1976 in music explained
A list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1976.__TOC__
Specific locations
Specific genres
Events
January–February
March–April
- March 4 – ABBA arrive at Sydney airport for a promotional tour in Australia.[4]
- March 6 – EMI Records reissues all 22 previously released British Beatles singles, plus a new single of the classic "Yesterday". All 23 singles hit the UK charts at the same time.
- March 7 – A wax likeness of Elton John is put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
- March 9 – The Who's Keith Moon collapses onstage ten minutes into a performance at the Boston Garden.
- March 15 – Members of The Plastic People of the Universe are arrested in communist Czechoslovakia. They were sentenced from 8 to 18 months in jail.
- March 20 – Alice Cooper marries Sheryl Goddard in an Acapulco restaurant.
- March 25 – Jackson Browne's wife Phyllis commits suicide.
- March 26 – In Paris, France, Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch breaks one of his fingers when he slips in his hotel bathroom following the final performance on the band's European tour. The injury ended up delaying the band's United States tour by three weeks.
- April 3 – British pop group Brotherhood of Man win the 21st Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague, Netherlands, with the song "Save Your Kisses For Me". It goes on to be the biggest selling Eurovision winner ever.
- April 14 – Stevie Wonder announces that he has signed a "$13 million-plus" contract with Motown Records.
- April 23 – The Ramones release their debut studio album, Ramones.
- April 24 – Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels makes a semi-serious on-air offer to pay the Beatles $3000 to reunite live on the show. In a 1980 interview, John Lennon stated that he and Paul McCartney happened to be watching the show together at Lennon's apartment in New York and considered walking down to the SNL studio "for a gag" but were "too tired".[5] On May 22, Michaels raises his offer from $3,000 to $3,200.
- April 28 – The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Frankfurt, Germany.
- April 29 – When his tour stops in Memphis, Tennessee, Bruce Springsteen jumps the wall at Elvis Presley's mansion, "Graceland", in an attempt to see his idol. Security guards stop Springsteen and escort him off the grounds.
May–June
July–August
- July 2
- Composer Benjamin Britten accepts a life peerage, only a few months before his death.
- Brian Wilson performs on stage with The Beach Boys for the first time in three years at a Day on the Green concert in Oakland, California.
- July 4 – Many outdoor festivals and shows are held all over the United States as the country celebrates its bicentennial. Elton John performs for 62,000 at Shaffer Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, while The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac play for 36,000 at Tampa Stadium, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top draw 35,000 at Memphis Memorial Stadium and Elvis Presley performs for 11,974 at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- July 7 – 50,000 fans brave the rain in New York to attend a free Jefferson Starship concert in Central Park.
- July 27 – Tina Turner files for divorce from husband Ike.
- August 5 – Eric Clapton provokes an uproar over comments he makes on stage at a Birmingham concert, voicing his opposition to immigration using multiple racial slurs while exhorting the audience to support Enoch Powell and to "keep Britain white".
- August 11 – Keith Moon is rushed to hospital for the second time in five months, collapsing after trashing his Miami hotel room.[8]
- August 13 – The official ABBA logo with the reversed 'B' is adopted.
- August 16 – Cliff Richard becomes one of the first Western artists ever to perform in the Soviet Union when he gives a concert in Leningrad.
- August 21 – An estimated 120,000 fans pack Knebworth House to see The Rolling Stones. Todd Rundgren, Lynyrd Skynyrd and 10cc also perform.
- August 25 – Boston release their eponymous debut studio album, Boston.
- August 31 – A U.S. district court decision rules that George Harrison had "subconsciously" copied The Chiffons' hit "He's So Fine" when he wrote the song "My Sweet Lord".
September–October
- September 1 – Ode Records president Lou Adler is kidnapped at his Malibu home and released eight hours later after a $25,000 ransom is paid. Two suspects are soon arrested.
- September 3 – Rory Gallagher joins the short list of Western popular musicians to perform behind the Iron Curtain with a show in Warsaw, Poland.
- September 8 – In a candid interview appearing in the October 7 edition of Rolling Stone published today, Elton John publicly discloses his bisexuality for the first time.
- September 14 – The one-hour Bob Dylan concert special Hard Rain airs on NBC, coinciding with the release of the live album of the same name.
- September 18
- September 20-21 – 100 Club Punk Festival, the first international punk festival is held in London. Siouxsie and the Banshees play their first concert.
- September 25 – Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. form a band called Feedback in Dublin. The band would later be renamed U2.
- October 2 – Joe Cocker performs a duet of "Feelin' Alright" with himself (as portrayed by John Belushi) on Saturday Night Live.
- October 8 – English punk rock group the Sex Pistols sign a contract with EMI Records.
- October 11 – Irish singer Joe Dolan is banned for life by Aer Lingus after an air rage incident en route to Corfu from Dublin.
- October 20 – The Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains the Same premieres at Cinema I in New York.
- October 22 - The Damned releases their debut single “New Rose”, considered to be the first release from a British punk group.
- October 31 – George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic begin "The P-Funk/Rubber Band Earth Tour" in Houston, a national live series highlighting one of the biggest and revolutionary stage shows in the history of the music industry (the rock group Kiss would be the other group to do a similar act), relying on elaborate costumes, special lighting and effects, and extremely large props including "the Mothership", which would arrive and land on stage, all of what this band is generally known for. This live set would vary in length (on average of 3 to 5 hours long) and at high volume.
November–December
Also in 1976
Bands formed
- See Musical groups established in 1976
Bands reformed
Bands disbanded
- See Musical groups disestablished in 1976
Albums released
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Release date unknown
Billboard Top popular records of 1976
from Billboard December 27, 1975
"TOP RECORDS OF 1975 (from Billboard)The information compiled for the top records survey is based on the weekly chart positioning and length of time records were on the respective charts from theissue dates of November 8, 1975 through October 30, 1976. These recaps, as well as the weekly charts, do not reflect actual sales figures. The ratings take into account the number of weeks the disk was on the chart, plus the weekly positions it held during its chart life. Each disk was given points accordingly for its respective chart, and in addition, the number one disk each week was assigned bonus points equal to the total number of positions on its respective charts."[18]
Unfortunately, Billboard's late December print deadline prevented approximately 60 records from completing their full chart runs, and includes data of approximately 50 records from 1976, some of which have enough points to rank in the current years chart. In contrast with the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976, the chart below does not truncate or split chart runs between years. It does not add two months from 1975, delete two months from 1976 and then call itself the "Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976", which it is obviously not. Joel Whitburn's Records Research books, archived issues of Billboard for November-December 1975 and December 1976-March 1976, and Hot 100 Year-End formulas were used to complete the year-end chart reprinted here.
The completed Billboard year-end list for 1976 is composed of records that entered the Billboard Hot 100 between November 1975 and December 1976. Records with chart runs that started in 1975 and ended in 1976, or started in 1976 and ended in 1976, made this chart if the majority of their chart weeks were in 1976. If not, they were ranked in the year-end charts for 1975 or 1976. If their weeks were equal, they were listed in the year they first entered. Appearing in multiple years is not permitted. Each week thirty points were awarded to the number one record, then nineteen points for number two, eighteen points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. The complete chart life of each record is represented, with number of points accrued. There are no ties, even when multiple records have the same number of points. The next ranking category is peak chart position, then weeks at peak chart position, weeks on Hot 100 chart, weeks in top forty, and finally weeks in top ten. All chart rankings represented below for the Top Soul Singles, Top Country Singles, Top Easy Listening Singles, and Top CashBox pop singles were all calculated in the same manner.
The chart can be sorted by Artist, Song title, Recording and Release dates, Cashbox year-end ranking (CB) or units sold (sales) by clicking on the column header. Additional details for each record can be accessed by clicking on the song title, and referring to the Infobox in the right column of the song page. Billboard also has chart summaries on its website. Sales information was derived from the RIAA's Gold and Platinum database, the BRIT Certified database and The Book of Golden Discs,[19] but numbers listed should be regarded as estimates. Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry information with sources can be found on Wikipedia.
| Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Release Date | CB | Sales | Charts, Awards |
|---|
| 1 | | "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" | Warner Bros. 8262 | | December 1975 | | September 1976 | 2 | 3.25 | US Billboard 1976 #1, Hot100 #1 for 7 weeks, 23 total weeks, 296 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998, National Recording Registry 2012 |
| 2 | | "Silly Love Songs" | Capitol 4256 | | January 16, 1976 | | April 1, 1976 | 4 | 2.00 | US Billboard 1976 #2, Hot100 #1 for 5 weeks, 19 total weeks, 258 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000 |
| 3 | | "Play That Funky Music" | Epic 50225 | | 1976 | | April 1976 | 14 | 2.00 | US Billboard 1976 #3, Hot100 #1 for 3 weeks, 25 total weeks, 216 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #13, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, 181 points |
| 4 | | "I Write The Songs" | Arista 0157 | | October 1976 | | November 1976 | 3 | 2.00 | US Billboard 1976 #4, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 205 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #7, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks, 172 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #7, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks, 172 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000 |
| 5 | | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" | Rocket 40585 | | March 27, 1976 | | June 21, 1976 | 12 | 2.50 | US Billboard 1976 #5, Hot100 #1 for 4 weeks, 20 total weeks, 195 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #11, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 1 week, 13 total weeks, 167 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2017 |
| 6 | | "A Fifth Of Beethoven" | Private Stock 45,073 | | 1976 | | April 1976 | 6 | 3.25 | US Billboard 1976 #6, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 194 points |
| 7 | | "Disco Duck (Part 1)" | RSO 857 | | 1976 | | September 4, 1976 | 7 | 2.00 | US Billboard 1976 #7, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 25 total weeks, 191 points |
| 8 | | "You Should Be Dancing" | RSO 853 | | February 1976 | | June 1976 | 19 | 2.00 | US Billboard 1976 #8, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 189 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011 |
| 9 | | "Kiss and Say Goodbye" | Columbia 10310 | | 1975 | | March 1976 | 5 | 2.25 | US Billboard 1976 #9, Hot100 #1 for 2 weeks, 26 total weeks, 186 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #5, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 1 weeks, 26 total weeks, 229 points |
| 10 | | "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" | T.K. 1019 | | 1975 | | May 27, 1976 | 26 | 1.50 | US Billboard 1976 #10, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 21 total weeks, 186 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #3, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 4 weeks, 18 total weeks, 268 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2004 |
| 11 | | "Disco Lady" | Columbia 10281 | | 1975 | | January 1976 | 20 | 2.25 | US Billboard 1976 #11, Hot100 #1 for 4 weeks, 19 total weeks, 185 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #2, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 21 total weeks, 299 points |
| 12 | | "If You Leave Me Now" | Columbia 10390 | | April 1976 |
|| |July 30, 1976 || 15 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #12, Hot100 #1 for 2 weeks, 21 total weeks, 180 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #6, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 1 week, 18 total weeks, 185 points|-| 13 || England Dan and John Ford Coley || "
I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" || Big Tree 16069 || |December 1975 || |May 1976 || 35 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #13, Hot100 #2 for 2 weeks, 24 total weeks, 173 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #5, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 1 week, 16 total weeks, 187 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2017|-| 14 ||
Diana Ross || "
Love Hangover" || Motown 1392 || |1975 || |March 16, 1976 || 30 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #14, Hot100 #1 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks, 172 points|-| 15 ||
Boz Scaggs || "
Lowdown" || Columbia 10367 || |October 1975 || |June 1976 || 16 || 3.00 || US Billboard 1976 #15, Hot100 #3 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 171 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2004|-| 16 ||
Lou Rawls || "
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" || Philadelphia International 3592 || |March 1976 || |May 1976 || 39 || 2.50 || US Billboard 1976 #16, Hot100 #2 for 2 weeks, 17 total weeks, 170 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #9, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 212 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #10, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 1 week, 14 total weeks, 167 points|-| 17 ||
The Four Seasons || "
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" || Warner Bros. 8168 || |November 1975 || |December 1975 || 40 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #17, Hot100 #1 for 3 weeks, 27 total weeks, 169 points|-| 18 ||
Leo Sayer || "
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" || Warner Bros. 8283 || |1976 || |October 1976 || 15 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #18, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 21 total weeks, 169 points|-| 19 ||
Gary Wright || "
Dream Weaver" || Warner Bros. 8167 || |February 1975 || |December 1975 || 18 || 2.00 || US Billboard 1976 #19, Hot100 #2 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks, 168 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000|-| 20 ||
Paul Simon || "
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" || Columbia 10270 || |April 1975 || |December 1975 || 9 || 2.00 || US Billboard 1976 #20, Hot100 #1 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks, 167 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #12, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 14 total weeks, 161 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011|-| 21 ||
Rose Royce || "
Car Wash" || MCA 40615 || |1976 || |September 1976 || 133 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #21, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 23 total weeks, 167 points, Top Soul Singles 1976 #6, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 223 points|-| 22 ||
C. W. McCall || "
Convoy" || MGM 14839 || |1975 || |November 1975 || 10 || 2.25 || US Billboard 1976 #22, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 16 total weeks, 166 points,
Top Country Singles 1976 #1, Country Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 15 total weeks, 225 points|-| 23 ||
John Sebastian || "
Welcome Back" || Reprise 1349 || |February 1976 || |March 1976 || 8 || 3.00 || US Billboard 1976 #23, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 162 points|-| 24 ||
Steve Miller Band || "
Rock'n Me" || Capitol 4323 || |1975 || |August 1976 || 23 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #24, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 18 total weeks, 161 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998|-| 25 ||
Eric Carmen || "
All By Myself" || Arista 0165 || |1975 || |December 1975 || 31 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #25, Hot100 #2 for 3 weeks, 24 total weeks, 161 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998|-| 26 ||
Gary Wright || "
Love Is Alive" || Warner Bros. 8143 || |1975 || |April 1976 || 43 || 1.25 || US Billboard 1976 #26, Hot100 #2 for 2 weeks, 27 total weeks, 161 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000|-| 27 ||
The Bee Gees || "
Love So Right" || RSO 859 || |February 1976 || |September 1976 || 32 || 2.00 || US Billboard 1976 #27, Hot100 #3 for 4 weeks, 23 total weeks, 161 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011|-| 28 ||
Starland Vocal Band || "Afternoon Delight" || Windsong 10588 || |November 1975 || |April 1976 || 1 || 2.50 || US Billboard 1976 #28, Hot100 #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, 160 points|-| 29 ||
Marilyn McCoo &
Billy Davis Jr. || "
You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)" || ABC 12208 || |1976 || |September 1976 || 11 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #29, Hot100 #1 for 1 week, 26 total weeks, 160 points|-| 30 ||
The Spinners || "
The Rubberband Man" || Atlantic 3355 || |1976 || |August 1976 || 45 || 1.25 || US Billboard 1976 #30, Hot100 #2 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 160 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2017|-| 31 ||
Silver Convention || "
Get Up And Boogie (That's Right)" || Midland International 10571 || |1976 || |March 1976 || 24 || 1.25 || US Billboard 1976 #31, Hot100 #2 for 3 weeks, 21 total weeks, 159 points|-| 37 ||
Brick || "
Dazz" || Bang 727 || |May 1976 || |July 6, 1976 || 38 || 1.50 || US Billboard 1976 #37, Hot100 #3 for 2 week, 21 total weeks, 142 points,
Top Soul Singles 1976 #1, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 4 weeks, 23 total weeks, 223 points|-| 42 ||
Boston || "
More Than A Feeling" || Epic 50266 || |Oct 1975-April 1976 || |September 1976 || 57 || 2.00 || US Billboard 1976 #42, Hot100 #5 for 1 weeks, 19 total weeks, 132 points,
Top Rock 1976 #1, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998|-| 63 ||
Engelbert Humperdinck || "
After the Lovin'" || Epic 50270 || |June-July 1976 || |October 1976 || 52 || 2.00 || US Billboard 1976 #63, Hot100 #8 for 1 weeks, 19 total weeks, 88 points,
Top Easy Listening Singles 1976 #1, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 2 weeks, 26 total weeks, 304 points|-| 77 || Queen || "
Bohemian Rhapsody" || EMI 0109 || |August-September 1975 || |October 31, 1975 || 58 || 4.25 || US Billboard 1976 #77, Hot100 #9 for 2 weeks, 24 total weeks, 68 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2004, National Recording Registry 2022, from album "
A Night At The Opera"-Elektra 1053, Grammy Hall of Fame 2018.|}
Chronological table of US and UK and Japan number one hit singles
Japanese Oricon number one singles and artist
(weeks at number one)
See main article: List of Oricon number-one singles of 1976.
Top 40 Chart hit singles
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | US | UK | Highest chart position | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|
| "16 Bars" | | | August 1976 | n/a | 7 | 7 (United Kingdom) | 9 (Ireland) |
| "After the Lovin'" | | | October 1976 | 8 | n/a | 1 (New Zealand) | 1 (Canada Adult Contemporary) - 1 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 5 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 13 (Australia) - 40 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles) |
| "All By Myself" | | | January 1976 | 2 | 12 | 2 (United States) | See chart performance entry |
| "Arms of Mary" | | | March 1976 | 81 | 5 | 1 (Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands) | 28 (Australia) - 32 (New Zealand) |
|
Other Chart hit singles
Notable singles
| Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | Other Chart Performance(s) |
|---|
| "Anarchy in the U.K." | | | November 1976 | 38 (UK Singles Chart) |
| "(I'm) Stranded" | | | September 1976 | 99 (Australia) |
| "In the Flesh" | | | October 1976 | 2 (Australia in September 1977) - 40 (Belgium in 1982) |
| "New Rose" | | | October 1976 | n/a | |
Other Notable singles
Published popular music
Other notable songs
Classical music
- Pierre Boulez - Messagesquisse
- Geoffrey Burgon – Requiem
- Elliott Carter – A Symphony of Three Orchestras
- Brian Cherney – String Trio
- George Crumb
- Dream Sequence (Images II) for violin, cello, piano, percussion (one player), and off-stage glass harmonica (two players)
- Night Music I (1963, revised 1976) for soprano, piano/celeste, and two percussionists
- Mario Davidovsky – String Quartet No. 3
- Henri Dutilleux – Ainsi la nuit
- Einar Englund – Symphony No. 4 Nostalgic (in memory of Shostakovich)
- Morton Feldman
- Elemental Procedures, for soprano, choir, and orchestra
- Oboe and Orchestra
- Orchestra
- Routine Investigations, for oboe, trumpet, piano, viola, cello, and double-bass
- Voice, Violin and Piano, for female voice, violin, and piano
- Lorenzo Ferrero
- Le néant où l'on ne peut arriver
- Romanza senza parole
- Henryk Górecki – Symphony No. 3 Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
- Gérard Grisey - Partiels for 18 instruments
- Nicolaus A. Huber – Darabukka for piano
- Wojciech Kilar – Kościelec 1909 for orchestra
- Ib Nørholm – Sonata No. 1, Op. 69, for guitar
- Krzysztof Penderecki – Violin Concerto No. 1
- Carmen Petra Basacopol – Sonata for flute and harp
- John Serry Sr. – Falling Leaves for piano
- Karlheinz Stockhausen – Amour
- Manfred Trojahn
- Architectura caelestis for vocalists and orchestra
- String Quartet No. 1
Opera
Jazz
See main article: 1976 in jazz.
Musical theater
Musical films
Births
- January 8
- January 9 – Hayes Carll, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- January 12 – Melanie C, English singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, actress, stage actress, and television personality (Spice Girls)
- January 13 – Bic Runga, New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist
- January 16 – Stuart Fletcher (The Seahorses)
- January 18 – Damien Leith, Australian singer/songwriter
- January 20 – Sid Wilson (Slipknot)
- January 21 – Emma Bunton, English singer, songwriter, actress, and radio and television presenter.(Spice Girls)
- January 23 – Tony Lucca, American singer-songwriter, producer and actor
- February 4 – Cam'ron, American rapper
- February 5 - Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
- February 13 – Leslie Feist, known professionally as Feist, is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter and guitarist (Broken Social Scene)
- February 15
- February 28 – Ja Rule, American rapper
- March 4 - Hayley Evetts, English actress, presenter and singer
- Kim Jung-eun, South Korean actress
- March 8 – Gareth Coombes, British singer (Supergrass)
- March 10 - Ane Brun, a Norwegian songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of Sami origin
- March 15 - Lee Min-woo, South Korean actor
- March 16 – Blu Cantrell, American soul singer-songwriter
- March 17 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
- March 20 – Chester Bennington, American singer-songwriter, producer, musician (Linkin Park) (d. 2017)
- March 22 – Myo Gyi, Burmese singer and guitarist
- March 23 – Keri Russell, American dancer and actor
- March 25 – Gigi Leung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
- Baek Ji-young, South Korean singer
- March 26 – Dave Keuning (The Killers)
- April 2 – Lucy Diakovska, German-Bulgarian pop singer
- April 3 - Kim Bo-kyung, South Korean actress (d. 2021)
- April 4 - Kim Hyun-jung, South Korean singer
- April 10 – Jan Werner Danielsen, Norwegian singer (d. 2006)
- April 14 - Oh Ji-ho, South Korean actor
- April 18 – Sean Maguire, British actor and singer
- April 23 - Aaron Dessner, American musician, songwriter, and record producer
- April 25 - Kim Jong-kook, South Korean singer (Turbo)
- April 30 – Scott Savol, American singer
- May 8
- May 10 – Udo Mechels, Belgian singer
- May 13 – Christian Kjellvander, Swedish singer and songwriter
- May 14 – Hunter Burgan (AFI)
- May 17 – Kandi Burruss, American singer-songwriter, musician, and business woman (Xscape)
- May 22 – Daniel Erlandsson, Swedish drummer (Arch Enemy)
- May 25 - Cillian Murphy, is an Irish actor. He was the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes.
- May 29 – Dave Buckner (Papa Roach)
- June 2
- June 6 – Emilie-Claire Barlow, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
- June 7 – Necro (Ron Braunstein), American rapper and record producer
- June 11 – Tai Anderson, American rock bassist (Third Day)
- June 13
- June 15
- June 18 – Blake Shelton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- June 19 – Scott Avett, American folk-rock singer-songwriter and musician
- June 20 – Jerome Fontamillas, American singer and guitarist (Switchfoot, Mortal and Fold Zandura)
- June 21 – Mike Einziger (Incubus)
- June 22 – Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party)
- June 23 – Joe Becker, American guitarist and composer
- June 26 – Paul Phillips, guitarist (Puddle of Mudd)
- June 27 – Leigh Nash, American singer (Sixpence None the Richer)
- July 1
- July 3 – Shane Lynch, Irish singer (Boyzone)
- July 5
- Bizarre, African American rapper
- Mike DeWolf, American rock musician (Taproot)
- July 10 – Elijah Blue Allman, American musician, son of Cher and Gregg Allman
- July 12 – Tracie Spencer, American singer-songwriter and actress
- July 16 – Chiara Zeffirelli, crossover soprano
- July 17
- July 20 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian rock singer/guitarist (Wolfmother)
- July 22 – Kokia, Japanese singer-songwriter
- July 23 - Terrance Zdunich, American artist, singer, actor, writer, composer, producer, illustrator and storyboard artist. (Emilie Autumn, Alexa PenaVega, Tech N9ne, Saar Hendelman)
- July 24 - Johnny McDaid, Northern Irish singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (Partner of Courteney Cox, member of Snow Patrol)
- August 8
- August 9, Rhona Mitra, English actress, singer-songwriter, and model
- August 11
- August 12
- August 13 – Roddy Woomble, Scottish musician
- August 14 – Maya Nasri, Lebanese actress and singer
- August 18 – Alex Katunich, (Incubus)
- August 29 – Phil Harvey, English rock band manager (Coldplay)
- September 1 – Angaleena Presley, American country music singer-songwriter. (She is a member of the female country trio Pistol Annies)
- September 2 - Eleanor Friedberger, American singer (The Fiery Furnaces)
- September 6 - Annet Artani, Greek-American singer and songwriter.
- September 12 – Bizzy Bone, American rapper, member of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
- September 15 - Paul Thomson, English drummer and singer (Franz Ferdinand)
- September 16
- Tina Barrett, British singer-songwriter, actor, and dancer (S Club 7)
- Elīna Garanča, Latvian operatic mezzo-soprano operatic soprano
- September 22 – Martin Solveig, French DJ, singer, songwriter and record producer.
- September 23 – Sarah Blasko, Australian singer/songwriter/producer
- September 25 – Santigold, American singer, producer, songwriter
- October 2 – Mandisa, American singer (d. 2024)
- October 6 Barbie Shu, Taiwanese actress and singer
- Yotuel Romero, Cuban singer, actor, and current lead singer and co-writer of Orishas. (Beatrix Luengo)
- October 7 – Taylor Hicks, American singer
- October 19 – Omar Gooding, rapper
- October 20 – Tom Wisniewski (MxPx)
- October 22 – Jon Foreman, American rock singer/guitarist (Switchfoot)
- October 25 - Angela Beyincé, American songwriter, actress and music executive
- October 29 – Mark Sheehan, Irish guitarist (The Script) (d. 2023)
- November 1 – Cosima De Vito, Australian soul singer
- November 2 – Mike Leon Grosch, German singer
- November 11 – Jesse F. Keeler (Death from Above 1979)
- November 12 – Tevin Campbell, singer-songwriter
- November 13 – Shagrath, Dimmu Borgir
- November 16 – Mario Barravecchia, Italian singer
- November 18 – Shagrath, Norwegian black metal musician (Dimmu Borgir)
- November 19 – Jun Shibata, Japanese singer and songwriter
- November 26 – Jean Grae, an American hip hop recording artist, actress, and comedia
- November 29 – Anna Faris, American actress, producer, model, comedian and singer
- December 4 – Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (d. 1997)
- December 12 – Dan Hawkins, British rock guitarist (The Darkness)
- December 17 -Tiki Taane, New Zealand-based musician, experimentalist, musical activist, producer, and live engineer.
- December 18 – Red Café (Jermaine Denny), rapper
- December 20 - Jang Hyuk, South Korean actor
- December 23 – Amjad Sabri, Qawwali singer (murdered 2016)
- December 25
- December 28 - Eric Griffin, American heavy metal and rock guitarist.
- date unknown
Deaths
- January 8 – George Baker, singer, 90
- January 10 – Howlin' Wolf, blues musician, 65
- January 16 – Vasco Campagnano, operatic tenor, 65
- January 18 – Friedrich Hollaender, composer, 79
- January 23 – Paul Robeson, singer, 77
- January 25 – Chris Kenner, American singer-songwriter, 46 (heart attack)
- January 29 – Jesse Fuller, blues musician, 79
- January 30 – Mance Lipscomb, blues musician, 80
- January 31 – Evert Taube, composer and singer, 85
- February 5 – Rudy Pompilli, saxophone player and 20-year member of Bill Haley & His Comets, 50 (lung cancer)
- February 6 – Vince Guaraldi, jazz musician and pianist, 47
- February 9 – Percy Faith, bandleader and composer, 67
- February 12 – Sal Mineo, actor and singer, 37 (murdered)
- February 13 – Lily Pons, coloratura soprano, 77
- February 22 – Florence Ballard, The Supremes, 32 (coronary thrombosis)
- February 25 – Tarquinia Tarquini, operatic soprano, 93
- February 28 – Fritz Krauss, operatic tenor, 92
- March 14 – Busby Berkeley, musical director and choreographer, 80
- March 19 – Paul Kossoff, guitarist, (Free), 25 (cerebral and pulmonary oedema)
- March 25 – Maria Zamboni, operatic soprano, 80
- March 26 – Duster Bennett, blues musician, 29 (car accident)
- April 9 – Phil Ochs, protest singer, 35 (suicide)
- April 14 – Erna Ellmenreich, operatic soprano, 90
- April 25 – Alexander Brailowsky, pianist, 80
- May 12 – Rudolf Kempe, conductor, 65
- May 14 – Keith Relf, vocalist (The Yardbirds), 35 (cardiac arrest due to electrocution)
- May 15 – David Munrow, early music performer, 33 (suicide)
- May 21 – Harold Blair, operatic tenor, 51
- May 26 – Maggie Teyte, operatic soprano, 88
- June 6 – Elisabeth Rethberg, operatic soprano, 81
- June 25 – Johnny Mercer, singer and songwriter, 66
- June 28
- August 2 – Cecilia (singer), Spanish singer-songwriter, 27 (road accident)
- August 6 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Russian cellist, 73
- August 24 – Michael Head, composer, 76
- August 26 – Lotte Lehmann, opera singer, 88
- August 27 – Mukesh, Indian singer, 53 (heart attack)
- August 29 – Jimmy Reed, US blues musician, 50
- September 26 – L.C. Robinson, US blues musician, 61
- October 3 – Victoria Spivey, US singer, pianist and composer, 69
- October 11
- October 21 – Jean Berveiller, organist and composer, 73
- November 12 – Walter Piston, composer, 82
- December 4
- Benjamin Britten, composer, 63
- Tommy Bolin, guitarist, 25 (drug-induced suffocation)
- December 6 – Raymond Hanson, composer, 63
- December 28 – Freddie King, blues musician, 42
- Date Unknown – Patrick Kelly, Irish folk fiddler
Awards
Grammy Awards
Eurovision Song Contest
Japan Record Awards
Notes and References
- Book: Nicholas Schaffner. The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave. 1 January 1982. McGraw-Hill. 978-0-07-055089-6. 306.
- Book: New York Media, LLC. New York Magazine. 22 March 1976. New York Media, LLC. 77. 0028-7369.
- Web site: After 36 Years in Prison, Tower of Power's Rick Stevens Returns to Sing. Jon Schuppe. 12 May 2016. NBC News. 17 November 2019.
- Web site: The Promotional Tour March 1976. ABBA Official Australian Fan Club. 17 November 2019.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061113060341/http://www.geocities.com/wireless_machine/lennon/pi1.htm John Lennon Playboy interview, 1980
- Classic Rock magazine, July 2010, Issue 146.
- Book: Fred Bronson. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. registration. 1997. Billboard Books. 978-0-8230-7641-3.
- Book: Tony Fletcher. Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon. 4 March 2010. Omnibus Press. 978-0-85712-222-3. 523.
- Web site: 1976-02-13 . Album poster – Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail – Friday 13th – . 2022-12-17 . The Genesis Archive.
- Web site: BPI.
- "Mercury Releases Two," Record World, March 20, 1976, p. 61.
- Web site: BPI.
- Book: The Great Rock Discography. 116. 1995 . 9780862415419 .
- Book: Popoff, Martin . Martin Popoff . Sensitive to Light . second . Wymer Publishing . 2020 . 305 . 978-1-912782-40-6.
- Web site: CHANGESONEBOWIE random vinyl out now. David Bowie Official Website. 3 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160523100821/http://www.davidbowie.com/news/changesonebowie-random-vinyl-out-now-55921. 23 May 2016. dead.
- Web site: BPI certifications.
- Web site: BPI.
- https://books.google.com/books?id=xCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT43 Billboard, December 25, 1976 ("Billboard's Annual Talent in Action", Pop Singles of 1976)
- Book: Murrells, Joseph . The book of golden discs . 1978 . London : Barrie & Jenkins . Internet Archive . 978-0-214-20512-5.
