has been chosen as the city where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be built
• May 10 - Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear.
• May 25 - Norwegian band a-ha wins a record-breaking eight awards at the MTV Video Music Awards show.
• May 30 - The Monkees begin a highly successful tour of American stadiums on their 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour
• June 4 - 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 United States 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 in Toronto, Canada drops its legendary Top 40 format in favor of gold-based adult contemporary music. Additionally, the final CHUM Chart is published (with Madonna's "Live To Tell" the final number one song).
• June 27 - Black Flag play their last concert, in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
• August 28 - Tina Turner receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
• September 27 - A tour bus carrying the heavy metal band Metallica crashes in Sweden, killing their most influential bassist, Cliff Burton.
• October - The Smiths 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.
• November 12 – John Farnham releases the album Whispering Jack, which becomes the highest selling album in Australia’s history, featuring the single from the previous year You're the Voice.
• Jello Biafra/Dead Kennedys taken to court by the PMRC for content in their album Frankenchrist; Biafra wins.
• Garth Brooks marries his first wife, Sandy.
• Italian singer Ernesto Bonino loses his voice after a surgical intervention.
• 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.

Bands formed

• See Musical groups established in 1986

Bands disbanded

• Black Flag
• The Boomtown Rats
• The Clash
• Culture Club
• Dead Kennedys
• Dexy's Midnight Runners
• Madness
• Missing Persons
• Prince and the Revolution
• Virgin Prunes
• Wham!

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown release date

• American Girls - American Girls
• Back in Line - Steeleye Span
• Big World - Joe Jackson (live)
• BTO's Greatest - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
• Charlotte for Ever - Charlotte Gainsbourg
• Chronicle, Vol. 2 - Creedence Clearwater Revival (compilation)
• Count Three & Pray - Berlin
• Darkness Descends - Dark Angel
• A Date With Elvis - The Cramps
• Deep in the Heart of Nowhere - Bob Geldof
• The Divine Punishment - Diamanda Galás
• Dreaming in Sequence - Chrome
• Forever Breathes the Lonely Word - Felt
• Good Earth - The Feelies
• Gruts - Ivor Cutler
• Guitar Town - Steve Earle
• Hand to Mouth - General Public
• Hey... Bo Diddley in Concert - Bo Diddley with Mainsqueeze
• Highlights of a Dangerous Life - The Johnnys
• Horse Rotorvator - Coil
• Hot, Cool & Vicious - Salt-N-Pepa
• Hwgr Grawth-Og - Datblygu
• In America EP - Britny Fox
• Inside - Matthew Sweet
• Isyu! - Ebiet G. Ade
• Keys to Imagination - Yanni
• Kings of Punk - Poison Idea
• Le Mystère 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
• Love in Bright Landscapes - The Triffids
• Mad - Raven
• Master of the Metal - Messiah Prophet
• Mind's Eye - Vinnie Moore
• Minuteflag - Minutemen/Black Flag
• Nerve War - Front Line Assembly
• New Kids on the Block - New Kids on the Block
• Not of This Earth - Joe Satriani
• November-Coming-Fire - Samhain
• Paint Your Wagon - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
• Permanent Sleep - Lowlife
• Pleasure to Kill - Kreator
• Prince Ivor - Ivor Cutler
• The Rainmakers - The Rainmakers
• Reivax Au Bongo - Hector Zazou
• Rendez-Vous - Jean Michel Jarre
• Running the Endless Mile - John Parr
• Sex Mad - NoMeansNo
• Sound of Confusion - Spacemen 3
• Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America - Culturcide
• Thrill of a Lifetime - King Kobra
• Tones - Eric Johnson
• Total Terror - Front Line Assembly
• Truthdare Doubledare - Bronski Beat
• The Age of Quarrel - Cro-Mags
• Velvet & Steel - Dion DiMucci
• Walking Through Fire - April Wine
• Wants You - Rough Cutt
• The Wedge - Pallas
• Weird Love - The Scientists
• What Do You Know Deutschland? - KMFDM
• Whispering Jack - John Farnham
• Yemenite Songs - Ofra Haza
• 3.V - Zebra
• New Trails - Riders in the Sky

Bands return

• The Monkees

Biggest hit singles

Notable hits

• "A Kind Of Magic" - Queen
• "A Matter of Trust" - Billy Joel
• "¿A quién le importa?" - Alaska
• "Addicted To Love" - Robert Palmer
• "All I Need is a Miracle" - Mike + The Mechanics
• "All The Things She Said" - Simple Minds
• "Amanda" - Boston
• "Baby Love" - Regina Richards
• "Bad Boy" - Miami Sound Machine
• "Best of Both Worlds" - Van Halen
• "Breakout" - Swing Out Sister
• "Bigmouth Strikes Again"- The Smiths
• "Big Time" - Peter Gabriel
• "Bizarre Love Triangle" - New Order
• "Calling America" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Can't Wait Another Minute" - Five Star
• "Candy" - Cameo
• "Capitaine abandonné" - Gold
• "Captain of Her Heart" - Double (released in 1985)
• "Chain Reaction" - Diana Ross
• "Coming Around Again" - Carly Simon
• "Conga" - Miami Sound Machine
• "Crush On You" - The Jets
• "Dancing on the Ceiling" - Lionel Richie
• "Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins
• "Digging Your Scene" - The Blow Monkeys
• "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 Can Prove It" - Phil Fearon
• "I Want to 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
• "La puerta de Alcalá" - Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel
• "Lady In Red" - Chris de Burgh
• "Le Sixième Jour" - Dalida
• "Les Bêtises" - Sabine Paturel
• "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
• "Master of Puppets" - Metallica
• "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 One Is To Blame" - Howard Jones
• "No More I Love You's" - The Lover Speaks
• "Notorious" - Duran Duran
• "On My Own" - Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald
• "Open Your Heart" - Madonna
• "Opportunities " - 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
• "Private Number" - The Jets
• "A Question of Lust" - Depeche Mode
• "A Question of Time" - Depeche Mode
• "Rain or Shine" - Five Star
• "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" - Iggy Pop
• "Rock Me Amadeus" - Falco (released in 1985)
• "Rough Boy" - ZZ Top
• "Ruthless People" - Mick Jagger
• "Sara" - Starship
• "Something So Strong" - Crowded House
• "Sad Songs " - Elton John (released in 1984)
• "Set Me Free" - Jaki Graham
• "Showing Out " - Mel and Kim
• "Silent Running" - Mike + The Mechanics (released in 1985)
• "Sing Our Own Song" - UB40
• "Sledgehammer" - Peter Gabriel
• "Slice of Heaven" - Dave Dobbyn
• "Small Town" - John Cougar Mellencamp
• "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 Edge of Heaven - Wham!
• "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
• "Word Up"- Cameo
• "Words Get In The Way" - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
• "You Can Call Me Al" - Paul Simon
• " Fight For Your Right " - Beastie Boys
• "You Give Love a Bad Name" - Bon Jovi
• "You Got It All" - The Jets
• "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
• "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

• 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
• Lorenzo Ferrero
  • La fuga di Foscolo
  • Anemia (film score)
  • Passacaglia
  • My Blues
  • Poi andro in America
  • Intermezzo "Portella della Ginestra"
  • Ninna-nanna
• 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 21 May.
• 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 , 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 6 - Alex Turner, singer and guitarist Arctic Monkeys
• January 26 - Matt Heafy, singer, and guitarist (Trivium)
• February 2 - Blaine Larsen, US country singer
• February 19 - Maria Mena, singer
• February 21 - Charlotte Church, singer
• March 3 - Stacie Orrico, singer
• March 12 - Danny Jones, singer and guitarist, McFLY
• March 15 - Adrianne Leon, actress and singer
• March 22 - Amy Studt, singer, songwriter and musician
• March 23 - Lady Gaga, singer, songwriter, and pianist
• May 13 - Robert Pattinson, actor
• May 30 - Claudia Beni, singer
• June 28 - Kellie Pickler, American Idol singer
• July 2 - Lindsey Lohan, actress, singer
• September 12 - Emmy Rossum, actress and singer
• November 5 - BoA, singer

Deaths

• January 4 - Phil Lynott, bassist/singer and co-founder of Thin Lizzy, 36 (heart failure & pneumonia)
• January 6 - Joe Farrell, jazz saxophonist, 48 (bone cancer)
• January 8 - Pierre Fournier, cellist
• February 2 - Francisco Mignone, composer
• February 14 - Edmund Rubbra, composer
• March 4
  • Richard Manuel, The Band, 42 (suicide)
  • Howard Greenfield, songwriter, 49 (AIDS)
• March 11 - Sonny Terry, blues musician
• March 21 - Raymond Burke, jazz clarinetist
• March 22 - Mark Dinning, US singer, 52 (heart attack)
• March 30 - James Cagney, US actor, singer and dancer
• March 31 - O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers, 48 (heart attack)
• April 3 - Peter Pears, opera singer and partner of Benjamin Britten
• April 13 - Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer, 53 (cancer)
• April 19
  • Dag Wirén, composer
  • Estelle Yancey, blues singer
• 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, singer
• July 31 - Teddy Wilson, jazz pianist
• 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 Bárdos, composer and conductor
• November 22 - Scatman Crothers, singer, dancer and musician
• December 10 - Kate Wolf, folk singer and songwriter, 44 (leukemia)

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 - U.S.

See also

• Record labels established in 1986