Academy Awards
Feb 27 77th Academy Awards: "Million Dollar Baby", Jamie Foxx, and Hilary Swank win
Soul Train Music Awards
Feb 28 19th Soul Train Music Awards: Ice Cube, Usher & Ciara win
Dakota
Feb 28 Stereophonics release their single "Dakota", later their first #1 UK single
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Mar 14 20th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Buddy Guy; The O'Jays; The Pretenders; Percy Sledge; U2; Frank Barsalona; and Seymour Stein
Music Premiere
Mar 17 John Du Prez and Eric Idle's musical "Spamalot", based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and starring Tim Curry and David Hyde Pierce, opens at the Shubert Theatre, NYC; runs for 1575 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
Doctor Who
Mar 26 "Doctor Who" returns to BBC TV after 16 years with the debut of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose
We Belong Together
Mar 29 "We Belong Together" single is released by Mariah Carey (Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 2006, Billboard Song of the Year 2005)
CMT Music Awards
Apr 11 4th CMT Video Music Awards: Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson & Kenny Chesney win
Devils and Dust Released
Apr 26 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 13th studio album "Devils and Dust"
From Under the Cork Tree
May 3 Fall Out Boy's breakthrough album "From Under the Cork Tree" is released through Island Records
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
May 15 "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith", directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival
- May 17 40th Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson & Keith Urban win
Music History
May 17 Australian singer Kylie Minogue is diagnosed with breast cancer at 36
- May 21 50th Eurovision Song Contest: Helena Paparizou for Greece wins singing "My Number One" in Kiev
Music History
Jun 13 A jury in Santa Maria, California acquits pop singer Michael Jackson of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland Ranch
TheFutureEmbrace
Jun 21 Billy Corgan releases "TheFutureEmbrace", his first solo album
Glastonbury Festival
Jun 24 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: The White Stripes, and Coldplay headline; other performers include The Kaiser Chiefs, Taj Mahal, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, and Primal Scream
- Jun 27 "Bad Day" single is released by Daniel Powter, 1st song to sell 2 million digital copies in the US (Billboard Song of the Year 2006)
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 10 Live 8 concerts held around the world organised by Bob Geldof to raise awareness of poverty
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert at Chateau de Versailles, Paris, France; performers include Andrea Bocelli, Dido, Sahakira, Youssou N'Dour, The Cure, and Zucchero
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert at Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy; performers include Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, and Zucchero
- Jul 2 Live 8 concert at Hyde Park, London, England; performers include Paul McCartney, U2, Coldplay, Elton John, Sting, Madonna, The Who, Pink Floyd, and R.E.M.
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert at Park Place in Barrie, Ontario, Canada; performers include Neil Young, Bryan Adams; The Tragically Hip; Motley Crue; Gordon Lightfoot; Deep Purple, and Bruce Cockburn
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert at the Eden Project, Cornwall, England; performers included Daara J, Thomas Mapfumo, Youssou N'Dour, Angelique Kidjo, and Coco Mbassi
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert at the Victory Column in Tiergarten Park, Berlin, Germany; performers include Green Day; a-ha; Brian Wilson, Roxy Music, Audioslave, and Herbert Grönemeyer
Live 8 Concert
Jul 2 Live 8 concert in front of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; performers include Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, The Black-Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, and Linkin Park
- Jul 2 Live 8 concert In Mercy Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg, South Africa; performers include Lucky Dube, Mahotella Queens, Orchestra Baobob, Zola, and Vusi Mahlasela
Live 8 Concert
Jul 6 Live 8 concert at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland; performers include Wet Wet Wet, Annie Lennox, James Brown, the Corrs, and The Proclaimers
Music History
Aug 26 US Postal Service christens a Los Angeles facility as "The Ray Charles Station"
Video Music Awards
Sep 1 22nd MTV Video Music Awards: Green Day, Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West win
Walk the Line
Sep 4 James Mangold's biographic drama film "Walk the Line", starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter debuts at the Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado
Be Without You
Sep 15 "Be Without You" single released by Mary J. Blige (Billboard Song of the Year 2006, Grammy Award Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 2005)
Hall of Fame
Sep 17 Diana DeGarmo receives the Horizon Award at the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Awards ceremony
Farm Aid Concert
Sep 18 Farm Aid 18 held in Tinley Park, Illinois; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Arlo Guthrie, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris, James McMurtry, Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, John Mayer, Kathleen Edwards, Kenny Chesney, Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic, and Wilco [1]
- Oct 4 "All the Right Reasons", fifth studio album by Nickelback, is released
- Oct 4 Palace of the Arts - the world's tallest opera house and last major structure of the City of Arts and Science's complex, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opens in Valencia, Spain [1]
- Nov 2 Philip Glass' Symphony No. 8, premieres with the Bruckner Orchester Linz conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, NYC
- Nov 15 39th Country Music Association Awards: Keith Urban & Gretchen Wilson win
Some Hearts
Nov 15 Carrie Underwood releases her debut album "Some Hearts" (2006 Billboard Album of the Year, Grammy Award Best New Artist 2007)
Music History
Nov 16 CBS television broadcasts ”I Walk the Line: A Night For Johnny Cash” featuring concert performances by Dwight Yoakam, Martina McBride, Alison Krauss, U2, Norah Jones, Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, and others
Rent
Nov 17 Film adaptation of Joanthan Larson's musical "Rent", starring Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, premieres at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC
- Nov 17 Italy's choice of national anthem, "Il Canto degli Italiani", becomes official in law for the first time, almost 60 years after it was provisionally chosen following the birth of the republic.
- Nov 18 20th Century Fox releases "Walk the Line", starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, and directed by James Mangold; Witherspoon wins an Academy Award
Stefani, Smith and Clarkson Win
Nov 22 33rd American Music Awards: Gwen Stefani, Will Smith and Kelly Clarkson win
The Color Purple
Dec 1 Musical "The Color Purple" based on the book by Alice Walker opens on Broadway produced by Oprah Whitney starring LaChanze (Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical)
- Dec 6 16th Billboard Music Awards: Green Day, 50 Cent, and Mariah Carey win
Movin' Out
Dec 11 Twyla Tharp's rock ballet "Movin' Out", set to songs of Billy Joel, closes at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, NYC after 1,303 performances
- Dec 20 Geffen Records releases "The Breakthrough", the 7th studio album by Mary J. Blige; it wins 3 Grammy Awrds, and sells over 3 million copies
- Dec 21 Civil Partnership Act comes into force in the UK, with singer Elton John and David Furnish one of the first couples to form a same-sex civil union
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers