Events
- January 1 - The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records, a company which has the option of signing one group only. The Beatles are rejected, mainly as they come from Liverpool and the others are Dagenham-based nearer London.
- January 24 - Brian Epstein signs to manage the Beatles.
- January 24 - Teenage star Danny Peppermint is nearly killed when he receives an electric shock from a microphone stand at the Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Peppermint is rushed to a hospital where he recovers.
- April 6 - Glenn Gould's performance of Brahms's 1st piano concerto with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic for which Gould used unusually slow tempi, which Bernstein did not favour.
- April 7 - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meet Brian Jones at The Ealing Club, a blues club in London
- April 10 - Former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe dies from cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany.
- April 12 - A recording is made of Bob Dylan's concert at the Town Hall, in New York City by Columbia Records. Columbia eventually release the recording of "Tomorrow is a Long Time" from this concert
- August 16 - The Beatles fire Pete Best and replace him with Ringo Starr.
- August 17 - Telstar is released in the UK. The song would eventually be the first song by an English group to ever reach the top spot on the Billboard Top 100, proving to be a precursor to the British Invasion.
- August 23 - John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell.
- Georges Auric becomes director of the Opéra National de Paris.
- André Hodeir's book, Since Debussy, makes controversial claims about the importance of Jean Barraqué as a composer.
- October 5 - Release of EMI's first Beatles single, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You", in the United Kingdom.
- The Spokane Philharmonic orchestra becomes the Spokane Symphony.
- Dalida is Named Calabrian Citizen of Honour and receives the Radio Monte Carlo Oscar with Johnny Hallyday.
- Otis Redding's musical career begins
- Booker T. & the MG's' musical career begins
- The Rolling Stones form
- Isaac Hayes' recording career begins
- Paul & Paula's musical career begins
Albums released
Biggest hit singles
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1962.
| # |
Artist |
Title |
Year |
Country |
Chart Entries |
| 1 |
Elvis Presley |
Return to Sender |
1962 |
 |
UK 1 - Nov 1962, Canada 1 - Oct 1962, Norway 1 - Dec 1962, Éire 1 - Dec 1962, Peel list 1 of 1961, US BB 2 - Oct 1962, RYM 6 of 1962, US BB 8 of 1962, POP 8 of 1962, US CashBox 10 of 1963, Germany 15 - Jan 1963, DDD 27 of 1962, Scrobulate 83 of rock & roll, Acclaimed 2154 |
| 2 |
Ray Charles |
I Can't Stop Loving You |
1962 |
 |
UK 1 - Jun 1962, US BB 1 - May 1962, Canada 1 - May 1962, Australia 1 for 1 weeks Dec 1961, Norway 4 - Jul 1962, US CashBox 6 of 1962, DDD 6 of 1962, Germany 8 - Sep 1962, South Africa 11 of 1962, RYM 16 of 1962, US BB 30 of 1962, POP 30 of 1962, Italy 75 of 1963, Scrobulate 80 of r & b, Rolling Stone 161, Acclaimed 507 |
| 3 |
The Tornados |
Telstar |
1962 |
 |
UK 1 - Aug 1962, US BB 1 - Nov 1962, Canada 1 - Nov 1962, Éire 1 - Nov 1962, South Africa 1 of 1962, RYM 2 of 1962, Norway 3 - Oct 1962, US CashBox 5 of 1963, Germany 6 - Jan 1963, Australia 8 of 1962, DDD 62 of 1962, Germany 224 of the 1960s, Acclaimed 739 |
| 4 |
Elvis Presley |
Can't Help Falling in Love |
1962 |
 |
UK 1 - Feb 1962, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Aug 1961, US BB 2 - Dec 1961, US BB 4 of 1962, Canada 4 - Nov 1961, POP 4 of 1962, Australia 5 of 1962, South Africa 5 of 1962, RYM 11 of 1961, DDD 12 of 1961, US CashBox 28 of 1962, Party 33 of 2007, Scrobulate 64 of oldies, Italy 75 of 1962, Rolling Stone 394, WXPN 441, Acclaimed 1361 |
| 5 |
Elvis Presley |
Good Luck Charm |
1962 |
 |
UK 1 - May 1962, US BB 1 - Mar 1962, Canada 1 - Mar 1962, Norway 1 - Apr 1962, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Oct 1961, Germany 6 - May 1962, US BB 10 of 1962, South Africa 13 of 1962, POP 17 of 1962, RYM 33 of 1962, US CashBox 42 of 1962, DDD 80 of 1962, Germany 203 of the 1960s |
Singles released
See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1962 (USA)
Published popular music
Classical music
Births
- January 4 - Robin Guthrie, The Cocteau Twins
- January 13 - Tony Rebel, reggae/dancehall artist
- January 16 - Paul Webb, Talk Talk
- January 28 - Leslie Phillips/Sam Phillips, singer
- February 1 - Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese guitarist (Boøwy)
- February 6 - Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses
- February 7 - David Bryan, keyboardist for the band Bon Jovi
- February 7 - Garth Brooks, country singer
- February 10- Cliff Burton, bassist for Metallica d.1986
- February 11 - Sheryl Crow, American singer
- February 19 - Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez, singer
- February 22 - Michael Wilton, Queensrÿche
- March 2 - Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer for the band Bon Jovi
- March 5 - Craig Reid, The Proclaimers
- March 5 - Charlie Reid, The Proclaimers
- March 7 - Taylor Dayne
- March 30 - M.C. Hammer
- April 3 - Mike Ness, Social Distortion
- April 8 - Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses
- April 16 - Ian MacKaye, lead singer of Minor Threat and Fugazi
- May 9 - David Gahan, Depeche Mode
- May 12 - Brett Gurewitz, Bad Religion
- May 31 - Corey Hart
- June 8 - Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran
- June 19 - Paula Abdul, pop vocalist
- June 20 - Mark De Gli Antoni, Soul Coughing
- July 7 - Mark White, Spin Doctors
- July 21 - Lee Aaron
- July 22 - Steve Albini, guitarist
- July 27 - Karl Mueller, Soul Asylum
- August 4 - Paul Reynolds, A Flock of Seagulls
- August 7 - Andrew Glover, Composer
- August 25 - Vivian Campbell, Def Leppard
- October 3 - Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe
- October 12 - Chris Botti, trumpeter
- October 15 - Mark Reznicek, Toadies
- October 16 - Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone
- October 16 - Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- October 25 - Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- November 1 - Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers
- November 3 - Marilyn, pop vocalist
- November 9 - Steve "Silk" Hurley, house-music producer and club DJ
- November 18 - Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of Metallica
- November 21 - Steven Curtis Chapman
- November 27 - Charlie Benante, Anthrax
- November 28 - Matt Cameron, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam
- November 27 - Mike Bordin, Faith No More
- December 4 - Vinnie Dombroski, Sponge
- December 8 - Marty Friedman, Megadeth
Deaths
- January 29 - Fritz Kreisler
- February 5 - Jacques Ibert, composer
- February 17 - Bruno Walter, conductor
- February 22 - Attila the Hun, calypso singer
- March 24 - Jean Goldkette, jazz musician
- April 10 - Stuart Sutcliffe, former member of The Beatles, cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage
- May 27 - Egon Petri, pianist
- June 12 - John Ireland, composer
- June 13 - Sir Eugène Aynsley Goossens, conductor
- June 15 - Alfred Cortot, pianist and conductor
- July 12 - Roger Wolfe Kahn, bandleader
- July 25 - Christie MacDonald, actress and singer
- September 6 - Hanns Eisler, composer
- October 6 - Solomon Linda, Zulu musician
- December 7 - Kirsten Flagstad
- December 13 - Harry Barris, US singer, composer and pianist
- December 22 - Roy Palmer, jazz trombonist
Awards
See also
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