2006 in music
| 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 performance since 1996.
- February 1 - Vienna State Opera announced Seiji Ozawa, a Conductor concurrently works as a Music Director of the Opera, has had to cancel all his performance commitments for 2006 due to health reasons.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 2 - Tool releases 10,000 Days their 4th studio album. It is their follow-up to 2001's Lateralus.
- May 2 - Pearl Jam releases Pearl Jam.
- May 9 - Red Hot Chili Peppers release Stadium Arcadium, their 9th studio album. It is a double album. #1 in 26 countries
- May 11 - Dave Baksh announces that he left Sum 41 to pursue his career with his second band Brown Brigade.
- May 13 - The Los Angeles, California radio station KROQ airs the fourteenth annual Weenie Roast.
- May 13 - 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. Ticket sales 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 is expected to gross $200 million - the biggest tour in the history by a female artist according to Billboard magazine.
- May 23 - 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. [2]
- 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 12 - Keane release their second studio album Under the Iron Sea, which sold in its first week 222,297 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 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 it's 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 15 - Third studio album by grammy-winning pop diva Christina Aguilera to be released as a double-album.
- August 21 - The UK sees the release of Slayer's tenth studio album Christ Illusion
- August 22 - Fourth studio album by well-known singer Kelis to be released.
- August 28 - Sees the release of new albums by the Godfathers of British metal: Iron Maiden with A Matter Of Life And Death and Motörhead with Kiss Of Death.
- September 5 - Second solo album by nine time Grammy winner Beyoncé, B'Day to be released, also Audioslave's third album Revelations released.
- September 19 - Second mainstream album by Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways to be released.
- September 25 - sixth album by legendary Enigma (musical project) named A Posteriori (album) to be released worldwide (it will be released on Sep 22 in Germany).
- September 28 - Kasabian release their sophomore album, Empire
- October 3 - Evanescence's sophomore album The Open Door to be released along with Jet's and The Killers's sophomore albums. Beck also releases The Information this day.
Bands disbanded
- Audio Adrenaline
- Centinex
- Clor
- Cold (hiatus)
- Death From Above 1979
- A Dozen Furies
- Dropbox
- Finch (hiatus)
- Further Seems Forever
- Grandaddy
- Hope Of The States
- JJ72
- JR Ewing
- The Juliana Theory
- Mest
- Nickle Creek (hiatus)
- Out Hud
- Peccatum
- Pedro the Lion
- A Perfect Circle (hiatus)
- Plonker
- Rufio
- Sleater-Kinney (hiatus)
- The Suicide Machines
- System of a Down (hiatus)
- Test Icicles
- Transplants
- Vendetta Red
- Weezer (hiatus) [1]
Albums released
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Albums to be released
All releases are an LP unless otherwise stated.
September
- Revelations by Audioslave - (September 5)
- Summer Girl by Smash Mouth - (September 5)
- B'Day by Beyoncé - (September 5)
- A Twist in the Myth by Blind Guardian - (September 5)
- A Shared History Of Tragedy by The Black Maria - (September 5)
- Subliminal Genocide by Xasthur - (September 11)
- Face the Promise by Bob Seger - (September 12)
- Welcome to the Drama Club by Everclear - (September 12)
- The Captain and the Kid by Elton John - (September 12)
- Continuum by John Mayer - (September 12)
- Coming Home by Lionel Richie - (September 12)
- The Paramour Sessions by Papa Roach - (September 12)
- FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake - (September 12)
- Blood Mountain by Mastodon - (September 12)
- Barenaked Ladies Are Me by The Barenaked Ladies - (September 12)
- Magic Potion by The Black Keys - (September 12)
- Pieces of the People We Love by The Rapture - (September 12)
- And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 by R.E.M - (September 12)
- IV by Veruca Salt - (September 12)
- Mario Vasquez (album) by Mario Vasquez - (September 12)
- So So Gangsta by Daz Dillinger - (September 12)
- Joe Who? Joe Thomas by Joe - (September 12)
- Ta-Dah by Scissor Sisters - (September 18)
- The Always Open Mouth by Fear Before the March of Flames - (September 19)
- Right Where You Want Me by Jesse McCartney - (September 19)
- Hood Star by Chingy - (September 19)
- Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor by Lupe Fiasco - (September 19)
- Shot to Hell by Black Label Society - (September 19)
- Up From the Catacombs - The Best of Jane's Addiction by Janes Addiction - (September 19)
- The Tempest by Insane Clown Posse - (September 19)
- The Dutchess by Fergie - (September 19)
- Platinum Weird - (September 19)
- A Thousand Different Ways by Clay Aiken - (September 19)
- Savior Sorrow by Mushroomhead - (September 19)
- Coming Home by New Found Glory - (September 19)
- Tru3 Magic by Mos Def - (September 19)
- Thug Stories by Bone Thugs N Harmony - (September 19)
- The Freedom Spark by Larrikin Love - (September 25)
- Acoustic Hearts of Winter by Aly & AJ - (September 26)
- Saosin by Saosin - (September 26)
- 20 Y.O. by Janet Jackson - (September 26)
- Last Man Standing by Jerry Lee Lewis - (September 26)
- Ecce Cor Meum by Paul McCartney - (September 26)
- Friendly Fire'' by Sean Lennon - (September 26)
- Straight Outta Lynwood by "Weird Al" Yankovic - (September 26)
- Undiscovered by Brooke Hogan - (September 26)
- Release Therapy by Ludacris - (September 26)
- The Ambition by D12 - (September 26)
- V by Vanessa Hudgens - (September 26)
October
- How to Destroy a Relationship by The Servant (band) - (October 2)
- Untitled by Aliana Lohan - (October 2)
- Public Warning by Lady Sovereign - (October 2)
- 1974 (album) by Robbie Williams - (October 2)
- Tweedles by The Residents - (October 2)
- Suck Out the Poison by He Is Legend - October 3
- The Return by Ruben Studdard - (October 3)
- 21 by Omarion - (October 3)
- The Information by Beck - (October 3)
- The Makings of Me by Monica - (October 3)
- Sam's Town by The Killers - (October 3)
- Supply and Demand by Amos Lee - (October 3)
- The Open Door by Evanescence - (October 3)
- Shine On by Jet - (October 3)
- Better Than Knowing Where You Are by Spitalfield - (October 3)
- The Crane Wife by The Decemberists - (October 3)
- Book of Thugs: Part II by Trick Daddy - (October 3)
- Red Gone Wild by Redman - (October 3)
- Devil's Got a New Disguise by Aerosmith - (October 10)
- Rotten Apple by Lloyd Banks - (October 10)
- The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 by Young Jeezy - (October 10)
- ...And the Battle Begun by Rx Bandits - (October 10)
- Absolutely by Sister Hazel - (October 10)
- While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets by Cobra Starship - (October 10)
- Still Searching by Senses Fail - (October 10)
- Arriving Alive by DESA - (October 10)
- Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time by Rod Stewart - (October 10)
- Young Machetes by The Blood Brothers - (October 10)
- Greatest Hits by Unwritten Law - (October 10)
- Press Play by Diddy - (October 17)
- Untitled by Fantasia Barrino - (October 17)
- FORWARD> by Ayla Brown - (October 17)
- El Mariel by Pitbull - (October 17)
- The High Road by JoJo - (October 17)
- The Best Of What's Around by Dave Matthews Band - (October 17)
- Full Circle by Xzibit - (October 17)
- Time Is Money by Styles P - (October 17)
- Antikörper by Eisbrecher - (October 20)
- Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005) by Bright Eyes (October 24)
- Vultures by Smile Empty Soul - (October 24)
- Liberation by Mya - (October 24)
- The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance - (October 24)
- Songs from the Labyrinth by Sting - (October 24)
- Once Again by John Legend– (October 24)
- Untitled by Savage Garden - (October 27)
- Big by Macy Gray - (October 27)
- Secret Society by Europe - (October 27)
- Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse - (October 31)
- The Price of Fame by Bow Wow– (October 31)
- The Greatest Songs of the Sixties by Barry Manilow - (October 31)
- Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose by Meat Loaf - (October 31)
- Saturday Night Wrist by Deftones - (October 31)
- Back To Tulsa - Live and Loud at Cain's Ballroom by Cross Canadian Ragweed - (October 31)
- The Great Burrito Extortion Case by Bowling For Soup - (October 31)
- Revolutions Per Minute by Skid Row - (October 31)
- Get Money, Stay True by Paul Wall - (October 31)
- Endless Wire by The Who - October 31
- Crunk Rock by Lil Jon - (October 31)
- Vices by Dead Poetic - (October 31)
November
- The Doctor's Advocate by The Game - (November 7)
- Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses - (November 13, Rumoured Date)
- Matt Willis by Matt Willis - (November 13)
- Greatest Hits by Staind - (November 14)
- Liberation by Mýa - (November 14)
- When Your Heart Stops Beating by (+44) - (November 14)
- The Evolution by Ciara - (November 14)
- The Tears Of Medusa by Maroon 5 - (November 14)
- Untitled by Katharine McPhee - (November 14)
- Untitled by Taylor Hicks - (November 14)
- Untitled by Kellie Pickler - (November 14)
- Veteran by Marques Houston - (November 14)
- Buck The World by Young Buck - (November 14)
- Me Myself & I by Fat Joe - (November 14)
- Stop the Clocks by Oasis - (November 20)
- The Blue Carpet Treatment by Snoop Dogg - (November 21)
- As Daylight Dies by Killswitch Engage - (November 21)
- Untitled by Relient K - (November 21)
- Como Ama Una Mujer by Jennifer Lopez - (November 21)
- Hilary Duff's fourth studio album by Hilary Duff - (November 21)
- Untitled by Chris Daughtry - (November 21)
- Second Round by Teairra Mari - (November 21)
- The American Dream by Mike Jones - (November 21)
- Untitled by 2gether - (November 25)
- Curious by Chrishan - (November 25)
- Light Grenades by Incubus - (November 28)
- Fallout by Revolution - (November 28)
December
- Untitled by Brandy - (December 1)
- The Long Road To Eden by The Eagles - (December 3)
- Thugged by Cory P - (December 3)
- Untitled by Cher - (December 3)
- Baddest B*tch II by Trina - (December 3)
- We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse - (December 19)
- Konvicted by Akon - (December 19)
- Oh! Gravity by Switchfoot - (December 26)
- Untitled by TobyMac - (December 26, Rumored Date)
Speculated album releases
Autumn
- Absolute Garbage by Garbage
- Blue by Diana Ross
- Altar by Sunn O)))/Boris
- Disillusionment (Remaster of Reverence for the Lost and Nekromanteia) by Fields of Aplomb
- Untitled by Thirteen Senses
- Trip The Light Fantastic by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
- Hannah Montana by Soundtrack
- Mr. Tumnus by Lifehouse (band)
- Untitled by Anna Nalick
- The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf
- Adrenaline Rush 2010 by Twista
Winter
- Born To Try by Delta Goodrem
- Untitled by Skindred
- Untitled by The Bravery
- Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne
- The Nacirema Dream by Papoose
Unknown date
Titled Albums
- The Bone Thugs Story by Bone Thugs N Harmony
- No Regrets by Mario (singer)
- Hip-Hop Is Dead by Nas
- The Black Album 2 by Jay-Z
- Love & Pain by Eamon
- Cheri Dennis by Cheri Dennis
- W3: Faithful by W (Double You)
- Album Number 5 by Silverchair
- Old Habits by Smash Mouth
- Origin Vol. 2 by Soundtrack Of Our Lives
- Half|Life by Eric West
- Black Aria II by Danzig
- All Y'all by Travis Morrison and the Hellfighters
- Sins of the Past by Sinergy
- Welcome to the Drama Club by Everclear
- The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2) by Limp Bizkit
- Boxriff by The Atomic Bitchwax *EP
- Me Myself and I by David Bowie
- The Outsider by DJ Shadow
- Counting by Lucie Silvas
- I Am Me (Re-release) by Ashlee Simpson
- LOVE by The Beatles and George Martin
- Welcome The Night by The Ataris
- God's Gift by Lil Romeo
- Back To Business by Juelz Santana
- Officially Back by Ma$e
- The Package by Murphy Lee
- Return of the Trill by Bun B
- I Pledge Allegiance by Killer Mike
- Screw by Boyz N Da Hood
- From Nothin' To Somthin' by Fabolous
- Trey Day by Trey Songz
- Stages by Nick Cannon
- Kinfolk by Ali & Gipp
- Tears From a Soldier's Heart by Keyshia Cole
Untitled Albums
- 98 Degrees
- AC/DC
- Ace of Base
- Army of Anyone
- Blackfield
- Black Sabbath
- Blur
- Carly Simon
- Celine Dion
- Dir en Grey
- Eiffel 65
- Emma Bunton
- Fountains of Wayne
- Garbage
- Glue Gun
- The Haunted
- Halford
- Josh Hoge
- Kimberley Locke
- Lauryn Hill
- Metallica
- Michelle Williams
- Paula Cole
- Rachel Stevens
- Roger Waters
- Rush
- Simple Plan
- Sisqó
- Sixpence None the Richer
- Smashing Pumpkins
- Social Distortion (Greatest Hits album & studio album)
- Symphony X
- Whitney Houston
- Willa Ford
Top 20 best-selling albums of the year worldwide
(from January to AUG 28, 2006 Mediatraffic data [3])
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | James Blunt | Back To Bedlam | 5.756.000 |
| 2. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 4.473.000 |
| 3. | Shakira | Oral Fixation Vol. 2[4] | 3,806,000 |
| 4. | Madonna | Confessions On A Dance Floor | 3,382,000 |
| 5. | Kelly Clarkson | Breakaway | 3.262.000 |
| 6. | Soundtrack | High School Musical | 3.182.000 |
| 7. | Black Eyed Peas | Monkey Business | 3.121.000 |
| 8. | Pussycat Dolls | PCD | 2.827.000 |
| 9. | Mary J. Blige | The Breakthrough | 2,494,000 |
| 10. | Andrea Bocelli | Amore | 2,481,000 |
| 11. | Eminem | Curtain Call: The Hits | 2,420,000 |
| 12. | Nickelback | All the Right Reasons | 2.381.000 |
| 13. | Rascal Flatts | Me and My Gang | 2,379,000 |
| 14. | Dixie Chicks | Taking the Long Way | 2.313.000 |
| 15. | Jack Johnson | Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George | 2,175,000 |
| 16. | Gnarls Barkley | St. Elsewhere | 2.156.000 |
| 17. | Rihanna | A Girl Like Me | 2.086.000 |
| 18. | Il Divo | Ancora | 2,023,000 |
| 19. | Tool | 10,000 Days | 1,942,000 |
| 20. | P!nk | I'm Not Dead | 1.880.000 |
- Mediatraffic cumulative sales consider data only from weeks where albums stay in TOP 40,
more accurate sales data at the end of the year
Top 5 best-selling albums released in 2006 (worldwide)
(from January to July 15, 2006 Mediatraffic data [5])
Top 5 best-selling albums released in 2006 (worldwide)
(from January to July 15, 2006 Mediatraffic data [6])
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 4.473.000 |
| 2. | High School Musical | High School Musical Soundtrack | 3.182.000 |
| 3. | Andrea Bocelli | Amore | 2,481,000 |
| 4. | Rascal Flatts | Me And My Gang | 2,379,000 |
| 5. | Dixie Chicks | Taking the Long Way | 2.313.000 |
Top 10 Rock Albums(released in 2006) Sales
Mediatraffic Data + other sales data when the albums gone out from top 40
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium 4.473.000
- Jack Johnson - Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies For 'Curious George' 2.340.000
- Tool - 10,000 Days 2.097.000
- Arctic Monkeys - Whatever The People Say I Am... 1.841.000
- Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome 1.534.000
- Keane - Under The Iron Sea 1.501.000
- Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out 1.495.000
- Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam 1.375.000
- David Gilmour - On An Island 1.187.000
- Snow Patrol - Eyes Open 1.124.000
Top 10 first week selling worldwide
| # | Artist | Album | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Stadium Arcadium | 1,108,000 |
| 2. | Kumi Koda | Best (Second Session) | 983,000 |
| 3. | Tool | 10,000 Days | 756,000 |
| 4. | Rascal Flatts | Me And My Gang | 733,000 |
| 5. | Ayumi Hamasaki | (miss)understood | 654,000 |
| 6. | Christina Aguilera | Back To Basics | 615,000 |
| 7. | Dixie Chicks | Taking the Long Way | 583,000 |
| 8. | KAT-TUN | Best of KAT-TUN | 557,000 |
| 9. | T.I. | King (Rap/R&B) | 526,000 |
| 10. | Hikaru Utada | Ultra Blue | 500,000 |
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 Knowles 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 (1 week)
See also: Hot 100 number-one hits of 2006.
Billboard Hot 100 Hits - Singles which have ranked within Top 20
- "360 - Josh Hoge
- "A Public Affair" — Jessica Simpson (#14)
- "Ain't No Other Man" — Christina Aguilera (#6)
- "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" — KT Tunstall (#20)
- "Beep" — Pussycat Dolls featuring will.i.am (#13)
- "Be Without You" — Mary J. Blige (#3)
- "Bossy" — Kelis (#16)
- "Breaking Free" — Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley and Vanessa Anne Hudgens (#4)
- "Buttons" — Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg (#4)
- "Call Me When You're Sober" — Evanescence (#10)
- "Control Myself" — LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez (#4)
- "Crazy" — Gnarls Barkley (#2)
- "Dani California" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#6)
- "Déjà Vu" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Jay-Z (#4)
- "Do It To It" — Cherish (#12)
- "Everytime We Touch" — Cascada (#10)
- "Far Away" - Nickelback (#11)
- "Gimme That" — Chris Brown featuring Lil' Wayne (#15)
- "Give It Up To Me" — Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole (#3)
- "I Call It Love" - Lionel Richie
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" — Panic! At the Disco (#7)
- "It's Goin' Down" — Yung Joc (#3)
- "Jesus, Take The Wheel" — Carrie Underwood (#20)
- "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" — Dem Franchize Boyz (#7)
- "Let U Go" — Ashley Parker Angel (#12)
- "Life Is A Highway" — Rascal Flatts (#7)
- "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)
- "Pullin' Me Back" — Chingy featuring Tyrese (#16)
- "Pump It" — Black Eyed Peas (#18)
- "Savin' Me" — Nickelback (#19)
- "Sexy Love" — Ne-Yo (#9)
- "Shake That" — Eminem (#6)
- "Shoulder Lean" — Young Dro featuring T.I. (#10)
- "Show Stopper" - Danity Kane (#8)
- "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)
- "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)
- "Walk Away" — Kelly Clarkson (#12)
- "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 I'm Gone" — Eminem (#8)
- "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" — Chris Brown (#7)
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 & Avery Storm (2 weeks)
- "Thunder In My Heart Again" — Meck and Leo Sayer (2 weeks)
- "Sorry" — Madonna (1 week)
- "It's Chico Time" — Chico Slimani (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" — McFly (1 week)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean (4 weeks)
- "Déjà Vu" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Jay-Z (1 week)
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 Time Love" — Will Young (#3)
- "Beep" — Pussycat Dolls featuring will.i.am (#2)
- "Better Do Better" — Hard-Fi (#14)
- "Boys Will Be Boys" — The Ordinary Boys (#3)
- "Buttons" — Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg (#3)
- "Chasing Cars" — Snow Patrol (#7)
- "Check on It" — Beyoncé Knowles featuring Slim Thug (#3)
- "Control Myself" — LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez (#2)
- "Country Girl" — Primal Scream (#5)
- "Dani California" — Red Hot Chili Peppers (#2)
- "Don't Bother" — Shakira (#9)
- "Everytime We Touch" — Cascada (#2)
- "Faster Kill Pussycat" — Brittany Murphy featuring Paul Oakenfold (#7)
- "Fill My Little World" — The Feeling (#10)
- "From Paris to Berlin" — Infernal (#2)
- "Is It Any Wonder?" — Keane (#3)
- "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" — David Guetta featuring 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)
- "One" — Mary J. Blige featuring U2 (#2)
- "Pump It" — The Black Eyed Peas (#3)
- "Put Your Records On" — Corinne Bailey Rae (#2)
- "Run It!" — Chris Brown (#2)
- "Red Dress" — Sugababes (#4)
- "Rooftops" — LostProphets (#8)
- "She Moves In Her Own Way" — The Kooks (#8)
- "Somebody's Watching Me" — Beatfreakz (#3)
- "SOS (Rescue Me)" — Rihanna (#2)
- "Stars Are Blind" — Paris Hilton (#5)
- "Stupid Girls" — P!nk (#4)
- "Talk" — Coldplay (#10)
- "Teenage Life" — Daz Sampson (#8)
- "Temperature" — Sean Paul (#11)
- "The Fallen / L. Wells" — Franz Ferdinand (#14)
- "Touch the Sky" — Kanye West (#6)
- "Unfaithful" - Rihanna (#2)
- "Voodoo Child" — Rogue Traders (#3)
- "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)
- "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" — Rihanna (8 weeks)
- "Hips Don't Lie" — Shakira (9 weeks)
- "SexyBack" — Justin Timberlake (2 weeks)
- "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with Flowers in My Hair)" — Sandi Thom (1 week)
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)
- "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)
- "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)
- "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)
- "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)
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)
Musical theater
- The Phantom of the Opera officially became the longest Broadway running musical ever on January 9, 2006, at 7486 performances surpassing the previous record holder, Cats, also written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- 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.
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.
- 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 26—Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, son of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.
Deaths
- January 1 — Bryan Harvey, American singer-guitarist of House of Freaks, 46
- January 6
- Lou Rawls, American 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, guitarist of Poison Idea, 47
- February 2 — Bill Cowsill, singer-gutarist of The Cowsills, 52
- February 3 — Romano Mussolini, Italian jazz pianist, 78
- February 10 — Jay Dee, hip hop producer, 32
- February 15 - Anna Marly, French singer-songwriter, 88
- February 22 — Anthony Burger, American gospel music pianist, 44 (collapsed during performance)
- March 7 — Ali Farka Touré, Malian guitarist, 66
- March 10 — Anna Moffo, operatic soprano, about 75
- March 13 - Geoffrey Wilkes, bassist of The Orange Jam Conspiracy, 18
- March 23 — Pío Leyva, Cuban musician, 88
- March 23 — Cindy Walker, American country songwriter, 87
- March 25 — Buck Owens, American country music star, 76
- March 27 - Pete Wells, 48, slide guitarist for Buffalo & Rose Tattoo
- April 5 — Gene Pitney, American singer, 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, 94
- Bonnie Owens, country singer, 76
- April 28 - Ben-Zion Orgad, Israeli composer, 80
- May 1 - Big Hawk, American rapper, 36
- May 5 - Naushad, Bollywood composer, 86
- May 6 - Grant McLennan, co-frontman/guitarist/songwriter of Australian band The Go Betweens, 48
- May 10 - Soraya Colombian Latin Signer, 37
- May 10 - John Hicks, jazz pianist
- May 13 - Johnnie Wilder, lead singer of Heatwave, 56
- May 15 - Cheikha Rimitti, singer, 83
- May 19 - Freddie Garrity, lead singer of Freddie and the Dreamers, 69
- May 18 - Andy Capps, drummer of Built to Spill, 37
- May 23 - Ian Copeland, promoter, 57
- May 25 - Desmond Dekker, ska and reggae performer, 64
- June 2
- Johnny Grande, keyboardist for Bill Haley & His Comets, 76
- Vince Welnick, keyboardist for Grateful Dead, 55
- June 6
- Billy Preston, keyboardist, soul musician, 59
- Hilton Ruiz, jazz pianist, 54
- June 12 - György Ligeti, composer, 83
- June 20 - Claydes Charles Smith, lead guitarist for Kool and the Gang, 57.
- June 27 - Eileen Barton, American singer, 76
- July 3 - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano, 52
- July 3 - Jack Smith, US singer, 92
- July 7 - Syd Barrett, founding-member of Pink Floyd, 60
- July 8 - June Allyson, US actress, singer and dancer, 88
- July 9 - Milan Williams, keyboardist for the The Commodores, 58
- July 13 - Ade Monsbourgh, Australian jazz musician, 89
- July 22 - Jessie Mae Hemphill, American singer-songwriter, 82
- July 31 - Rufus Harley, American jazz bagpiper, 70
- August 2 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, operatic soprano, 90
- August 3 - Arthur Lee, guitarist and vocalist for Love, 61
- August 16 - Jon Nödtveidt, lead singer of Dissection, 31
- August 19 - Joseph Hill, Jamaican lead singer of roots reggae group Culture, 57
- August 22 - Bruce Gary, drummer for The Knack, 55
- August 23 - Maynard Ferguson, jazz trumpeter, 78
- August 24 - John Weinzweig, composer, 93
- August 27 - Jesse Pintado, guitarist for Napalm Death, 37
Awards and contests
- Grammy Awards of 2006
- Country Music Association Awards
- Eurovision Song Contest 2006
- Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006
- 2006 Brit Awards
- 2006 NME Awards
- 2006 MTV Video Music Awards