Events in 1976
- Peter “Puddy” Watts, road manager for Pink Floyd, died of a heroin overdose. His manic laughter was used on the album The Dark Side of the Moon.
- Elvis Presley performed a three-night concert run at the Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium in Fayetteville, North Carolina, from August 3 to August 5, 1976.
- Grateful Dead performed at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
- NBC aired the special “The Beach Boys: It's O.K.” to mark the group's 15th anniversary. The program featured interviews, comedy sketches and concert footage, with appearances by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
- During a performance in Birmingham, England, Eric Clapton publicly expressed support for the right-wing National Front and made racist remarks.
- Robin Trower performed at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Earth, Wind & Fire byli se skladbou „Getaway“ na prvním místě R&B žebříčku.
- Elton John byl hlavní hvězdou každoročního festivalu Summerfest na Rich Stadium v Buffalu v New Yorku. Jako předskokani vystoupili John Miles a Boz Scaggs.
- Elton John a Kiki Dee se skladbou „Don't Go Breaking My Heart“ dosáhli prvního místa amerického singlového žebříčku, kde zůstali čtyři týdny. Pro Eltona Johna šlo o jeho šestý americký hit číslo jedna. Skladba se dostala na první místo v celkem devíti zemích včetně Velké Británie, Austrálie a Kanady. Autory byli Elton John a Bernie Taupin, kteří skladbu vydali pod pseudonymy Ann Orson a Carte Blanche.
- American singer and actor Drew Lachey was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became known as a member of the pop and R&B group 98 Degrees.
- ABBA released the single “Fernando.”
- Aerosmith performed at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Linda Ronstadt released her cover version of Buddy Holly’s “That'll Be The Day”.
- Elton John played the first of a series of sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert series grossed $1.25 million and surpassed The Rolling Stones’ 1975 record. Elton John was promoting his current single with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and the live album “Here and There.”
- Eric Clapton performed at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland.
- Neil Diamond performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
- American singer, songwriter and guitarist Ben Gibbard, frontman of indie-rock group Death Cab for Cutie, was born. The group had the US No. 1 album Narrow Stairs in 2008. The band's name comes from the song “Death Cab for Cutie” by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
- Keith Moon of The Who trashed a hotel room at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami and subsequently ended up in hospital.
- Neil Young recorded an entire album in a single evening at Indigo Ranch Recording Studio in Malibu. The recording included “Pocahontas” and “Powderfinger,” among others, but executives shelved it until September 8, 2017, when it was released as Hitchhiker.
- Yes performed at Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky.
- The Clash played a private concert for journalists at the Chalk Farm rehearsal studios in London.
- “Devil Woman” entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached number 6.
- His first solo single “So It Goes” was released and became the first record issued by Stiff Records. The recording was financed with a £400 loan, Lowe played all the instruments, and production of the single cost £45. It was a seven-inch single and the first release from the influential British independent label Stiff Records.
- Their cover of Chuck Berry's “Rock And Roll Music” reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their first Top Ten hit since “Good Vibrations” in 1966.
- AC/DC performed at London's Marquee Club during their Lock Up Your Daughters Tour. The set included “Live Wire”, “Jailbreak”, “High Voltage” and “It's a Long Way to the Top”.
- Cliff Richard began his historic tour of the Soviet Union with a concert in Leningrad. During the tour, he performed a total of 20 concerts, including 12 in Leningrad and 8 in Moscow. He became the first Western rock artist to tour the Soviet Union.
- Yes performed at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee.
- The British punk fanzine Sniffin' Glue was published for the first time. The first issues had a circulation of approximately 50 copies, which later grew to 15,000. Publisher Mark Perry ended the magazine in September 1977 out of concern that it would be absorbed by the mainstream music press.
- Yes performed a three-concert series at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, beginning on August 17, 1976.
- Variety reported that Marvin Gaye faced two consecutive five-day jail sentences in Los Angeles County for contempt of court over failure to pay child and spousal support.
- Yes performed at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
- Donna Summer performed her erotic disco song “Love To Love You Baby” on American Bandstand. Although the song reached No. 2 in the US, Donna later admitted that she was not entirely sure about some of the lyrics and improvised parts of the song during the recording.
- RCA Victor announced that sales of Elvis Presley's recordings had exceeded 400 million units. This milestone was a significant moment in the final year of Elvis's life and confirmed his position at the time as the most commercially successful artist in the history of the recording industry. In later years, Graceland and RCA parent company Sony Music estimated that Elvis had sold more than one billion recordings worldwide.
- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Todd Rundgren, 10cc and The Rolling Stones performed at the Knebworth Festival in England.
- The Rolling Stones, 10cc, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Hot Tuna performed at the Knebworth Festival in Hertfordshire, England, before approximately 200,000 fans. Tickets cost £4.50. The concert was falsely promoted as “the last Stones concert ever to take place in Britain” in order to boost ticket sales. RCA also announced that sales of Elvis Presley's recordings had exceeded 400 million units; later estimates by Graceland and Sony put his worldwide sales at more than one billion recordings.
- Yes performed at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- The Beach Boys became the first rock group to appear on the cover of People magazine. The photograph showed the five original members with beards and was accompanied by the headline “Still Riding The Crest, 15 Hairy Years Later.” Solo artists had appeared on the magazine's cover before.
- AC/DC performed at London's Marquee Club during their Lock Up Your Daughters Tour. The set included “School Day”, “Problem Child”, “The Jack”, “Rocker” and “High Voltage”.
- The Australian band Little River Band released the song „It's a Long Way There“.
- British composer, singer, organist and pianist Michael Head died at the age of 76.
- Boston released their self-titled debut album on Epic Records. Much of the album was recorded in Tom Scholz's basement studio, and it became the fastest-selling debut album in history and one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. It included the singles “More Than a Feeling” (#5 USA, #22 UK), “Foreplay / Long Time” (#22 USA) and “Peace of Mind” (#38 USA), and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
- Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello premiered their four-week summer variety series “Easy Does It” on CBS. The programme drew on nostalgia for their iconic Beach Party film era of the 1960s and featured notable guests each week, including Andy Griffith, Liz Torres, Phyllis Diller and Anson Williams from Happy Days.
- AC/DC performed at London's Marquee Club during their Lock Up Your Daughters Tour. The set included “Baby, Please Don't Go”, “Live Wire”, “High Voltage”, “The Jack” and “It's a Long Way to the Top”.
- Steven Tyler of Aerosmith appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The photograph was taken by Annie Leibovitz, who found him tired and exhausted after only two hours of sleep. She arrived at his hotel at six in the morning to take the photograph.
- Aerosmith performed at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, near San Francisco.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Convention Center Arena in San Antonio, Texas, at the start of his sixth tour. Approximately 11,000 people attended the concert, and the program included “See See Rider”, “Love Me”, “All Shook Up”, “Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel”, “Fever”, “America”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Hurt” and “Burning Love”, among others.
- Peter Frampton spent his third week at No. 1 on the US chart with the album “Frampton Comes Alive!”. The album was later briefly replaced at the top by Fleetwood Mac’s album “Fleetwood Mac” before returning to No. 1 on September 11. The live version of “Baby, I Love Your Way” from the album reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, Frampton told US lawmakers that 55 million streams of the song had earned him only $1,700.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama, before an audience of 10,720. He gave an afternoon concert at 2:30 p.m. as well as an evening performance at 8:30 p.m. During the afternoon concert, he wore a blue Bicentennial costume and performed, among others, "America", "Johnny B. Goode", "Hurt", "Mystery Train/Tiger Man", and "Can't Help Falling in Love". A recording of the concert exists under the title "Stuck In Mobile". For the evening performance, he wore a white Bicentennial costume.
- The British music magazine Sounds published letters from readers reacting to Eric Clapton's racist statement during his concert in Birmingham earlier that month. One of the letters criticized Clapton for drawing much of his music from Black music and called him the biggest colonizer of rock music. The letter also called for support of the Rock Against Racism movement, which subsequently became a major movement and organized concerts and festivals in support of tolerance.
- President Jimmy Carter hosted a picnic for 500 guests at the White House, featuring performances by Charlie Daniels and Loretta Lynn.
- American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jimmy Reed died in San Francisco at the age of 50 following an epileptic seizure, shortly before his 51st birthday. He became known for the songs "Honest I Do", "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Bright Lights, Big City", and "Big Boss Man". Between 1955 and 1965, he had a total of 19 Top 40 R&B hits and strongly influenced artists including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Hank Williams Jr., Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jerry Garcia.
- Led Zeppelin released the album "Presence" as part of its international release week.
- At a concert in Santa Monica, California, Neil Young joined Firefall and Spirit on stage.
- The Sex Pistols, supported by The Clash and The Buzzcocks, performed at a showcase at The Screen On The Green in London's Islington.
- Aerosmith performed at the International Center Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- During the carnival in the London district of Notting Hill, clashes broke out between Black youths and the police. Members of The Clash were present, and the event inspired them to write “White Riot” as a call for white people to protest with the same intensity.
- Elton John released the album "Blue Moves" as an advance release in the United Kingdom.
- Judge Richard Owen ruled at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that George Harrison was guilty of "subconscious plagiarism". The court found that the melody of Harrison's 1970 solo song "My Sweet Lord" was legally identical to "He's So Fine", written by Ronnie Mack and recorded by The Chiffons in 1963. The royalties from the song were awarded to Mack's estate, and Harrison eventually paid $587,000 in damages to copyright holder Bright Tunes. The Chiffons subsequently recorded their own version of "My Sweet Lord".
- He was born in Houston, Texas. He became known as a co-founder of the pop-rock group Scissor Sisters.
- Peter Brown, drummer of the American rock band Wheatus, was born.
- The album “Wish You Were Here” was approaching one year on the British chart. Pink Floyd's ninth studio album was first unveiled at the Knebworth Festival in July 1975 and released in September of that year. It was an immediate success, and EMI was unable to press enough copies to meet demand. The album cover was created by the Hipgnosis team and featured a series of images based on the themes of “absence” and “unfulfilled presence,” including a handshake between two men in business suits, one of whom is on fire, a veil covering a naked woman in the Norfolk countryside and a diver in California's Mono Lake who leaves no splash.
- Elvis Presley performed on tour at Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa, Florida. The concert began at 8:30 p.m. and was attended by approximately 7,500 people.
- Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five became the first rap act to perform in a theater when they played their first major concert at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem. They presented various DJ techniques along with rap interplay and choreography.
- The first issue of Musician magazine was published.
- Elvis Presley performed on tour at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. The concert began at 8:30 p.m., and Presley wore a blue Bicentennial jumpsuit; according to the source, approximately 7,500 to 8,000 spectators attended.
- Marshall Tucker Band performed at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia.
- The Bee Gees reached number one on the US singles chart with “You Should Be Dancing,” which reached number five in the UK. The song marked the beginning of their disco era and was used the following year in a scene from Saturday Night Fever in which John Travolta takes over the dance floor. It was also the Bee Gees' first US number-one hit featuring Barry Gibb's distinctive falsetto. One source calls it the group's second US number-one single, while another calls it their third.
- Blue Öyster Cult's biggest hit, “(Don't Fear) The Reaper,” entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached number 12. The song deals with eternal love and the inevitability of death.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida, at 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
- Nearly 14 months after its release, Fleetwood Mac's self-titled tenth studio album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 for one week, knocking Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive! from the top spot. It was the band's first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. It produced the hits “Over My Head,” “Rhiannon” and “Say You Love Me,” later sold more than five million copies in the US and was certified nine-times platinum. It was the first of three Fleetwood Mac albums to reach number one in the US.
- KISS released the soft-rock ballad “Beth,” which reached number seven and became their only US Top 10 hit.
- Sex Pistols made their television debut on the Manchester program Granada TV's So It Goes.
- Wild Cherry's “Play That Funky Music” was at number one on the R&B chart.
- Elvis Presley performed at the State Fair Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi. The concert began at 8:30 p.m. and attracted approximately 12,000 people; Elvis wore the Bicentennial Suit.
- During Jerry Lewis's annual telethon supporting muscular dystrophy research, Frank Sinatra surprised the audience by bringing Dean Martin into the studio. Martin had been Jerry Lewis's former comedy partner, and the two had not spoken for two decades following the breakup of their duo in 1956.
- Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington suffered serious injuries in a car accident in Florida after crashing his vehicle into an oak tree.
- Gary Rossington was seriously injured in a car accident in Florida after falling asleep at the wheel of his new Ford Torino and crashing into a tree and a house. The incident later inspired the song “That Smell.”
- Stevie Wonder released the album Songs in the Key of Life, widely regarded as one of his most significant albums.
- Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared together for the first time in 20 years on Lewis's television program, the Labor Day Telethon, supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Frank Sinatra surprised Jerry Lewis by bringing Martin into the studio.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, Alabama, at 2:30 p.m. and again at 8:30 p.m. It was the last day of his career on which he performed two concerts in a single day.
- The first Buddy Holly Week was held in the UK, organized by his fans in London. Holly had visited the UK only once, during a tour in March 1958.
- The Memphis Press Scimitar published an article headlined “Fat and Forty” about Elvis Presley, which enraged him.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, before approximately 7,500 people. The concert began at 8:30 p.m., and Elvis wore the blue Bicentennial suit.
- Paul McCartney launched “Buddy Holly Week” in the UK to mark the 40th anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth.
- David Bowie moved to West Berlin, or according to one version to West Germany, to escape Los Angeles and deal with his personal problems and drug addiction. This period laid the foundation for his Berlin Trilogy; Bowie also worked with Iggy Pop on the albums “The Idiot” and “Lust for Life” and with Brian Eno, while the song “Heroes” also came from this period.
- English musician and songwriter Richard Oakes was born. He is best known as the guitarist of the band Suede.
- Styx released the album “Crystal Ball”.
- The Grateful Dead performed at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Peter Frampton's live double album Frampton Comes Alive! spent its ninth week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.
- Joe Cocker appeared on Saturday Night Live performing “Feelin' Alright.” During the performance, Jon Belushi joined him and delivered his famous exaggerated imitation of Cocker's distinctive singing style. Cocker took the joke in good humor and later joked that Belushi portrayed Joe Cocker better than he did himself.
- Rod Stewart released the single “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” which later became his second U.S. No. 1 hit. In the United Kingdom, it reached No. 5 despite being boycotted by British radio stations because of its suggestive lyrics. The recording featured whispered French vocals by his then-girlfriend, actress Britt Ekland.
- Marvin Gaye performed the first of several concerts at London's Palladium. The concerts were recorded and later released on the 1977 album Live at the London Palladium.
- AC/DC performed at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany.
- At around 3:30 a.m., Elvis Presley arrived on a Harley-Davidson at the Vickers gas station on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis. He stopped to refuel and spent nearly an hour with a large crowd of fans, talking, signing autographs, showing a rare black diamond ring, and joking with those present. He paid exactly 83 cents for the gasoline by credit card and then rode away on his Harley-Davidson.
- AC/DC performed at Stadthalle in Bern, Switzerland.
- Elvis flew to Los Angeles to stay with Linda Thompson at her new apartment. In Hollywood, he also picked up a new Ferrari that he had ordered.
- Hall & Oates' second album Abandoned Luncheonette, containing the hit “She's Gone,” received gold certification just three weeks after its release.
- Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots received a gold record for the novelty hit “Disco Duck.” In December 1976, the song became only the fourth single in history to receive platinum certification. Dees was fired from Memphis radio station WMPS after mentioning on air that his song was nearly No. 1 and that the station refused to play it. A competing Memphis station soon hired him, and he was later inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
- Salsoul Orchestra recorded “Christmas Medley.”
- Dennis Edwards announced his departure from The Temptations; four years later, he returned to the group and contributed to the successful album Power.
- American soul singer and songwriter Taylor Hicks was born. In 2006, he won American Idol, and his single “Do I Make You Proud” reached No. 1 in the US.
- The Who performed at the Sports Arena in San Diego. Mother's Finest was the opening act.
- AC/DC performed at the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Sex Pistols received a £40,000 signing bonus after signing a recording contract with EMI Records.
- Stevie Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, becoming only the third album in history to do so. It was his first release after signing a $13 million contract with Motown. The double album was certified platinum and produced the hits “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” and “Isn't She Lovely.”
- Dr. Feelgood's live album "Stupidity" reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's only UK No. 1 album and the first live album to debut at No. 1. Some of the album was recorded at The Kursaal in Southend-on-Sea.
- The Sex Pistols signed with EMI Records for £40,000 (about $68,000). Three months later EMI terminated the contract, stopped production of "Anarchy in the U.K." and deleted it from its catalogue, saying the volume of adverse publicity surrounding the band made it impossible to promote their records.
- The Who and The Grateful Dead played the second of two consecutive concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Stadium) in Oakland, California. Although they were two of the biggest concert acts in rock history and the event received massive promotion, neither of the stadium concerts sold out.
- ABBA released their fourth studio album, Arrival, featuring the hits "Dancing Queen," "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You." The album reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and No. 20 in the United States. "Dancing Queen" topped both the US and UK charts. "Money, Money, Money" reached No. 56 in the United States and No. 3 in the UK, while "Knowing Me, Knowing You" reached No. 14 in the United States and No. 1 in Britain. Arrival became the UK's best-selling album of 1977, received RIAA gold certification and was added to the US National Recording Registry in 2024.
- Scottish bassist and songwriter Dominic Aitchison, best known as the bassist and a founding member of the post-rock band Mogwai, was born. The band's tenth album, As the Love Continues, reached No. 1 on the UK chart in February 2021.
- Casablanca Records released Donna Summer's fourth studio album, Four Seasons of Love, a concept album depicting the four seasons of a romantic relationship. It contained five tracks, with two on the first side and three on the second. The album reached No. 29 on the US album chart and received RIAA gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies.
- Elvis Presley returned to Memphis with Linda Thompson, arriving home at approximately 4:00 a.m. Later that day, Red West called from California, but Charlie Hodge told him that Elvis was asleep. West did not believe him and suspected that Elvis was listening to their conversation on another telephone.
- Dutch group Pussycat began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Mississippi." They became the first Dutch group to top the British chart.
- Rush performed at the Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
- Aerosmith performed at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England.
- The Who performed at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.