2006 in British music

Events

18 February – The Rolling Stones give a free concert to two million people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

22 February – The one billionth song is downloaded on iTunes; the song is "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay.

3 March - Disgraced glam rock singer Gary Glitter is convicted of sexually abusing two young girls at his villa in Vietnam and is sentenced to three years in jail.

10 March - David Gilmour begins his first world tour since Pink Floyd's 1994 world tour, in support of his On an Island album.

11 March – James Blunt, with his single "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"

20 May – Finnish monster rock band Lordi win the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The UK entry, "Teenage Life" by Daz Sampson, finishes in 19th place with 25 points.

30 July – The last ever weekly edition of the British television chart show, Top of the Pops, is broadcast.

10 October – Justin Hawkins, lead singer of The Darkness announces he is leaving the band.

25 October – Guitarist Brian May announces on his website that Queen is returning to the studio for recording sessions. The new lineup, Queen + Paul Rodgers, features May, Paul Rodgers (the former lead vocalist of Free) and former Queen drummer Roger Taylor.

26 October – Duran Duran lead guitarist Andy Taylor once again leaves the band after a series of disagreements surrounding their latest album, which was still incomplete by the year's end. Reasons given are his disapproval of the usage of both Timbaland and Justin Timberlake in the creation of the band's album. The band hires an interim guitarist to supplant Taylor, with no real replacement being announced.

31 October – The Who release Endless Wire, their first studio album for 24 years.

16 November - Snow Patrol become the first British band in 13 years to reach the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100.

Classical music

Richard Rodney Bennett - The Garden - A Serenade to Glimmerglass

Patrick Hawes - Towards the Light

Alun Hoddinott - Towy Landscape for soprano, baritone and piano (4 hands)

Martin Kennedy - Suite for string quartet

Paul Mealor - Liturgy of Fire

John Tavener - Lament for Jerusalem

Opera

Stephen Barlow - King

Jonathan Dove - Man on the Moon (television opera)

Stuart MacRae – The Assassin Tree (with libretto by Simon Armitage)

Film and incidental music

David Arnold

Amazing Grace

Casino Royale

Patrick Doyle - As You Like It

Laura Rossi - London to Brighton

John Tavener - Children of Men

BRIT Awards

Best British Male Solo Artist: James Blunt

Best British Female Solo Artist: KT Tunstall

Best British Group: Kaiser Chiefs

Best British Album: Coldplay - X&Y

Best British Single: Coldplay - "Speed Of Sound"

Best British Rock Act: Kaiser Chiefs

Best British Urban Act: Lemar

Best British Live Act: Kaiser Chiefs

British Breakthrough Artist: Arctic Monkeys

Best Pop Act: James Blunt

Best International Male Solo Artist: Kanye West

Best International Female Solo Artist: Madonna

Best International Group: Green Day

Best International Album: Green Day - American Idiot

International Breakthrough Artist: Jack Johnson

Outstanding Contribution to Music: Paul Weller

British Composer Awards

Orchestral: Simon Holt

Stage Works: Brian Irvine

BBC Radio 3 Listeners Award: Jonny Greenwood

Ivor Novello Awards

Best Song Musically & Lyrically: KT Tunstall - ‘Suddenly I See’

Most Performed Work: James Blunt - ‘You’re Beautiful’

Best Television Soundtrack: Rob Lane - Elizabeth I

Outstanding Song Collection: New Order

Best Selling UK Single: Shayne Ward - ‘That’s My Goal’

Best Album: Kaiser Chiefs: ‘Employment’

Classical Music Award: Sir Harrison Birtwistle

International Hit Of The Year: James Blunt - ‘You’re Beautiful’

Best Original Film Score: 'Evil'

Best Contemporary Song: Athlete - ‘Wires’

International Achievement: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)

Songwriters Of the Year: Damon Albarn/Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz)

PRS Outstanding Contribution to British Music: Ray Davies

The Special International Award: Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff

The Academy Fellowship: Barry Gibb/Maurice Gibb (Posthumous)/Robin Gibb

Mercury Music Prize

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Deaths

12 January - Jack Wilson, jazz pianist, 98

8 February - Elton Dean, saxophonist (Soft Machine), 60 (liver disease)

14 February - Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer, 31 (Hodgkin's lymphoma)

15 February - Eric Shilling, opera singer and producer, 85

3 March – Ivor Cutler, poet, songwriter and humorist, 83

26 March – Nikki Sudden, singer-songwriter, 49 (heart attack)]].

9 April - Robin Orr, composer, 96

17 April – Calum Kennedy, singer, 77

18 April - John Burch, pianist, composer and bandleader, 74

19 May – Freddie Garrity, singer (Freddie and the Dreamers), 69

20 June - Maurice Bevan, operatic bass-baritone and composer, 85

29 June - Joyce Hatto, pianist and teacher, 77

5 July - Don Lusher, trombonist, 82

7 July - Syd Barrett, singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding-member of Pink Floyd, 60 (pancreatic cancer)

1 August - John Mole, bass guitarist, 57

8 August - Michael Hurd, composer and musicologist, 77

28 August - Pip Pyle, drummer (Hatfield and the North and Gong), 56

4 September - Clive Lythgoe, pianist, 79

21 September - Boz Burrell, bass guitarist of Bad Company and King Crimson, 60

23 September – Malcolm Arnold, composer, 84

18 October – Anna Russell, singer and comedian, 94

26 October - John Kentish, operatic tenor, 96

19 November - Emanuel Hurwitz, violinist, 87

7 December - Desmond Briscoe, composer, sound engineer and studio manager, 81

9 December - Freddie Marsden, drummer of Gerry & The Pacemakers

17 December – Denis Payton (The Dave Clark Five), 63

30 December - Robert Ashfield, organist, choirmaster and composer, 95