1976 in music
See also: 1975 in music, other events of 1976, 1977 in music and the list of 'years in music'.
Events
- January 7 - Kenneth Moss, a former record company executive, is sentenced to 120 days in the Los Angeles County Jail and four years probation for involuntary manslaughter in the 1974 drug induced death of Average White Band drummer Robbie McIntosh.
- January 13 - A trial begins for seven Brunswick Records and Dakar Records employees. The record company employees are charged with stealing more than $184,000 in royalties from artists.
- February 15 - Bette Midler bails seven members of her entourage out of jail after they are arrested on charges of cocaine and marijuana possession
- January 19 - Concert promoter Bill Sargent makes an offer of $30 million to the Beatles if they would reunite for a concert
- February 19 - Former Tower of Power lead singer Rich Stevens is arrested and charged with the drug related murders of three men in San Jose, California.
- February 20 - Kiss gets their footprints added to the sidewalk outside Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater.
- February 24 - The Eagles Their Greatest Hits compilation becomes the first album in history to be certified platinum by the RIAA. The new platinum certification represents sales of at least 1 million copies for albums and 2 million copies for singles.
- 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 25 - Jackson Browne's wife Phyllis commits suicide.
- March 26 - In Paris, France, Wings guitarist Jimmy McCullough 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 14 - Stevie Wonder announces that he has signed a "$13 million-plus" contract with Motown Records
- April 24 - Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels makes on on-air offer to pay the Beatles $3000 to reunite on the show. Lennon and McCartney were apparently watching the show together in New York and considered walking down to the studio to accept the check. On May 22, he raises his offer from $3000 to $3,200.
- 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 escourt him off the grounds.
- May 3 - Paul McCartney and Wings start their Wings over America tour in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the first time McCartney has performed in the US since The Beatles' last concert in 1966 at Candlestick Park.
- May 3 - Paul Simon puts together a benefit show at Madison Square Garden to raise money for the New York Public Library. Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and the Brecker Brothers also perform. The concert brings in over $30,000 for the Library.
- May 19 - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is involved in a car accident. Cocaine is found in his wrecked car. Richards is given a court date of January 12, 1977.
- June - Former Spring Canyon keyboardist Mark Cook joins Daniel Amos
- 100 Club Punk Festival, the first international punk festival is held in London
- Fall - Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr form a band called Feedback in Dublin. The band would later be renamed U2
- October 9 - The Sex Pistols sign a contract with EMI Records
- November - Former Tower of Power lead singer Rich Stevens, and another person, are found guilty on two counts of murder.
- The Flowers of Romance, a band that included many seminal individuals within the punk movement, forms in the summer.
- Bonnie Riatt records Sweet Forgiveness, which will be a blockbuster album in 1977
- War records Galaxy, which will be a blockbuster album in 1977
- Sex Pistols cause media furor when they swear on prime time TV 1 to download.
- Joe Cocker performs a duet with himself (as portrayed by John Belushi) on Saturday Night Live .
- Evita is performed for the first time
- Peter Brown's solo career begins
- Cheap Trick's career begins
- Devo's career begins
- Leif Garrett's solo career begins
- .38 Special's musical career begins
- The Sex Pistols' career begins
- Elvis Costello & the Attractions forms
- Black Flag form
- The Damned form
- Diamond Head form
- Dire Straits form
- Foreigner form
- Iron Maiden form
- Throbbing Gristle form
- Generation X form
- Wire form
- Cheap Trick signs a contract with Epic Records
- The Clash sign up to CBS
- Elvis Costello signs a contract with Columbia Records
- Steve Martin signs a contract with Warner Bros.
- Eddie Money signs a contract with CBS
Albums Released
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC
- High Voltage - AC/DC
- Rocks - Aerosmith
- Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading
- Children of the World - Bee Gees
- Technical Ecstasy - Black Sabbath
- We Sold Our Souls for Rock & Roll - Black Sabbath
- Self-Titled - Blondie
- Agents Of Fortune - Blue Oyster Cult
- Private Eyes - Tommy Bolin
- Every Day of My Life - Michael Bolton
- Boston - Boston
- If I Were Britannia I'd Waive the Rules - Budgie
- Havana Daydreamin' - Jimmy Buffett
- A Kind of Hush - The Carpenters
- X - Chicago
- No Reason to Cry - Eric Clapton
- There's One In Every Crowd - Eric Clapton
- Come Taste the Band - Deep Purple
- Desire - Bob Dylan
- Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
- One of These Nights - The Eagles
- Greatest Hits - The Eagles
- Hotel California - The Eagles
- Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
- Frampton Comes Alive! - Peter Frampton
- A Trick of the Tail - Genesis
- Wind and Wuthering - Genesis
- M.U. --- Best of - Jethro Tull
- Too Old to Rock And Roll, Too Young to Die - Jethro Tull
- Turnstiles - Billy Joel
- Blue Moves - Elton John
- Wanted! the Outlaws - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
- Look into the Future - Journey
- Sad Wings of Destiny - Judas Priest
- Summertime Dream - Gordon Lightfoot
- Leftoverture - Kansas
- Destroyer - Kiss
- Presence - Led Zeppelin
- One More from the Road - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Live! - Bob Marley & the Wailers
- Rastaman Vibration - Bob Marley & the Wailers
- Wings at the Speed of Sound - Paul McCartney
- Wings over America - Paul McCartney & Wings
- Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
- The Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Meters, George & Amos Landry, The Neville Brothers
- The Mini-Album - The Sex Pistols (live EP)
- Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band
- Hejira - Joni Mitchell
- Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
- Come on Over - Olivia Newton-John
- Clones of Dr. Funkenstein - Parliament
- Mothership Connection - Parliament
- Howlin' Wind - Graham Parker & the Rumour
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (debut)
- A Day at the Races - Queen
- A Night at the Oprea - Queen
- Rising - Rainbow
- The Ramones - The Ramones
- Home Plate by Bonnie Riatt
- Black and Blue by The Rolling Stones
- 2112 - Rush
- Another Passenger - Carly Simon
- Silk Desires - Boz Skaggs
- The Royal Scam - Steely Dan
- Crystal Ball - Styx
- Legalize It - Peter Tosh
- Second Annual Report- Throbbing Gristle
- No Heavy Petting - UFO
- Liberation - Bunny Wailer
- Greatest Hits - War
- Love Is All Around - War
- Why Can't We Be Friends - War
- Milky Shade - Kazumi Watanabe
- Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
- Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon
- Tejas - ZZ Top
Top Hits
- "Afternoon Delight" - Starland Vocal Band
- "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)" - Black Sabbath
- "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" - Frankie Valli
- "Dirty Women" - Black Sabbath
- "Disco Lady" - Johnnie Taylor
- "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Elton John & Kiki Dee
- "Don't Let No One Get You Down" - War
- "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" - Paul Simon
- "Fool to Cry" - The Rolling Stones
- "Hello Old Friend" - Eric Clapton
- "Hot Stuff" - The Rolling Stones
- "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" - England Dan and John Ford Coley
- "If You Leave Me Now" - Chicago
- "It's Over" - Boz Scaggs
- "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Let Your Love Flow" - Bellamy Brothers
- "Low Rider" - War
- "Love Machine (Part 1)" - The Miracles
- "More Than a Feeling" - Boston
- "My First Night Alone Without You" - Bonnie Riatt
- "Nadia's Theme (The Young & The Restless)" - Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr.
- "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Rock N' Me" - Steve Miller Band
- "Saturday Night" - Bay City Rollers
- "Say You Love Me" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Show Me the Way" - Peter Frampton
- "Silly Love Songs" - Paul McCartney & Wings
- "Starbuck" - Moonlight Feels Right
- "Still the One" - Orleans
- "Sugar Mama" - Bonnie Riatt
- "Take It To The Limit" - The Eagles
- "Taking It To The Streets" - The Doobie Brothers
- "Welcome Back" - John Sebastian
- "Why Can't We Be Friends" - War
- "World Turning" - Fleetwood Mac
- "You Won't Change Me" - Black Sabbath
- "You Should Be Dancing" - The Bee Gees
Births
- January 16 - Stuart Fletcher, The Seahorses
- January 21 - Emma Bunton, Spice Girls
- February 4 - Cam'ron
- February 15 - Brandon Boyd, Incubus
- February 28 - Ja Rule
- March 8 - Gareth Coombes, Supergrass
- March 17 - Stephen Gately, Boyzone
- March 20 - Chester Bennington, Linkin Park
- May 12 - Melanie Chisholm, Spice Girls
- May 17 - Kandi Burruss, Xscape
- May 29 - Dave Buckner, Papa Roach
- May 31 - Scott Klopfenstein, Reel Big Fish
- June 2 - Adrian Carlos Olivares, Menudo
- June 15 - Dryden Mitchell, Alien Ant Farm
- June 21 - Mike Einziger, Incubus
- June 26 - Paul Phillips, Puddle Of Mudd
- June 27 - Leigh Nash, Sixpence None The Richer
- July 3 - Shane Lynch, Boyzone
- July 6 - 50 Cent
- July 11 - Lil' Kim
- July 12 - Tracie Spencer
- August 8 - Drew Lachey, 98 Degrees
- August 8 - J.C. Chasez, *NSYNC
- August 18 - Dirk 'Alex' Lance, Incubus
- September 11 - Ludacris
- October 20 - Tom Wisniewski, MxPx
- November 12 - Tevin Campbell
- December 13 - Tom Delonge, Blink-182
- Blu Cantrell
- Mike Davenport, The Ataris
- Patrick Riley, The Ataris
Deaths
- January 30 - Mance Lipscomb
- February 22 - Florence Ballard, The Supremes
- April 8 - Phil Ochs, suicide
- December 4 - Benjamin Britten
- December 4 - Tommy Bolin