Editing 1996 in music (section)

==Events==
===January===
* [[January 8]] – Robert Hoskins is convicted on five charges of assault, stalking, and threatening to kill [[Madonna]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431648/19960112/madonna.jhtml|title=Madonna Faces Stalker In Court|last=anonymous|date=January 12, 1996|publisher=MTV Networks|access-date=April 15, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080411164844/https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431648/19960112/madonna.jhtml| archive-date=April 11, 2008| url-status= dead}}</ref>
* [[January 16]]
** Two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, are tried for the murder of Bassett's parents and younger brother. At the trial, defense lawyers attempt to blame the murders on the fact the pair had been listening to "[[Israel's Son]]" by [[Silverchair]] before the crimes. The murders are dubbed the "Israel's Son Murders." Murmur Records releases an official response, stating that the members of Silverchair do not condone violence of any kind, and that the song "seeks to criticize violence and war by portraying them in all their horror."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1996/9601180034.asp|title=ATTORNEY WANTS TO OPEN TEEN'S MURDER TRIAL WITH ROCK SONG|last=P-I Staff and News Services|date=January 18, 1996|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=April 15, 2008}} {{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref>
** [[Jamaica]]n 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]] are also on the plane during the incident. No one is injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buffettworld.com/incidents/jamaicamistaica/|title=Incidents -> Jamaica Mistaica|last=anonymous|date=n.d.|publisher=BuffettWorld|access-date=April 15, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080408113434/https://www.buffettworld.com/incidents/jamaicamistaica/  |archive-date = April 8, 2008}}</ref>
* [[January 18]] – [[Lisa Marie Presley]] files for divorce from [[Michael Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9601/jacko_presley/|title=She's out of his life|last=anonymous|date=January 18, 1996|publisher=Cable News Network, Inc. (CNN)|access-date=April 16, 2008}}</ref> The two were wed on May 26, 1994.
* [[January 19]]–[[February 4]] – The [[Big Day Out]] festival takes place in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], headlined by [[Porno for Pyros]] and [[Rage Against the Machine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/every-big-day-out-line-up/11539046 |title=The definitive guide to every Big Day Out line-up ever |publisher=ABC |date=September 30, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2020 |first=Dan |last=Condon}}</ref>
* [[January 25]] – [[Madonna]] receives death threats from [[Argentina|Argentine]] [[Peronism|Peronists]], who are enraged and insulted that she was playing [[Eva Peron]] in ''[[Evita (1996 film)|Evita]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = (Artes y Espectaculos) ARGENTINA: Evita y Madonna, iguales y distintas {{!}} IPS Agencia de Noticias|url = http://www.ipsnoticias.net/1996/02/artes-y-espectaculos-argentina-evita-y-madonna-iguales-y-distintas/|website = www.ipsnoticias.net|access-date = 2016-02-02|date = February 16, 1996|language = es|last = Valente|first = Marcela}}</ref> After she arrives in Argentina, over 50 walls throughout the city are spray-painted with the words: ''¡Viva [[Maria Eva Duarte de Perón|Evita]]! ¡Fuera Madonna!'' (Long Live Evita! Get Out, Madonna!).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/papel/hemeroteca/1996/01/21/cultura/78600.html|title=Madonna empieza a pasar los primeros apuros en Buenos Aires|first=Juan|last=Ignacio|date=January 21, 1996|publisher=Mundinteractivos, S.A. (El Mundo)|language=es|access-date=April 16, 2008}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* [[January 26]] – The first public performance of the controversial musical ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'' takes place at the [[New York Theatre Workshop]], a day after the death of its creator, [[Jonathan Larson]].<ref>[http://siteforrent.com/creativeteam_details.php?url_identifier=jonathan-larson-1 Creative Team – Jonathan Larson] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605223723/http://siteforrent.com/creativeteam_details.php?url_identifier=jonathan-larson-1 |date=June 5, 2013 }}</ref>
* [[January 28]] – [[Chris Isaak]] makes a guest appearance on the television show ''[[Friends]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0583439/|title= "Friends" The One After the Superbowl: Part 1 (1996)|last=anonymous|date=n.d.|publisher=IMDb.com, Inc.|access-date=April 16, 2008}}</ref>
* [[January 29]]
** [[La Fenice]] [[opera house]] in Venice, Italy, is destroyed by fire.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1250826.stm|title=Two jailed for Venice opera arson|last=anonymous|date=March 30, 2001|publisher=BBC|access-date=April 16, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090509000816/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1250826.stm |archive-date = May 9, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** [[Garth Brooks]] refuses to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist, briefly explaining his belief that all music is "made up of a lot of people."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/31/arts/critic-s-notebook-music-awards-for-a-mythical-middle-america.html |title=CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Music Awards for a Mythical Middle America |last=Pareles |first=John |date=January 31, 1996 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714083724/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E2D61639F932A05752C0A960958260 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 }}</ref>

===February===
* [[February 4]] – Former [[Milli Vanilli]] band member [[Rob Pilatus]] is hospitalized after being hit over the head with a [[baseball bat]] in Hollywood while attempting to steal a man's car.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/02-96/02-06-96/zpeople.htm#XINDEX7|title=People, places & things in the news|last=Compiled from wire reports|date=n.d.|publisher= South Coast Media Group|access-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref>
* [[February 13]]
** [[Tupac Shakur]] releases the first ever rap double album, ''[[All Eyez on Me]]'', one of the most influential albums in [[Hip-hop|hip hop]] history. ''All Eyez on Me'' quickly achieves [[Music recording certification|platinum]] sales and reaches No. 1 on the [[Billboard 200|'' Billboard'' 200]] charts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sexton |first=Paul |date=2023-03-02 |title=‘All Eyez On Me’: 2Pac’s Poignant And Seminal 1996 Milestone |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/2pac-all-eyez-on-me-album/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=uDiscover Music |language=en-US}}</ref>
** [[Take That]] formally announces that they are disbanding.
* [[February 14]] – The artist formerly known as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] marries backup dancer [[Mayte Garcia]], who is fifteen years his junior.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2017-04-10 |title=Prince's Ex-Wife Details Their Life in Memoir — But It's No 'Tell-All' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/prince-ex-wife-mayte-garcia-memoir-interview-7752782/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>
* [[February 19]] – [[Jarvis Cocker]] disrupts a performance by [[Michael Jackson]] at the [[BRIT Awards#Michael Jackson and Jarvis Cocker .281996.29|BRIT Awards]]. During an elaborate staging of "[[Earth Song]]," Cocker crashes the stage, lifts his shirt, and points his bottom in Jackson's direction before getting into a scuffle with security. Cocker later states that his actions were "a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing".<ref name="brit awards">{{cite news |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/music/855603-brit-awards-2011-top-five-moments-through-the-years |title=Brit Awards 2011: Top five moments Through the years |author=Lee, Ann |date=February 15, 2011 |newspaper=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=August 9, 2012}}</ref>
* [[February 20]]
** [[Sepultura]] releases their album ''[[Roots (Sepultura album)|Roots]]''.
** [[Snoop Dogg]] and his bodyguard are acquitted of first-degree murder. The jury deadlocks on [[Manslaughter (United States law)#Voluntary manslaughter|voluntary manslaughter]] charges, and a [[Trial#Mistrials|mistrial]] is declared.
** ''[[VH1 Storytellers|Storytellers]]'' premieres on [[VH1]]. The first episode features [[Ray Davies]].
* [[February 22]] – [[MCA Records]] buys half of [[Interscope Records]]. [[Time Warner]] had owned half of Interscope until September 1995, when it sold off its share due to political pressure over the label's [[gangsta rap]] artists' explicit lyrics.<ref name="daily news">{{cite news |date=February 22, 1996 |title=MCA Takes Half of Interscope |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/02/22/mca-takes-half-of-interscope/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
* [[February 28]] – The [[38th Annual Grammy Awards]] are presented in [[Los Angeles]], hosted by [[Ellen DeGeneres]]. [[Alanis Morissette]] wins four awards, including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] for ''[[Jagged Little Pill]]'', while [[Seal (singer)|Seal]]'s "[[Kiss from a Rose]]" wins both [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. [[Hootie & the Blowfish]] win [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]]. The ceremony also notably features the reunion of the original lineup of [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], introduced by [[Tupac Shakur]], for their first appearance in full makeup and outfits since 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Online |first=KISS |title=KISS Online :: KISS Chronology {{!}} The Complete History Of KISS |url=https://www.kissonline.com/history |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=KISS Online |language=en}}</ref> Frank Sinatra wins the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for "Duets II", his first win since 1966.

===March===
* [[March 4]] – [[The Beatles]]' second reunion song is released as part of their first reunion since the band's breakup 26 years earlier. The song is a finished version of [[Real Love (John Lennon song)|"Real Love"]], a [[John Lennon]] demo from 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-beatles |title=The Beatles |access-date=February 5, 2009 |year=2007 |publisher=[[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and Museum, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104020931/http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-beatles |archive-date=January 4, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[March 13]] – [[Ramones]] fans riot in [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina after waiting all night for concert tickets, only to find the show is sold out.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27352-2004Mar3.html |title=Entertainment Highlights in History |access-date=February 5, 2009 |date=March 3, 2004 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
* [[March 16]] – [[Mariah Carey]] and [[Boyz II Men]]'s 16th consecutive week stay at No. 1 in the American charts with "[[One Sweet Day]]" ends when [[Celine Dion]]'s "[[Because You Loved Me]]" reaches No. 1. "One Sweet Day" enjoyed the longest consecutive stay at No. 1 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|'' Billboard'' Hot 100]]'s history.<ref>{{cite news |last=Catlin |first=Roger |date=December 24, 1998 |title=Old Songs In New Packages Are Hot Gifts The Greatest Season |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-the-greatest-season/171114133/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |work=Hartford Courant |pages=63 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
* [[March 18]] – The [[Sex Pistols]] announce they will reunite for a 20th anniversary tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/sex-pistols |title=Sex Pistols |access-date=February 5, 2009 |year=2007 |publisher=[[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and Museum, Inc.| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090208230714/http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/sex-pistols| archive-date=February 8, 2009| url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[March 28]] – [[Phil Collins]] announces he is leaving [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] to focus on his solo career.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/genesis-reuniting-after-decade-apart-1.587873 |title=Genesis reuniting after decade apart |access-date=February 5, 2009 |date=October 19, 2006 |publisher=[[CBC News]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070120095825/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/10/19/genesis-reunion.html |archive-date = January 20, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

===April===
* [[April 1]] 
**[[Roberto Alagna]] marries [[Angela Gheorghiu]] backstage at the New York Metropolitan Opera.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984477-1,00.html Martha Duffy, "So Happy Together", ''Time'' magazine, April 29, 1996]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602032200/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C984477-1%2C00.html |date=June 2, 2013 }}</ref>
**[[John Squire]] announces his departure from [[The Stone Roses]].
* [[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 10]] – Alice in Chains plays at Majestic Theatre in New York City for an MTV unplugged record and video to be released in July.
* [[April 15]] – The remainder of [[Jerry Garcia]]'s ashes are scattered near the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in San Francisco.
* [[April 16]]  
** [[Madonna]] announces she is four months pregnant by Carlos Leon, her then-boyfriend and trainer.
** [[Rage Against the Machine]] releases their second studio album, ''[[Evil Empire (album)|Evil Empire]]''.
* [[April 17]] – [[Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)|Carlo Bergonzi]] gives his American farewell concert at [[Carnegie Hall]]. 
* [[April 24]] – This Train, [[Rick Elias]], [[Jimmy A]], [[Phil Keaggy]], [[Carolyn Arends]], [[Third Day]] and [[Ashley Cleveland]] perform a tribute concert for [[Rich Mullins]] at [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]'s Cafe Milano. Speakers include [[Reunion Records]] executive Terry Hemmings, record producer [[Reed Arvin]], disc jockey Jon Rivers, and author [[Brennan Manning]].
* [[April 28]] – [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] play the second of two gigs in [[Maine Road]], home of [[Manchester City F.C.]], featured on the video "[[…There and Then]]".

===May===
* [[May 8]] 
**The Galway Early Music Festival is launched in Ireland.
**A judge rules against [[Tommy Lee]] and wife, actress [[Pamela Anderson]] Lee, in their attempt to keep ''[[Penthouse magazine|Penthouse]]'' from publishing still photos taken from an [[X-rated]] [[Home movies|home movie]] that was stolen from their home in Los Angeles.
* [[May 11]] – A 17-year-old fan is crushed in the festival seating section at a concert by [[The Smashing Pumpkins]] in Dublin, Ireland, despite the presence of 110 security guards and repeated admonishments from the band telling the crowd to stop surging towards the stage. The fan dies of her injuries the next day, and the band cancels that night's show in Belfast as a result.<ref name="MTV">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434230/fan-crushed-at-smashing-pumpkins-show.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610014613/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434230/fan-crushed-at-smashing-pumpkins-show.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |title=Fan Crushed At Smashing Pumpkins Show |date=May 17, 1996 |publisher=[[MTV|Mtv.com]] |access-date=August 9, 2012}}</ref>
* [[May 18]] – The [[1996 Eurovision Song Contest]], held in [[Oslo Spektrum]] in [[Oslo]], [[Norway]], is won by [[Ireland|Irish]] singer [[Eimear Quinn]], with the song "[[The Voice (Eimear Quinn song)|The Voice]]". It is Ireland's record seventh, and most recent, win at Eurovision.
* [[May 25]] – [[Sublime (band)|Sublime]] lead singer [[Bradley Nowell]] dies of a heroin overdose at age 28.
* [[May 30]] – [[Depeche Mode]] leader [[Dave Gahan]] is arrested upon his release from hospital, having overdosed on a heroin and cocaine '[[Speedball (drug)|speedball]]' in a Los Angeles hotel room and been pronounced clinically dead for two minutes in an ambulance. Gahan is ordered by the court to complete a nine-month rehabilitation.

===June===
* [[June 2]] – [[Alice Cooper]] performs at [[Sammy Hagar]]'s club, [[Cabo Wabo]], in Mexico. It will be recorded and released, the following year, as a live album.
* [[June 8]]  – [[Tracy Bonham]] becomes the first female solo artist to reach number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Modern rock tracks|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart with the single "[[Mother Mother (song)|Mother Mother]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date= |title=Tracy Bonham Alternative Airplay |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/tracy-bonham/chart-history/mrt/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117175104/https://www.billboard.com/artist/tracy-bonham/chart-history/mrt/ |archive-date=2021-11-17 |access-date=2023-02-20 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> 
* [[June 12]] – [[Julia Fischer]], the German violinist and pianist, wins the final of the [[Eurovision Young Musicians 1996]] competition in [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]].
* [[June 15]]–16 – [[San Francisco]] holds the first [[Tibetan Freedom Concert]]s.
* [[June 19]] – Japanese duo [[Chage and Aska]] become the first Asian group to participate in ''[[MTV Unplugged]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/14/talkasia.chageaska.script/index.html|title=Chage & Aska Talkasia Transcript|publisher=CNN|date=2005-12-14|access-date=2009-01-03}}</ref>
* [[June 21]] – The [[Sex Pistols]] start their reunion tour in [[Lahti]], Finland.
* [[June 25]] – Jay-Z releases his debut album ''[[Reasonable Doubt (album)|Reasonable Doubt]]''.
* [[June 26]] – [[Sammy Hagar]] leaves [[Van Halen]].
* [[June 27]] – [[DJ Screw]], creator of [[Chopped and screwed|chopped and screwed rap]] and leader of [[Screwed Up Click]], records the 35 minute long ''June 27'' freestyle with [[Houston]] [[Southern hip hop|rappers]] [[Big Moe]], Bird, Key-C, Yungstar, [[Big Pokey]], DeMo, Haircut Joe and Kay-Luv.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Why-June-27-Houston-holiday-for-hip-hop-rap-Screw-8327694.php|title=Why June 27 should be a Houston holiday for hip-hop fans|publisher=Houston Chronicle|date=2019-06-27}}</ref>
* [[June 28]] – [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] kicks off the [[Alive/Worldwide Tour|Alive/Worldwide reunion tour]] at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, the first tour by the original lineup of the band since 1979.

===July===
* [[July 3]] 
**[[This World (band)|This World]] release their [[This World (This World album)|first album]] since 1986.
**[[Alice in Chains]] perform their last concert with lead singer [[Layne Staley]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] while touring with [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]].
* [[July 8]] – The [[Spice Girls]] release their debut single "[[Wannabe (song)|Wannabe]]" in the United Kingdom. The song proved to be a global hit, hitting number 1 in 31 countries and becoming not only the biggest-selling debut single by an all-female group, but also the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Sari |title=February 22, 1997: “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls Hit No. 1, Ushering in the Girl Power Era |url=https://www.mylifetime.com/she-did-that/february-22-1997-wannabe-by-the-spice-girls-hit-no-1-ushering-in-the-girl-power-era |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Lifetime |language=en}}</ref>
* [[July 11]] – [[Robert Simpson (composer)|Robert Simpson's]] second [[string quintet]] receives its première at the [[Cheltenham International Festival]] by the [[Maggini Quartet]] with Pal Banda, cellist.
* [[July 13]] – [[Phil Anselmo]] of [[Pantera]] overdoses on heroin after a Texas homecoming gig. Anselmo went into cardiac arrest but was revived after about five minutes by paramedics.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Phil Anselmo's Overdose: The Night Heavy Metal Held its Breath |work=Heavy Chronicle |url=https://www.heavychronicle.com/campfire-stories/phil-anselmos-overdose-the-night-metal-held-its-breath/ }}</ref>
*[[July 16]] – [[Michael Jackson]] performs a concert for [[Hassanal Bolkiah]]'s 50th birthday at the [[Jerudong Park Amphitheater]]. 
* [[July 19]] – The [[The Proms|Proms in the Park]] event is launched in London, UK.
* [[July 27]] – [[Adrian Erlandsson]] & [[Patrik Jensen]] form [[The Haunted (Swedish band)|The Haunted]].<ref>[http://the-haunted.com/site/?p=band The Haunted – No false pride, no fashion, no fake set of values]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221180937/http://www.the-haunted.com/site/?p=band |date=February 21, 2014 }}</ref>

===August===
* [[August 1]] – [[MTV2]] is launched. The first video is "[[Where It's At (Beck song)|Where It's At]]" by [[Beck]].<ref name="RS #744">{{cite magazine |last1=Boehlert |first1=Eric |date=October 3, 1996 |title=Pop Journal |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. |issue=744 |pages=26 }}</ref>
* [[August 6]] – [[Punk rock]] group [[The Ramones]] play their final show at "The Palace" in Hollywood.
* [[August 10]]–11 – [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] play the largest free-standing gigs in British history at [[Knebworth House]], Stevenage. 2.7 million people apply for tickets and a sold-out crowd of 350,000 attend the concerts; 175,000 each night. [[Stone Roses]] guitarist [[John Squire]] joins the band onstage to play guitar to Champagne Supernova.
* [[August 15]]–16 – [[Phish]] hosts [[The Clifford Ball]] at [[Plattsburgh Air Force Base]]. The event is the first of their festivals, currently totaling ten.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phish Magnaball: A 3-Day Festival August 21st-23rd |url=https://phish.com/magnaball/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=phish.com}}</ref> 70,000 people show up. Some say the event is considered a precursor to the large-scale music festivals of today.
* [[August 27]] – [[Aaliyah]] releases her album ''[[One in a Million (Aaliyah album)|One in a Million]]''.

===September===
* [[September 4]] – At the [[MTV Video Music Award]]s, [[Van Halen]] makes a surprise appearance with original singer [[David Lee Roth]].
* [[September 7]]
** Rapper [[Tupac Shakur]] is shot several times in a drive-by shooting, while being driven from the [[MGM Grand Las Vegas|MGM Grand Hotel]] along Sunset Strip in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] after seeing the [[Mike Tyson]] versus [[Bruce Seldon]] [[boxing]] match. He dies six days later.
** [[Michael Jackson]] starts the [[HIStory World Tour]].
* [[September 10]] – [[Walmart|Wal-Mart]] announces it will not carry [[Sheryl Crow]]'s upcoming [[Sheryl Crow (album)|self-titled album]], 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."
* [[September 11]] – [[David Bowie]]'s single "[[Telling Lies (song)|Telling Lies]]" becomes the first song offered as a digital single by a major record label ([[Virgin Records]]). Bowie launches the single by hosting an online chat in which he and two other people pretending to be him answer questions from the audience; Bowie tells the truth, while the other two are "telling lies".<ref name=Web97>{{Citation | last=Levine | first=Robert | title=Cyberspace Oddity| journal=The Web Magazine | issue=3 |volume=1 |date=February–March 1997| pages=30–33}}</ref>
* [[September 12]] – Controversy follows [[Eagles (band)|The Eagles]] when the band dedicates "[[Peaceful Easy Feeling]]" to [[Saddam Hussein]] at a [[United States Democratic Party]] fundraiser held in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simmons |first=Sylvie |date=2006-06-02 |title='Nowadays the fans keep their clothes on' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/jun/02/popandrock.shopping2 |access-date=2024-04-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[September 12]] — [[Ricardo López (stalker)|Ricardo López]] mails Icelandic singer [[Björk]] a device disguised as a book designed to spray [[sulfuric acid]] on her face with the goal of disfiguring or killing her, before shooting and killing himself on camera in his apartment in [[Hollywood, Florida]]. His body was found on four days later on September 16, and subsequently the device is intercepted by [[Scotland Yard]] before it could reach Björk.
* [[September 13]] – [[Tupac Shakur]] dies as a result of injuries sustained six days earlier.
* [[September 17]] — [[Tool (band)|Tool]] releases their second album [[Ænima]].
* [[September 21]] – [[Meg White]] marries John Anthony Gillis, who changes his name to [[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]]. They will form [[The White Stripes]] the following year.
* [[September 24]] – [[Weezer]] releases its second record, [[Pinkerton (album)|''Pinkerton'']]. Its darker vibe, and departure from their earlier style, mean it sells less well and is critically panned upon its release. However, it later garners a cult following and is eventually considered among the band's best work.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/24/weezer-pinkerton-anniversary-rock-rivers-cuomo-emo|title=Weezer's Pinkerton and the invention of the manic pixie dream boys|last=Levinson|first=Alana|date=2016-09-24|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-22|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* [[September 27]] – [[Sasha and Digweed]] release ''[[Northern Exposure (album)|Northern Exposure]]'', which has gone on to be considered one of the greatest dance albums of all time.

===October===
* [[October 4]] 
**[[Eddie Van Halen|Eddie]] and [[Alex Van Halen]] announce [[David Lee Roth]] will not be continuing as lead singer of [[Van Halen]] and [[Gary Cherone]] will be the band's next vocalist.
**[[C-Block]] releases the single "[[So Strung Out]]", which reaches the fourth chart position in Germany.
* [[October 5]] — [[Alternative metal]] band [[Deftones]] incite a riot at [[KUPD]]’s U-Fest at Desert Sky Pavilion (now known as [[Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre]]) incited by lead singer [[Chino Moreno]] due to rumors that he and other members were intoxicated before their set due to their discovery of the death of Dana Wells, the late stepson of [[Max Cavalera]]. This also resulted in the band having a physical altercation with the [[gothic metal]] band [[Type O Negative]] at The Purgatory, a former [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] local bar after the concert due to them not being able to perform as the 10th and final set of U-Fest after the Deftones set due to the excessive rioting.
* [[October 6]] – [[Country music|Country]] singers [[Tim McGraw]] and [[Faith Hill]] marry.
* [[October 13]] – [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]'s son Gregory Nelson dies from [[Pfeiffer syndrome|Pfeiffer Syndrome]].
* [[October 14]] – [[Madonna]] gives birth to daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.
* [[October 15]] – [[Korn]]'s second studio album, ''[[Life Is Peachy]]'', debuts at number 3 on the [[Billboard 200|'' Billboard'' 200]] and goes on to sell 6 million copies worldwide.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine|title=Korn's Sophomore Album 'Life is Peachy' Turns 20|url=http://billboard.ph/korns-sophomore-album-life-peachy-turns-20/|magazine=Billboard|access-date=31 January 2018}}</ref>
* [[October 27]] – ''[[Pop-Up Video]]'' receives its première on [[VH1]].
* [[October 28]] – [[MTV India]] launches.
* [[October 29]] 
** [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] announces, in a faxed statement, he is officially leaving [[Guns N' Roses]].<ref name="RS #749">{{cite magazine |last1=Hendrickson |first1=Matt |date=December 12, 1996 |title=Slash Leaves Guns N' Roses |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. |issue=749 |pages=24 }}</ref>
**[[Ian Brown]] and [[Mani (bass guitarist)|Mani]] officially dissolve [[The Stone Roses]].
* [[October 31]] – David Brookes is fined £45 in Hampstead Magistrates' Court for disrupting the "quiet enjoyment" of the public by playing his bagpipes on [[Hampstead Heath]]. Described as "a pain in the neck" by a spokesperson for the College of Pipers in [[Glasgow]], Brookes vows to buy a bicycle to continue playing in the open air, so "they'll just have to catch me." He says he has been piping on the heath for twenty years and has been given permission to do so, adding he's surprised by the ruling because social workers are allowed to distribute condoms there.<ref>John Ezard, "Piper Pays for His Tune", ''The Guardian'' (1 November 1996):2.</ref>

===November===
* [[November 8]] – After its première at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in January, the film ''[[Hype!]]'', a documentary on the [[Seattle]] [[grunge]] scene, opens to general audiences.
* [[November 12]] – [[Eminem]] releases his debut studio album [[Infinite (Eminem album)|''Infinite'']].
* [[November 24]] – [[Crowded House]] play their farewell concert on the steps of the [[Sydney Opera House]] in Australia, in front of an audience of almost 200,000.  Proceeds support the [[Sydney Children's Hospital]]. The band will reunite a decade later with a new studio album and tour.

===December===
* [[December 7]] – The [[Sex Pistols]] finish their reunion tour in [[Santiago|Santiago, Chile]].
* [[December 16]] – [[Max Cavalera]] leaves [[Sepultura]]. Speculation for his departure includes claims that he was upset that the band did not renew his wife Gloria's contract as manager, as well as for being overwhelmed by the death of his stepson. Cavalera later denies those theories and says he left the band simply because the members had grown apart.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |date=July 20, 2022 |title=MAX CAVALERA Says It Was His Fault He Left SEPULTURA, Not His Wife's Fault |work=Metal Injection |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/max-cavalera-says-it-was-his-fault-he-left-sepultura-not-his-wifes-fault#:~:text=Max%20Cavalera%20leaving%20Sepultura%20in,Nailbomb%2C%20and%20Killer%20Be%20Killed. }}</ref> 
* [[December 31]] – The twenty-fifth annual [[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest|New Year's Rockin' Eve]] special airs on ABC, with appearances by [[Shawn Colvin]], [[KC & the Sunshine Band]], [[Spice Girls]], [[Squirrel Nut Zippers]] and [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]].

===Also in 1996===
* [[Jesper Strömblad]] leaves [[HammerFall|Hammerfall]].
* [[House of Pain]] break up; this will lead to [[DJ Lethal]] joining [[Limp Bizkit]].
* [[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)|billboard]] advertising her album. The billboard featured a photo of Amos breastfeeding a piglet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tori Amos: ‘We all carry around our damage’ |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/tori-amos-we-all-carry-around-our-damage-1.4702858 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Coal Chamber]] signs with [[Roadrunner Records]] and [[Mikey "Bug" Cox]] replaces John Tor.
* The [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]] is passed in the United States, deregulating the number of radio and TV stations that any one broadcaster can own.