Events in 1986
- Chris de Burgh reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart on August 2, 1986, with “The Lady in Red,” beginning a three-week run at the top. “The Lady in Red” became his first UK No. 1 hit.
- Peter Cetera began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on August 2, 1986, with “The Glory of Love” from the film The Karate Kid Part II.
- The News of the World published an interview with 16-year-old Mandy Smith in which she openly discussed her more-than-two-year relationship with Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, saying the relationship had begun when she was 13.
- Michael Rudetsky, keyboardist and collaborator of Boy George, was found dead at Boy George's house in London.
- Lionel Richie released the album “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
- David Crosby of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was released on parole from a Texas prison on August 8, 1986, after serving a sentence for cocaine possession and illegal possession of a firearm. In November 1987, a Texas appeals court overturned his conviction.
- Genesis released the single “Throwing It All Away”.
- Queen played their final live concert with Freddie Mercury at Knebworth Park in Stevenage, England, bringing their Magic Tour to a close. More than 120,000 fans attended the performance. Belouis Some, Big Country and Status Quo performed before Queen. Freddie Mercury closed the concert with “We Are the Champions” and “God Save the Queen”, giving the audience his final farewell while wearing a royal robe and crown. The entire tour attracted 400,000 fans and grossed £11 million.
- Approximately 250 Gary Numan fans protested outside BBC Radio 1 in London, demanding more airtime for their favorite artist.
- The Monkees had six albums simultaneously in the Billboard 200 during their reunion tour. Their album The Monkees ranked highest at No. 92. Six albums nearly 20 years old re-entered the chart after being reissued, and the group played 144 concerts on their 20th-anniversary tour.
- Rick Allen made his first live return to the stage with Def Leppard after losing his left arm in a car accident. It took place at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington.
- Madonna's album True Blue reached No. 1 on the US albums chart, while the single "Papa Don't Preach" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart.
- Drummer Rick Allen played his first concert with Def Leppard after returning to the band following the car accident in which he lost his left arm.
- Bon Jovi released their third studio album, Slippery When Wet, which reached No. 1 on the US chart. The album contained two US No. 1 singles, “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin' on a Prayer,” and later went twelve-times platinum.
- American singer and songwriter Christina Perri was born. Her 2011 debut studio album Lovestrong reached number 4 on the US album chart. She also became known for writing and recording “A Thousand Years”, a love song for the 2012 film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
- Chrysalis Records released Huey Lewis and the News' fourth studio album, “Fore!”. The album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard album chart and eventually sold more than three million copies. It produced five successful singles, including “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Stuck with You”, which reached No. 1 in the U.S., as well as “Doing It All for My Baby” at No. 6, “Hip to Be Square” at No. 3 and “I Know What I Like” at No. 9. The latter three songs peaked at No. 12, No. 93 and No. 41 respectively on the British chart.
- Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen performed live with the band for the first time after losing an arm in a car accident. Def Leppard were playing at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England.
- Eric Clapton's son Conor was born. Four years later, Conor tragically died in an accident, which inspired Clapton to write the song “Tears In Heaven”.
- The film “Stand by Me” was released in theaters. It is based on Stephen King's novella “The Body”, but director Rob Reiner decided to name the film after the famous song to emphasize the story of friendship and avoid making the title sound like a horror film.
- Boris Gardiner began a three-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Want to Wake Up with You”, written by Nashville songwriter Ben Peters. The song was first recorded in 1980 by American country singer Mac Davis under the title “I Wanta Wake Up With You”. Gardiner's version became the third best-selling single of 1986 in the UK and also reached number one in Australia.
- Skyler Gordy, professionally known as Sky Blue, was born in Los Angeles, California. He formed half of the electronic dance duo LMFAO, with whom he had the worldwide hits “Party Rock Anthem” and “Sexy And I Know It” in 2011.
- Paul Simon released his seventh solo studio album “Graceland”, which became his most successful album and his highest-charting album in more than a decade. It reached number three in the US and number one in the UK, and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. In 1987 it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and in 2006 it was added to the US National Recording Registry.
- Paul Simon released the single “Graceland” with backing vocals by The Everly Brothers. The song was the title track of the album of the same name, which had been released two weeks earlier.
- Tina Turner's album “Break Every Rule” was released.
- American singer, dancer and actress Cassie Ventura was born. She was discovered by Sean Combs, who partnered with his record label for the commercial release of her 2006 debut single “Me & U”. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Rapper and singer Carlos St. John Phillips, known by his stage name Saint Jhn, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He became best known for the song “Roses”, whose 2019 remix by Kazakh DJ Imanbek became a worldwide hit.
- Tina Turner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1750 N. Vine Street near Capitol Records. She began her career in 1957 in Ike Turner's band, the Kings of Rhythm, under the name Little Ann. Between 1983 and 1993, she had thirteen songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, including the hit “What's Love Got To Do With It”, which reached No. 1 in 1984. She sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
- English musician, singer, and songwriter Florence Welch, co-founder and frontwoman of Florence and the Machine, was born in London. In 2009, the band released the album “Lungs”, which reached No. 1 in the UK and won a Brit Award for Best British Album. The 2015 album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” reached No. 1 in both the UK and US and received five Grammy nominations.
- The “Get Tough On Toxics” benefit concert against pollution and corporate pollution was held in Long Beach, California. Performers included Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Neil Young, as well as Joni Mitchell, Lindsey Buckingham, Warren Zevon, and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. Members of the Eagles also attended, with the exception of Glenn Frey, who was hospitalized with an intestinal illness.
- Tina Turner was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Madonna appeared in the film "Shanghai Surprise", which flopped at the box office and was harshly rejected by critics. The film was produced by George Harrison's HandMade Films, and Harrison said of Madonna that she had no sense of humor, which was unfortunate for a comedy.
- Steve Winwood reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Higher Love”, which began a four-week run at the top. In the UK, the song reached No. 13. It later won two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
- Jazz pianist Teddy Wilson died at the age of 73.
- After ten years together, Bob Geldof married television presenter Paula Yates in Las Vegas. Their best man was Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran.
- Jazz trombonist Urbie Green died at the age of 59.
- Sixteen-year-old high school student Debbie Gibson from Long Island signed a contract with Atlantic Records, which was impressed by the number of songs she had written and recorded as demos in her home studio.
- Debbie Gibson began recording the album Out of the Blue. She was 16 years old and still attending school at the time.
- Metallica played one of their early breakthrough concerts and further strengthened their growing cult following.
- Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band was arrested in Florida for driving under the influence shortly after regaining his driver's license following a five-year suspension. Police spotted his 1985 Pontiac Trans Am weaving along Route 441; he was arrested in Belleview, with one source placing the area south of Ocala. His blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.27, and he was also charged with driving with an expired license. He was sentenced to five days in jail and community service, which he completed by performing at drug- and alcohol-free high school proms at local schools. He served the sentence in January 1987.
- Dire Straits won the MTV award for Best Video for “Money for Nothing.”
- Bananarama took their version of "Venus" to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart and achieved international fame. The song came from their third studio album, "True Confessions", and topped the charts in six countries. It was their first collaboration with the emerging production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman. The song was originally released as a single by the Dutch group Shocking Blue, who also took it to No. 1 in 1970.
- Elton John's album "Leather Jackets" reached No. 1 on the UK chart.
- Spectacular Blue Smith, singer, entrepreneur, television personality, author and philanthropist from the American R&B/hip-hop group Pretty Ricky, was born. The group had the US No. 1 album “Late Night Special” in 2007. Smith is the creator of the Grumpy Cat brand, which went viral on social media and, according to the source, earned him $100 million.
- Michael Nesmith joined the other three members of The Monkees on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles during their reunion tour. Because other commitments had prevented him from joining their 20th-anniversary tour, this was his first performance with all three original members since the group's breakup.
- Andy McVann, the 21-year-old drummer of Liverpool band The Farm, died in a car accident during a police pursuit. The band’s 1991 album “Spartacus” was dedicated to him.
- Paul Simon reached number one on the UK albums chart with his seventh solo studio album, “Graceland,” where it remained for five weeks.
- The Police released their final single, Don't Stand So Close To Me '86, and subsequently ended their career. They had hoped to reunite and record another album, but injuries and conflicts led Stewart Copeland to state that they could no longer work together.
- Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Cher appeared on the premiere broadcast of The Late Show with Joan Rivers.
- Elton John, David Lee Roth and Cher appeared on the opening night of Joan Rivers's "The Late Show". Rivers joined Elton in singing "The Bitch Is Back". Her decision to launch the program without informing Johnny Carson, whom she regularly guest-hosted on "The Tonight Show", permanently ended their friendship.
- Kenny G appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", where instead of the agreed cover song he performed his own composition "Songbird". The performance helped lead to the song's release as a hit and contributed to the expansion of the smooth jazz genre.
- The film “True Stories,” directed by and starring David Byrne, was released in cinemas. The film's soundtrack served as Talking Heads' seventh album.
- The Moody Blues performed at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Janet Jackson's single "When I Think of You" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was her first US No. 1 hit; in the UK, the song reached No. 10. With this success, Janet and her brother Michael Jackson became the first siblings to each have a solo single reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. The song was also the first Hot 100 No. 1 produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who would go on to produce 15 more chart-toppers.
- Madonna's "True Blue," the title track of her album of the same name, reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was her third UK chart-topper. The title came from a favourite expression of her then-husband, Sean Penn, and the song was dedicated to him. Madonna also topped the UK chart that year with "Papa Don't Preach."
- Joni Mitchell's album Ladies of the Canyon was certified platinum by the RIAA.
- Neil Young headlined the first Bridge School Benefit concert in support of a school for children with speech and physical disabilities. Neil and Pegi Young had founded the school for their son Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy. Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, and the reunited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young also took part in the acoustic concert. The event subsequently became an annual tradition.