2006 in music
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| Years in music: | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
| Centuries: | 20th century · 21st century · 22nd century |
| Decades: | 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s |
| Years: | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
Events
- January – James Nicholl, drummer of Pay*Ola became ill and was admitted to hospital. He has since been released and made a full recovery.
- January 11 to January 15 – MahlerFest XIX held in Boulder, Colorado, honoring Austrian composer Gustav Mahler.
- January 16 – Frontman Rob Aston announces that the Transplants have disbanded shortly after their fall tour cancelled.
- January 24 – It was surprisingly announced popular British girl-band All Saints are to regroup for a tour and album later in the year.
- January 31 – American hardcore punk band Champion announces their impending breakup, with a final show scheduled for May.[1]
- February – Alice in Chains reform with new singer William DuVall as the replacement of Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose in April 2002. Their planned tour will embark their first performance since 1996.
- February 1 – Vienna State Opera announced that Seiji Ozawa, a Conductor who concurrently works as a Music Director of the Opera, has had to cancel all his performance commitments for 2006 due to ill-health.
- February 8 – The 48th annual Grammy Awards are handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Madonna opens the awards for a third time. U2 is the night's big winner, with 5 awards. Mariah Carey receives her first award in more than ten years.
- February 10 – White Lion/Black Label Society bassist James Lomenzo joins Megadeth as the replacement for James MacDonough (who was previously in Iced Earth).
- February 18 – The Rolling Stones give a free concert to 3 million people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, possibly one of the largest ever given.
- February 22 – The 1 Billionth song was downloaded on ITunes; The Song was Speed of Sound by Coldplay.
- February 25 – The 4th Annual TRL Awards are held in New York City. Madonna wins the Lifetime Achievement Award and Bono wins the Most Inspired Artist/Humanitarian Award. Other winners include Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, Ashlee Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Amanda Bynes, and My Chemical Romance. Performers included Ashlee Simpson and Chris Brown.
- March 5 – Three 6 Mafia made history as they became the first African-American hip-hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Song and also became the first hip-hop artists to ever perform at the ceremony. The group was nominated for the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the Hustle & Flow soundtrack.
- March 11 – James Blunt, with his track You're Beautiful becomes the first British artist to top the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart since Elton John with Candle In The Wind 1997 almost nine years earlier.
- March 22 – News reports are released that Aerosmith's lead singer Steven Tyler is ill and will require throat surgery. The band cancels the rest of their tour (which was Top 3 at the time) with Cheap Trick and the band is on hiatus indefinitely until Tyler recovers.
- March – Bon Jovi's second single, Who Says You Can't Go Home, off the album Have A Nice Day goes to number one in the US Hot Country Charts for two weeks. For the first time ever, a rock band has achieved a number one hit in the country charts.
- March 25 – Bakersfield's Country Music Player, Buck Owens dies.
- March 28 – Shakira re-releases her disco Oral Fixation vol. 2 with her hit single Hips Don't Lie.
- March 28 – T.I. released his 4th album KING including hit singles What You Know and Why You Wanna.
- April 20 – Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins confirms that the band are in the studio recording for their first album since 2000's MACHINA/The Machines of God.
- April 21 to April 23 – Terrastock 6, Providence, Rhode Island.
- April 25 – Rihanna's sophomore album featuring SOS (Rescue Me) and Unfaithful is released.
- April 29 to April 30 – The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival takes place in Indio, California. Performers include: Madonna, James Blunt, Kanye West, Depeche Mode, Paul Oakenfold among others.
- It is rumored that Alice Cooper has began writing material for his next album, which would be his 28th album. It is also rumored that Welcome To My Nightmare guitarist Dick Wagner has written material for this album.
- May 1 - 1,572 guitarists simultaneously play Jimi Hendrix' song "Hey Joe" in the town square of Wrocław, Poland, breaking a Guinness world record. [2]
- May 2
- May 9 – Red Hot Chili Peppers release Stadium Arcadium, their 9th studio album. It is a double album. It reached #1 in 26 countries, selling more than 1.1 millions copies in first week.
- May 11 – Dave Baksh announces that he left Sum 41 to pursue his career with his second band Brown Brigade.
- May 12 - May 17 - Guns N' Roses play 4 warm-up shows at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, preceding a European tour and shows across the U.S. No release date for Chinese Democracy is announced.
- May 13
- The Los Angeles, California radio station KROQ airs the fourteenth annual Weenie Roast.
- Drummer Ryan Vandeberghe announces that The Suicide Machines have broken up after 15 years of activity.
- May 20 – Finnish monster rock band Lordi win the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song Hard Rock Hallelujah, the first hard rock/heavy metal song to win.
- May 23
- Madonna opens up her Confessions Tour for her album Confessions On A Dancefloor in Los Angeles. Tickets were sold out within minutes in North America, Europe, and Asia, resulting in new dates to be announced in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and London. The tour grossed $193.7 million – the highest grossed tour in history by a female artist.
- The Wreckers release their debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty.
- May 24 – Taylor Hicks wins American Idol, season 5. Katharine McPhee is the runner-up.
- May 26 – Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have their first baby boy, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale.
- June 1 – Youngbloodz and entourage arrested on drugs and weapons charges in Atlanta, Georgia. [3]
- June 6 – Metallica play their new song (Yet to be titled) for the first time in Berlin.
- June 8 – Shakira's single Hips Don't Lie sells 266,500 downloads in its first week of availability, smashing D4L's record of only 175,000. Hips Don't Lie also breaks another record, gaining the highest airplay in a single week with 9,657 spins, breaking Gwen Stefani´s Hollaback Girl record of 9,582.
- June 9 – Nelly Furtado's new album, Loose is released and debuts at #1 with approx. 219,000 copies, making the album her 1st #1 album.
- June 12 – Keane release their second studio album Under the Iron Sea, which sold in its first week 75,702 copies. It remains the first place in the UK Albums Chart despite new albums from Fatboy Slim and The Automatic
- June 16 to June 18 – Bonnaroo Music Festival takes place in Manchester, TN. Performers include Radiohead, Tom Petty, Phil Lesh and Friends, Beck, and DJ Sasha.
- June 23 – Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson leaves the group to pursue other interests.
- July – Luciano Pavarotti is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
- July 1 – Glue Gun performed the first reunion concert at Harpers in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. This concert embarked the band's first performance since breaking up in 1996.
- July 4 – Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra in a nationally televised event.
- July 5 – American Idol tour begins.
- July 7 – Syd Barrett, co-founder and original vocalist for Pink Floyd dies of complications from diabetes
- July 9 – Scooter, releases its long awaited live CD and DVD "Excess All Areas", recorded from the "Who's Got The Last Laugh Now?" Tour 2006.
- July 12 – Rivers Cuomo confirms that Weezer is now on hiatus again. As for the future of the band, he said "I'm not certain we'll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one."
- July 30 – The last ever weekly version of Top of the Pops is broadcast.
- August 1 – 10th anniversary of MTV2's original launch and 25th anniversary of MTV's original launch.
- August 4 to August 6 – Lollapalooza, Chicago, Illinois.
- August 4 – classical and rock violinist, Monroe Clark dies.
- August 15 – Christina Aguilera releases her third album Back to Basics.
- August 22
- Paris Hilton releases her debut album Paris.
- Kelis releases her fourth studio album Kelis Was Here
- The girl group Danity Kane, formed on the reality show Making the Band 3, releases their debut album Danity Kane.
- August 23 – Tata Young publishes her second CD in English Temperature Rising and initiates tour by the USA and two months later it publishes it in Germany.
- August 29 – Jessi Malay releases her debut single Gimme, featuring Lil Scrappy.
- September 5
- The Mercury Music Prize is held in the UK, with The Arctic Monkeys' debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not winning ahead of entries from acts such as Muse and Thom Yorke.
- Beyoncé released the awaited B'Day, follow-up to her multi-platinum debut Dangerously In Love.
- September 9
- John Mayer releases his third album Continuum in Australia, followed by USA on September 12.
- Justin Timberlake releases his long awaited second album FutureSex/LoveSounds.
- September 12 - Britney Spears and her husband at the time Kevin Federline give birth to their second child together, baby boy named Jayden James.
- September 26 – Ludacris releases his fifth LP album Release Therapy. "Weird Al" Yankovic releases his new album Straight Outta Lynwood. Janet Jackson releases 20 Y.O..
- September 27 – Boy band Five announce they are to reunite – minus original bandmate Sean Conlon.
- October 3 – Brazil releases The Philosophy of Velocity.
- October 9 – Violinist and Opera Singer, Logan Simpson gets arrested for refusing to stop the car when the traffic light turns red.
- October 10 – Justin Hawkins, lead singer of the band The Darkness announces he is leaving the band.
- October 11 – After 25 years as an artist, "Weird Al" Yankovic finally gets his first top 10 hit, with "White & Nerdy".
- October 15 – Legendary New York City music club CBGB closes after a lengthy rent dispute. Patti Smith performs the final show at the club. CBGB announces it is moving to Las Vegas.
- October 17 – The cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes release their fifth studio album, sixth overall, Love Their Country. The album features covers of country and western songs from artists like the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
- October 17 – The French Singer Manu Chao sang in Colombia in front of but of 80,000 people and prevailed in his performance.
- October 24 – The Corrs release their greatest great hits "Dreams - The Ultimate Collection".
- October 25 – Guitarist Brian May announces on his web-site that Queen is heading back into the studio for recording sessions. The lineup Queen + Paul Rodgers features May, Rodgers – the former lead vocalist of Free, and former Queen drummer Roger Taylor.
- October 30 – Keane release the first single on a USB Memory Stick, Nothing In My Way.
- November 5 – Documentary of the band country Dixie Chicks is banned and prohibited in practically all United States and it is boycotted.
- November 7 – Ricky Martin releases his MTV Unplugged.
- November 7 – Pop megastar Britney Spears files for divorce from husband Kevin Federline.
- November 8 – Nelly Furtado makes a cameo in the Portuguese soap opera Floribella.
- November 10 - R&B singer Gerald Levert dies of an apparent heart attack in his sleep at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
- November 10 – Joss Stone announces CD, to be released on March 6 2007.
- November 10 – Justin Timberlake obtains n°1 with "My Love" and makes doublet with "Sexy Back".
- November 11 - Kylie Minogue resumes the Showgirl Homecoming Tour after a year and a half when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and postponed the show.
- November 14 – A tribute to songwriter Cecilia for her 30th death anniversary.
- November 16 - MTV Latin America 2006 awards. Evanescence, Robbie Williams, Nelly Furtado and Shakira performed, among others.
- November 16 - Snow Patrol became the first British band to get to the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 13 years.
- November 16 - The Offspring announce on their official website that they are now back in the studio recording their first album since 2003's Splinter. The album is produced by Bob Rock of Metallica fame.
- November 16 - Christina Aguilera will make her acting debut in the popular crime series CSI.
- November 24 - American Music Awards air. Some winners are Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Jamie Foxx, Nickelback, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige. Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, and Beyoncé performed.
- November 26 - Damien Leith takes the title as Australian Idol 2006 becoming the oldest winner of Idol in the world. He beat 16 year old Jessica Mauboy
- December 5 - "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani; "The Re-Up" by Eminem and "Ciara: The Evolution" by Ciara in stores in the U.S.
- December 6 - Beyoncé reached her fourth number one in the U.S with Irreplaceable.
- December 25 - James Brown dies at 73.
Bands formed
- Daughtry
- Monrose
- The Good, the Bad and the Queen
- Larrikin Love
- Nena Daconte
- Rock Star Supernova
- The Luchagors
- Rocket Gravy
- Army of Anyone
Bands disbanded
- Preluders
- 22-20s
- Acceptance
- Arab Strap
- Audio Adrenaline
- Cave In (hiatus)
- Centinex
- Clor
- Cold
- The Corrs (hiatus)
- Dead Moon
- Death From Above 1979
- The Delgados
- A Dozen Furies
- Dropbox
- Eiffel 65
- Finch (hiatus)
- Frost (hiatus)
- Further Seems Forever
- Garbage (hiatus)
- Gorkys Zygotic Mynci
- Grandaddy
- Hope of the States
- JJ72
- JR Ewing
- The Juliana Theory
- Kill Your Idols
- Kind of Like Spitting
- Le Tigre (hiatus)
- The Letters Organize
- Lucky Boys Confusion (hiatus)
- Mest
- Mad Capsule Markets (hiatus)
- The Organ
- Out Hud
- Peccatum
- Pedro the Lion
- A Perfect Circle (hiatus)
- Plonker
- The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower
- Race the Sun
- Rufio
- Sleater-Kinney
- Stampin' Ground
- The Suicide Machines
- TRUSTcompany
- T.S.O.L.
- System of a Down (hiatus)
- Test Icicles
- Vendetta Red
- Weezer (hiatus)[1]
Bands reformed
- The Afghan Whigs
- All Saints
- Believer
- Blind Melon
- Deliverance
- Five
- Gorilla Biscuits
- Immortal
- Meat Puppets
- Neighborhood Watch
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Take That
Albums released
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Albums to be released
All releases are an LP unless otherwise stated.
December
- Big by Macy Gray- (December 25)
- 21 by Omarion – (December 26)
- Rebels by RBD – (December 26)
- Oh! Gravity. by Switchfoot – (December 26)
Speculated album releases
Autumn
- Blue by Diana Ross
- Disillusionment (Remaster of Reverence for the Lost and Nekromanteia) by Fields of Aplomb
- The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf
Winter
Unknown date
Titled Albums
- Riders in the Sky Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater by Riders in the Sky
- W3: Faithful by W (Double You)
- Old Habits by Smash Mouth
- Mr. Eric West by Eric West
- Sins of the Past by Sinergy
- Boxriff by The Atomic Bitchwax *EP
- Me Myself and I by David Bowie
- God's Gift by Lil Romeo
Untitled Albums
- 98 Degrees
- Ace of Base
- Alanis Morissette
- Blackfield
- Carly Simon
- Celine Dion
- Dir en grey
- Eiffel 65
- Glue Gun
- Michelle Williams
- Roger Waters
- Rush
- Willa Ford
- Stevie Brock
Top 10 best-selling albums during the year worldwide
Based on Mediatraffic data from January 14 to November 16. Mediatraffic cumulative sales consider data only from weeks where albums stay in the Top 40, more accurate sales data is not available until the end of the year.
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | James Blunt | Back To Bedlam | 6,201,000 |
| 2. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 5.422.000 |
| 3. | Cast of High School Musical | High School Musical | 5.016.000 |
| 4. | Justin Timberlake | FutureSex / LoveSounds | 3.758.000 |
| 5. | Pussycat Dolls | PCD | 3.629.000 |
| 6. | Madonna | Confessions On A Dance Floor | 3,469,000 |
| 7. | Kelly Clarkson | Breakaway | 3,351,000 |
| 8. | Shakira | Oral Fixation Vol. 2 | 3,349,000 |
| 9. | Black Eyed Peas | Monkey Business | 3,218,000 |
| 10. | Nickelback | All The Right Reasons | 3.123.000 |
Top 10 best-selling albums released in 2006 (worldwide) during 2006
From January to October 21 Mediatraffic data plus in other data if the album came out from their top 40.
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold (+7.5% not covered by Mediatraffic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 5.422.000 (5.828.650) |
| 2. | High School Musical | High School Musical Soundtrack | 5.016.000 (5.392.200) |
| 3. | Justin Timberlake | FutureSex / LoveSounds | 3.758.000 (4.039.850) |
| 4. | Rascal Flatts | Me And My Gang | 3.342.000 (3.592.650) |
| 5. | Pink | I'm Not Dead | 3.104.000 (3.336.800) |
| 6. | Nelly Furtado | Loose | 2.987.000 (3.211.025) |
| 7. | Andrea Bocelli | Amore | 2.947.000 (3.168.025) |
| 8. | Gnarls Barkley | St. Elsewhere | 2.880.000 (3.096.000) |
| 9. | Beyonce | B'Day | 2.819.000 (3.030.425) |
| 10. | Evanescence | The Open Door | 2.772.000 (2.979.900) |
Top 10 first week selling worldwide
Mediatraffic.de data
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 1,108,000 |
| 2. | Kumi Koda | BEST ~second session~ | 983,000 |
| 3. | Justin Timberlake | FutureSex / LoveSounds | 932,000 |
| 4. | Evanescence | The Open Door | 775,000 |
| 5. | Tool | 10,000 Days | 756,000 |
| 6. | Beyonce | B'Day | 736,000 |
| 7. | Rascal Flatts | Me And My Gang | 733,000 |
| 8. | The Beatles | Love | 721,000 |
| 9. | The Killers | Sam's Town | 706,000 |
| 10. | Ayumi Hamasaki | Secret | 696,280 |
Top hits on record in the world
United States
Billboard Hot 100 #1 Hits
- "Don't Forget About Us" — Mariah Carey (1 week in 2005/1 week in 2006)
- "Laffy Taffy" — D4L (1 week)
- "Grillz" — Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali and Big Gipp (2 weeks)
- "Check on It" — Beyoncé featuring Slim Thug (5 weeks)
- "You're Beautiful" — James Blunt (1 week)
- "So Sick" — Ne-Yo (2 weeks)
- "Temperature" — Sean Paul (1 week)
- "Bad Day" — Daniel Powter (5 weeks)
- "SOS (Rescue Me)" — Rihanna (3 weeks)
- "Ridin'" — Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone (2 weeks)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean (2 weeks)
- "Do I Make You Proud" — Taylor Hicks (1 week)
- "Promiscuous" — Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland (6 weeks)
- "London Bridge" — Fergie (3 weeks)
- "SexyBack" — Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland (7 weeks)
- "Money Maker — Ludacris featuring Pharrell (2 weeks)
- "My Love" — Justin Timberlake featuring T.I. (3 weeks)
- "I Wanna Love You" — Akon featuring Snoop Dogg (2 weeks)
- "Irreplaceable" - Beyoncé (3 weeks)
See also: Hot 100 number-one hits of 2006.
Billboard Hot 100 Hits – Singles which have ranked within Top 20
- "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" — Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole (#3)
- "A Public Affair" — Jessica Simpson (#14)
- "Ain't No Other Man" — Christina Aguilera (#6)
- "Be Without You" — Mary J. Blige (#3)
- "Beep" — Pussycat Dolls featuring will.i.am (#13)
- "Before He Cheats" — Carrie Underwood (#16)
- "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" — KT Tunstall (#20)
- "Bossy" — Kelis (#16)
- "Breaking Free" — Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley and Vanessa Anne Hudgens (#4)
- "Buttons" — Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg (#3)
- "Call Me When You're Sober" — Evanescence (#10)
- "Chain Hang Low" — Jibbs (#7)
- "Chasing Cars" — Snow Patrol (#5)
- "Come To Me" — Diddy featuring Nicole Scherzinger (#9)
- "Control Myself" — LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez (#4)
- "Crazy" — Gnarls Barkley (#2)
- "Dani California" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#6)
- "Deja Vu" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Jay-Z (#4)
- "Dirty Little Secret" — The All-American Rejects (#9)
- "Do It To It" — Cherish featuring Sean Paul of The YoungBloodZ (#12)
- "Everytime We Touch" — Cascada (#10)
- "Far Away" — Nickelback (#8)
- "Fergalicious" — Fergie (#3)
- "Get Up" — Ciara featuring Chamillionaire (#7)
- "Gimme That" — Chris Brown featuring Lil' Wayne (#15)
- "How To Save A Life" — The Fray (#3)
- "Hurt" - Christina Aguilera (#19)
- "I Know You See It" — Yung Joc (#17)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" — Panic! At the Disco (#7)
- "It Ends Tonight" — The All-American Rejects (#11)
- "It's Goin' Down" — Yung Joc (#3)
- "Jesus, Take The Wheel" — Carrie Underwood (#20)
- "Keep Holding On" — Avril Lavigne (#17)
- "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" — Dem Franchize Boyz (#7)
- "Let U Go" — Ashley Parker Angel (#12)
- "Life Is A Highway" — Rascal Flatts (#7)
- "Lips of an Angel" — Hinder (#3)
- "Love" — Keyshia Cole (#19)
- "Maneater" — Nelly Furtado (#16)
- "Me & U" — Cassie (#3)
- "Move Along" — The All-American Rejects (#15)
- "Ms. New Booty" — Bubba Sparxxx featuring Ying Yang Twins & Mr. ColliPark (#7)
- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" — The Fray (#8)
- "Promise" - Ciara (#11)
- "Pullin' Me Back" — Chingy featuring Tyrese (#9)
- "Pump It" — Black Eyed Peas (#18)
- "Ring The Alarm" — Beyoncé Knowles (#11)
- "Say Goodbye" — Chris Brown (#10)
- "Say It Right" — Nelly Furtado (#6)
- "Savin' Me" — Nickelback (#19)
- "Sexy Love" — Ne-Yo (#7)
- "Shake That" — Eminem featuring Nate Dogg (#6)
- "Shortie Like Mine" — Bow Wow featuring Chris Brown and Johnta Austin (#9)
- "Shoulder Lean" — Young Dro featuring T.I. (#10)
- "Show Me What You Got" — Jay-Z (#8)
- "Show Stopper" — Danity Kane (#8)
- "Smack That" — Akon featuring Eminem (#2)
- "Snap Yo Fingers" — Lil Jon featuring E-40 and Sean Paul of The YoungBloodZ (#7)
- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — Katharine McPhee (#12)
- "So What" — Field Mob featuring Ciara (#10)
- "Stars Are Blind" — Paris Hilton (#18)
- "Stupid Girls" — P!nk (#13)
- "That's That" - Snoop Dogg featuring R. Kelly (#20)
- "Too Little, Too Late" — JoJo (#3)
- "Touch It" — Busta Rhymes (#13)
- "U and Dat" — E-40 featuring T-Pain and Kandi Girl (#13)
- "Unfaithful" — Rihanna (#6)
- "Unpredictable" — Jamie Foxx (#8)
- "Unwritten" — Natasha Bedingfield (#5)
- "Waiting On the World to Change" — John Mayer (#20)
- "Walk Away" — Kelly Clarkson (#12)
- "Walk It Out" — Unk (#14)
- "Welcome to the Black Parade" – My Chemical Romance (#13)
- "What Hurts The Most" — Rascal Flatts (#6)
- "What You Know" — T.I. (#3)
- "What's Left of Me" — Nick Lachey (#6)
- "Where'd You Go" — Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook (#4)
- "When You're Mad" — Ne-Yo (#15)
- "When You Were Young" — The Killers (#14)
- "When I'm Gone" — Eminem (#8)
- "White & Nerdy" — "Weird Al" Yankovic (#9)
- "Wind It Up - Gwen Stefani (#6)
- "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" — Chris Brown (#7)
- "You Don't Know" - Eminem featuring 50 Cent, Ca$his, and Lloyd Banks (#12)
United Kingdom
The Official UK #1 Singles
- "When the Sun Goes Down" — Arctic Monkeys (1 week)
- "Nasty Girl" — The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge and Avery Storm (2 weeks)
- "Thunder In My Heart Again" — Meck and Leo Sayer (2 weeks)
- "Sorry" — Madonna (1 week)
- "It's Chico Time" — Chico (2 weeks)
- "No Tomorrow" — Orson (1 week)
- "So Sick" — Ne-Yo (1 week)
- "Crazy" — Gnarls Barkley (9 weeks)
- "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" — Sandi Thom (1 week)
- "Maneater" — Nelly Furtado (3 weeks)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean (1 week)
- "Smile" — Lily Allen (2 weeks)
- "Please, Please / Don't Stop Me Now" — McFly (1 week)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean (4 weeks, 5 weeks in total)
- "Deja Vu" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Jay-Z (1 week)
- "SexyBack" — Justin Timberlake (1 week)
- "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" — Scissor Sisters (4 weeks)
- "America" — Razorlight (1 week)
- "Welcome To The Black Parade" – My Chemical Romance (2 weeks)
- "Star Girl" – McFly (1 week)
- "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" – Fedde Le Grand (1 week)
- "The Rose" - Westlife (1 week)
- "Smack That" - Akon (Featuring Eminem) (1 week)
- "Patience" - Take That (3 weeks)
See also: List of number-one hits of 2006 (UK)
The Official UK Hit Singles – Singles which have ranked within Top 20
- "Ain't No Other Man" — Christina Aguilera (#2)
- "All Good Things (Come to an End)" — Nelly Furtado (#4)
- "All Time Love" — Will Young (#3)
- "Beep" — Pussycat Dolls featuring Will.I.Am (#2)
- "Better Do Better" — HARD-Fi (#14)
- "Bones" — The Killers (#15)
- "Boys Will Be Boys" — The Ordinary Boys (#3)
- "Buttons" — Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg (#3)
- "Call Me When You're Sober" – Evanescence (#4)
- "Call on Me" – Janet Jackson and Nelly (#18)
- "Chasing Cars" — Snow Patrol (#6)
- "Check on It" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Slim Thug (#3)
- "Control Myself" — LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez (#2)
- "Come To Me" — Diddy featuring Nicole Scherzinger (#3)
- "Country Girl" — Primal Scream (#5)
- "Crystal Ball" – Keane (#20)
- "Dani California" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#2)
- "Don't Bother" — Shakira (#9)
- "Downtown" — Emma Bunton (#3)
- "Everytime We Touch" — Cascada (#2)
- "Faster Kill Pussycat" — Oakenfold featuring Brittany Murphy (#7)
- "Fill My Little World" — The Feeling (#10)
- "From Paris to Berlin" — Infernal (#2)
- "Get Together" — Madonna (#7)
- "Gold Lion" — Yeah Yeah Yeahs (#18)
- "Irreplaceable" — Beyoncé Knowles (#4)
- "Is It Any Wonder?" — Keane (#3)
- "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" — Meat Loaf featuring Marion Raven (#6)
- "Jump In My Car" — David Hasselhoff (#3)
- "Knights Of Cydonia" — Muse (#10)
- "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" — David Guetta vs. The Egg (#3)
- "Moodswings" — Charlotte Church (#14)
- "Nature's Law" — Embrace (#2)
- "Nine2Five" — The Ordinary Boys vs. Lady Sovereign (#6)
- "No Promises" — Shayne Ward (#2)
- "Nothing In My Way" – Keane (#19)
- "One" — Mary J. Blige featuring U2 (#2)
- "Promiscuous" — Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland (#3)
- "Pump It" — The Black Eyed Peas (#3)
- "Put Your Records On" — Corinne Bailey Rae (#2)
- "Run It!" — Chris Brown (#2)
- "Red Dress" — Sugababes (#4)
- "Ridin'" — Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone (#2)
- "Rooftops" — Lostprophets (#8)
- "Rudebox" — Robbie Williams (#4)
- "She Moves In Her Own Way" — The Kooks (#8)
- "Snow ((Hey Oh))" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#16)
- "Somebody's Watching Me" — Beatfreakz (#3)
- "Something Kinda Ooooh" — Girls Aloud (#3)
- "SOS (Rescue Me)" — Rihanna (#2)
- "Stars Are Blind" — Paris Hilton (#5)
- "Nobody Knows" — P!nk (#4)
- "Talk" — Coldplay (#10) (released in 2005)
- "Teenage Life" — Daz Sampson (#8)
- "Temperature" — Sean Paul (#11)
- "The Fallen / L. Wells" — Franz Ferdinand (#14)
- "The Saints Are Coming" – U2 and Green Day (#6)
- "Touch The Sky" — Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco (#6)
- "U + Ur Hand" — P!nk (#10)
- "Unfaithful" – Rihanna (#2)
- "Voodoo Child" — Rogue Traders (#3)
- "Welcome To Wherever You Are" — Bon Jovi (#19)
- "We Ride" — Rihanna (#17)
- "When You Wasn't Famous" — The Streets (#8)
- "When I'm Gone" — Eminem (#4)
- "Who Knew" — P!nk (#5)
- "Who Says You Can't Go Home" — Bon Jovi (#5)
- "Whole Lotta History" — Girls Aloud (#6)
- "Wind It Up" — Gwen Stefani (#3)
- "Wonderful World" — James Morrison (#8)
- "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" — Chris Brown (#13)
- "You Give Me Something" — James Morrison (#5)
- "You Have Killed Me" — Morrissey (#3)
- "You Only Live Once" — The Strokes (#14)
- "You're All I Have" — Snow Patrol (#7)
Australia
Australian ARIA #1 Singles
- "Wasabi/Eye of the Tiger" — Lee Harding (3 weeks)
- "Run It!" — Chris Brown (3 weeks)
- "When I'm Gone" — Eminem (1 week)
- "Love Generation" — Bob Sinclair (2 weeks)
- "Flaunt It" — TV Rock (5 weeks)
- "Forever Young" — Youth Group (2 weeks)
- "SOS (Rescue Me)" — Rihanna (8 weeks)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean (9 weeks)
- "SexyBack" — Justin Timberlake (2 weeks)
- "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with Flowers in My Hair)" — Sandi Thom (10 weeks)
- "The Saints Are Coming" – U2 featuring Green Day (1 week)
- "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" – Scissor Sisters (2 weeks)
- "Night Of My Life" – Damien Leith (3 weeks)
See also: List of number-one singles in Australia of 2006
Australian ARIA Hit Singles – Singles which have ranked within Top 20
- "Ain't No Other Man" — Christina Aguilera (#6)
- "Beep" — The Pussycat Dolls featuring will.i.am (#3)
- "Black Fingernails, Red Wine" — Eskimo Joe (#6)
- "Buttons" – The Pussycat Dolls (#2)
- "Deja Vu" – Beyoncé Knowles featuring Jay-Z (#12)
- "Dani California" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#8)
- "Faded" — Kate DeAraugo (#8)
- "Goodbye My Lover" — James Blunt (#3)
- "Grillz" — Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp (#11)
- "L.O.V.E." — Ashlee Simpson (#5)
- "Maneater" — Nelly Furtado (#4)
- "Miss Murder" — AFI (#20)
- "Mistake" — Stephanie McIntosh (#3)
- "Nasty Girl" — The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge & Avery Storm (#15)
- "Nothing at All" — Kasey Chambers (#9)
- "Now I Run" — Shannon Noll (#6)
- "Promiscuous" — Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland (#2)
- "Pump It" — Black Eyed Peas (#6)
- "Savin' Me" — Nickelback (#18)
- "Sexy Love" — Ne-Yo (#14)
- "So Sick" — Ne-Yo (#4)
- "So Under Pressure" — Dannii Minogue (#16)
- "Sorry" — Madonna (#4)
- "Stupid Girls" — P!nk (#4)
- "Temperature" — Sean Paul (#5)
- "This Time I Know It's for Real" — Young Divas (#2)
- "Touch The Sky" — Kanye West (#10)
- "Together We Are One — Delta Goodrem (#2)
- "U + Ur Hand – Pink (#6)
- "Unfaithful – Rihanna (#2)
- "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" — Crazy Frog (#13)
- "What's Left of Me" — Nick Lachey (#8)
- "When It All Falls Apart" — The Veronicas (#7)
- "Who Knew" – P!nk (#2)
- "Wisemen" — James Blunt (#11)
- "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" — Chris Brown (#10)
- "You Raise Me Up" — Westlife (#3)
- "Bossy" — Kelis (#18)
Classical music
- Steve Reich — Daniel Variations
- Derek Bourgrous – "Symphony No. 32"
Opera
- Robert Xavier Rodriguez — La Curandera; libretto by Mary Medrick (première by Opera Colorado on May)
- Stephen Hartke – The Greater Good, or the Passion of Boule de Suif
- Ernst Mahle – O Garatuja, libretto by Eugênio Leandro, based on the homonymous novel by José de Alencar, premiered at the Teatro Municipal de Piracicaba "Dr Losso Netto", Brazil, on April 27
- Ronaldo Miranda – A Tempestade, libretto by the composer, based on Shakespeare's play The Tempest, premiered at Theatro São Pedro in São Paulo, Brazil on September 22
- Jorge Antunes – Olga, libretto by Gerson Valle, based on the life of Olga Benario, premiered at Theatro Municipal in São Paulo, Brazil on October 14
Musical theater
- Class of 77, an original Australian musical written by David Hines based on the music from the 70's premiered in March 2006 with Rockdale Musical Society, Sydney Australia.
- Edit:Undo premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on August 7 as the first full length by-students for-students musical about high school.
- Mary Poppins Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16
- The Phantom of the Opera officially became the longest Broadway running musical ever on 2006-01-09, at 7486 performances surpassing the previous record holder, Cats, also written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- The Wedding Singer Broadway production opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 27 and ran for 284 performances
Musical film
- High School Musical, a Disney Channel Original Movie watched by 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast on January 20.
- Neil Young: Heart of Gold, a film directed by Jonathan Demme, released on February 10.
- Bolletjes Blues, a Dutch film starring Negativ, released on March 23.
- Hannah Montana, a Disney Channel original series about a rock star, premiered on March 23.
- Take the Lead, a film starring Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard, released on April 7.
- The Cheetah Girls 2, a Disney Channel Original Movie watched by 7.8 million viewers in its premiere broadcast on August 25.
- Happy Feet, a film with the voices of Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy, Robin Williams and Anthony LaPaglia, it will be released in November 17.
Births
- May 14 — Bluebell Madonna Halliwell, daughter of Geri Halliwell and Sacha Gervasi.
- May 26 — Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, son of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.
- September 12 — Jayden James Federline, son of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline.
Deaths
- January 1 — Bryan Harvey, American singer-guitarist of House of Freaks, 46
- January 6
- Lou Rawls, American soul singer, 72
- Alex St. Claire, American drummer of Captain Beefheart, 64
- January 11 — Markus Löffel, German disc jockey, 39
- January 19 — Wilson Pickett, American singer, 64
- January 27 — Gene McFadden, American singer-songwriter and producer, 56
- January 30 — Thomas "Pig Champion" Roberts, American guitarist of Poison Idea, 47
- February 2 — Bill Cowsill, American singer-gutarist of The Cowsills, 52
- February 3 — Romano Mussolini, Italian jazz pianist, 78
- February 10 — Jay Dee, American hip hop producer, 32
- February 15 — Anna Marly, French singer-songwriter, 88
- February 22 — Anthony Burger, American gospel music pianist, 44
- March 7 — Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer and guitarist, 66
- March 10 — Anna Moffo, American operatic soprano, 75
- March 13 — Geoffrey Wilkes, bassist of The Orange Jam Conspiracy, 18
- March 23
- Pío Leyva, Cuban singer of the Buena Vista Social Club, 88
- Cindy Walker, American country singer-songwriter, 87
- March 25
- Buck Owens, American country singer and guitarist, 76
- Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress, 62
- March 27 — Pete Wells, 48, guitarist of Buffalo & Rose Tattoo
- April 5 — Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter, 65
- April 11
- June Pointer, American singer of Pointer Sisters, 52
- Proof (DeShaun Holton), American rapper of D12, 32
- April 24
- Erik Bergman, Finnish composer of classical music, 94
- Bonnie Owens, American country singer, 76
- April 28 — Ben-Zion Orgad, Israeli composer, 80
- May 1 — Big Hawk, American rapper, 36
- May 5 — Naushad, Indian composer, 86
- May 6 — Grant McLennan, Australian guitarist and songwriter of The Go Betweens, 48
- May 10
- Soraya, Colombian-American singer, 37
- John Hicks, American jazz pianist, 65
- May 13 — Johnnie Wilder, American singer of Heatwave, 56
- May 15 — Cheikha Rimitti, Algerian singer, 83
- May 18 — Andy Capps, American drummer of Built to Spill, 37
- May 19 — Freddie Garrity, English singer of Freddie and the Dreamers, 69
- May 23 — Ian Copeland, American music promoter, 57
- May 25 — Desmond Dekker, Jamaican ska and reggae performer, 64
- June 1 — Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress, 62
- June 2
- Johnny Grande, American keyboardist of Bill Haley & His Comets, 76
- Vince Welnick, American keyboardist of Grateful Dead, 55
- June 6
- Billy Preston, American soul keyboardist, 59
- Hilton Ruiz, Puerto Rican-American jazz pianist, 54
- June 12 — György Ligeti, Hungarian composer, 83
- June 20 — Claydes Charles Smith, American guitarist of Kool and the Gang, 57.
- June 27 — Eileen Barton, American singer, 76
- July 3
- Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, American mezzo-soprano, 52
- Jack Smith, American singer, 92
- July 7
- Syd Barrett, English singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding-member of Pink Floyd, 60
- Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, Irish singer and guitarist of The Bothy Band, 54
- July 8 — June Allyson, American actress, singer and dancer, 88
- July 9 — Milan Williams, American keyboardist of The Commodores, 58
- July 13 — Ade Monsbourgh, Australian jazz musician, 89
- July 16 — Malachi Thompson, American jazz trumpeter, 56
- July 22 — Jessie Mae Hemphill, American singer-songwriter, 82
- July 31 — Rufus Harley, American jazz bagpiper, 70
- August 2 — Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, German operatic soprano, 90
- August 3 — Arthur Lee, American guitarist and vocalist of Love, 61
- August 4 – Monroe Clark, English-born Violinist, 70
- August 16 — Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish singer of Dissection, 31
- August 19 — Joseph Hill, Jamaican lead singer of roots reggae group Culture, 57
- August 22 — Bruce Gary, American drummer of The Knack, 55
- August 23 — Maynard Ferguson, Canadian jazz trumpet player, 78
- August 24 — John Weinzweig, Canadian composer of classical music, 93
- August 27 — Jesse Pintado, Mexican-American guitarist for Napalm Death, 37
- August 28 - Pip Pyle, English drummer forHatfield and the North, National Health, and Gong, 56
- September 3 — Eva Knardahl, Norwegian classical pianist, 79
- September 4 — Astrid Varnay, Swedish operatic soprano, 88
- September 10 — Bennie Smith, American blues musician, 72
- September 13 — Lou Richards, American guitarist of Hatebreed, 35
- September 14 — Norman Brooks, Canadian singer, 78
- September 19 — Danny Flores, Mexican-American saxaphonist of The Champs, 77
- September 20 — Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor, 74
- September 21 — Boz Burrell, English bass guitarist of Bad Company and King Crimson, 60
- September 23 — Malcolm Arnold, English composer, 84
- September 30 — Isabel Bigley, American singer and actress, 78
- October 14 — Freddy Fender, American singer, 69
- October 18 — Anna Russell, UK singer and comedienne, 94
- October 21 — Sandy West, American drummer of The Runaways, 47
- October 23
- Lebo Mathosa, singer, 29 (car accident)
- Leonid Hambro, pianist, 86
- October 26 — Rogério Duprat, composer, 74
- November 1
- Jason DiEmilio, guitarist (The Azusa Plane), 36
- Buddy Killen, record producer and founder of Dial Records, 73
- Silvio Varviso, conductor, 82
- November 3 – Paul Mauriat, orchestra leader, 81
- November 8 – Basil Poledouris, film composer, 61
- November 10 – Gerald Levert, singer, 40
- November 17 - Ruth Brown, US singer, 78
- November 22 - John Allan Cameron, folk musician, 67
- November 23
- Betty Comden, lyricist partner of Adolph Green, 89
- Anita O'Day, jazz singer, 87
- November 24 - Juice Leskinen, Finnish singer-songwriter, 56
- November 25 - Valentín Elizalde, Mexican banda singer, 27
- November 30 - Shirley Walker, film composer, 61
- December 2 - Mariska Veres, singer with Shocking Blue, 59
- December 8 - Martha Tilton, US big band singer, 91
- December 9 - Georgia Gibbs, US singer, 87
- December 11 - Homer Ledford, bluegrass musician, 79
- December 13 - Robert Long, singer and TV presenter, 63
- December 14 - Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records, 83
- December 16 - Pnina Salzman, pianist, 84
- December 18
- Scott Mateer, US songwriter and disk jockey, 46
- Daniel Pinkham, American composer, 83
- December 22 - Dennis Linde,Songwriter "Burnin' Love", "John Deere Green" and others
- December 25 - James Brown, American singer, 73
Awards and contests
- ARIA Music Awards of 2006
- Grammy Awards of 2006
- Country Music Association Awards
- Eurovision Song Contest 2006
- Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006
- 2006 Brit Awards
- 2006 NME Awards
- 2006 World Music Awards
- 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
- Nationwide Mercury Prize 2006
- MTV Australia Video Music Awards
- MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
External charts
- Top 50 Albums For 2006 - Subculture Magazine UK
- 2006 @ Pop culture madness
- Revolution 91.7's Top 30 Songs of 2006
- mxdwn.com's User-Submitted AOTY/SOTY 2006