Events in Music in 1996

Jan 29 23rd American Music Awards: Garth Brooks wins

Jan 29 6,138th performance of "Cats" is held in London, surpassing record of Broadway's longest-running musical, "A Chorus Line"
Jan 29 La Fenice, Venice's opera house, is destroyed by fire
Feb 13 Rock musical "Rent" by Jonathan Larson opens off-Broadway

Feb 13 Rapper Tupac Shakur releases his 4th studio album 'All Eyez on Me'

Feb 13 British boy band Take That officially announce that they are disbanding, prompting UK government to set up counselling phone lines

Feb 13 "The Score" 2nd studio album by Fugees is released (Billboard no. 1 year end Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1996)
Feb 22 "Bus Stop" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 29 performances
Feb 25 "Father" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 52 performances

Feb 28 38th Grammy Awards: Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morisette wins
Mar 17 "Bus Stop" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 29 performances
Mar 17 "Getting Away With Murder" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 17 performances
Mar 20 "Love Thy Neighbor" opens at Booth Theater NYC
Mar 21 "Night of the Iguana" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 68 performances
Mar 27 "State Fair" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 118 performances
Mar 28 "Seven Guitars" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
Mar 29 10th Soul Train Music Awards: Patti Labelle, Boyz II Men
Mar 31 "Getting Away With Murder" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 17 performances
Mar 31 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 66 performances
Apr 4 "Inherit the Wind" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 45 performances
Apr 7 Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to win Singer Cup in Singapore
Apr 14 "Apple Doesn't Fall" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 1 performance
Apr 15 "Apple Doesn't Fall" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 1 performance
Apr 18 "Funny Thing Happened" opens at St James Theater NYC for 715 performances
Apr 21 "Delicate Balance" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC
Apr 24 "Jack-Night on Town with John Barrymore" opens at Belasco for 12 performances

Apr 24 31st Academy of Country Music Awards: Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Patty Loveless win

Apr 25 "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk" opens at Ambassador Theater NYC
Apr 28 "Big" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 193 performances

Apr 29 "Rent", starring Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, opens at Nederlander Theater NYC

Apr 30 "Buried Child" opens at Atkinson Theater NYC for 77 performances
May 1 "Ideal Husband" opens at Barrymore Theater NYC for 308 performances
May 5 "Jack-Night on Town with J Barrymore" closes at Belasco after 12 performances

May 9 Geddy Lee is made an Officer of the Order of Canada

May 12 "Inherit the Wind" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 45 performances
May 12 "Night of the Iguana" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 68 performances
May 18 41st Eurovision Song Contest: Eimear Quinn for Ireland wins singing "The Voice" in Oslo
May 21 "You're Makin' Me High" single released by Toni Braxton (Grammy Award Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 1997)
May 22 "Tartuffe: Born Again" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 29 performances
May 26 "Midsummer Night's Dream" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 66 performances
Jun 10 30th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson
Jun 23 "Tartuffe: Born Again" closes at Circle in Sq NYC after 29 performances

Jun 25 Jay-Z releases his debut studio album "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" with Roc-A-Fella Records and Priority Records

Jun 30 "Buried Child" closes at Brook Atkinson Theater NYC after 77 performances
Jun 30 "Moon Over Buffalo" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 308 performances
Jun 30 "State Fair" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 118 performances
Jul 1 Placido Domingo becomes art director of Washington Opera

Jul 8 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut single "Wannabe" in the UK

Jul 9 "Blue" debut album by LeAnn Rimes is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1997)
Jul 14 "How To Succeed in Business..." closes at R Rodgers NYC after 548 performances
Jul 14 "Thousand Clowns" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 32 performances

Aug 6 Punk rock band the Ramones perform for the last time at the Palace in Hollywood

Aug 11 "Thousand Clowns," closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 32 performances
Aug 21 "Hughie" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC
Sep 4 13th MTV Video Music Awards: Alanis Morrisett & Smashing Pumpkins win
Sep 5 "Summer & Smoke" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
Sep 7 Rap artist Tupac Shakur shot multiple times in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas, dies 6 days later
Sep 8 "7 Guitars" closes at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
Sep 8 Sri Lanka defeat Australia to win Singer World Series at Colombo
Sep 19 "Skylight" opens at Royale Theater NYC
Sep 29 "Delicate Balance" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC

Sep 29 Alanis Morissette ends her 1st US tour (Houston Texas)

Nov 4 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut album "Spice", goes on to sell 23 million copies

Nov 7 "3 Sisters" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC
Nov 13 "Three Sisters" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC
Nov 14 "Chicago" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC
Nov 15 "Into the Whirlwind" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 2 performances
Nov 16 "Into the Whirlwind" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 2 performances
Nov 17 "Present Laughter" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
Nov 19 "God Said, Ha!" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 22 performances
Nov 19 "Sex & Longing" closes at Cort Theater NYC
Nov 21 "Rehearsal" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
Nov 24 "Juan Darien - A Carnival Mass" opens at Vivian Beaumont Theater NYC
Dec 4 7th Billboard Music Awards: Alanis Morissette win
Dec 5 "Dreams & Nightmares" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC
Dec 8 "God Said, Ha!" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 22 performances
Dec 17 "In My Bed" single released by Dru Hill (Billboard Song of the Year 1997)
Dec 19 "Once Upon a Matress" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 187 performances
Dec 29 "Dreams & Nightmares" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC
Dec 29 "Skylight" closes at Royale Theater NYC after
Dec 29 "Taking Sides" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC