1962 in music

See also: 1961 in music, other events of 1962, 1963 in music, 1960s in music and the list of 'years in music'

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 7 - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Mick Taylor 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 23 - John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell.
André Hodeir's book, Since Debussy, makes controversial claims about the importance of Jean Barraqué as a composer.
Release of first Beatles recording: the single "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You" on October 5 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.
The Beach Boys' musical career begins
Otis Redding's musical career begins
Wilson Pickett's musical career begins
Harry Nilsson's musical career begins
Booker T. & the MG's' musical career begins
Isaac Hayes' musical career begins
Paul & Paula's musical career begins

Albums released

Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music - Ray Charles
Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys
Twist Up Calypso - Gary U.S. Bonds
Lovers Who Wander - Dion DiMucci
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
Joan Baez in Concert - Joan Baez
Crying - Roy Orbison
Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson - Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Swings Gently with Nelson - Ella Fitzgerald
Le Petit Gonzalès - Dalida
Let's Face the Music - Shirley Bassey
Only Love Can Break a Heart - Gene Pitney
Point of No Return - Frank Sinatra
Rhythm Is My Business - Ella Fitzgerald
Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits - Roy Orbison
All Alone - Frank Sinatra
Sinatra and Strings - Frank Sinatra
Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass - Frank Sinatra
Sinatra Sings of Love and Things - Frank Sinatra
Sincerely, Brenda Lee - Brenda Lee
Surfers' Choice - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones debut LP
Meet The Supremes - The Supremes
Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf
Green Onions - Booker T & The MG's
South of the Border - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Top hits on record

"Adios Amigo" - Jim Reeves
"All Alone Am I" - Brenda Lee
"Any Day Now" - Chuck Jackson
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
"Break It To Me Gently" - Brenda Lee
"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" - Neil Sedaka
"The Burning Of Atlanta" - Claude King
"Don't Make Me Over" - Dionne Warwick
"Duke Of Earl" - Gene Chandler
"Dream Baby" - Roy Orbison
"Fortune Teller" - Bobby Curtola
"Go Away Little Girl" - Steve Lawrence
"He's A Rebel" - The Crystals
"Hey Baby" - Bruce Channel
"I Can't Stop Loving You" - Ray Charles
"I'm Gonna Change Everything" - Jim Reeves
"Je l'attends" - Dalida
"Johnny Angel" - Shelley Fabares
"La Leçon de Twist" - Dalida
"Le Petit Gonzalès" - Dalida
"Le jour le plus long" - Dalida
"Leah" - Roy Orbison
"Let's Twist Again" - Chubby Checker
"The Loco-Motion" - Little Eva
"Love Me Do" - The Beatles
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" - Gene Pitney
"Old Rivers" - Walter Brennan
"Only Love Can Break a Heart" - Gene Pitney
"Peppermint Twist" - Joey Dee and the Starliters
"Que sont devenues les fleurs?" - Dalida
"Sheila" - Tommy Roe
"Sherry" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
"Soldier Boy" - The Shirelles
"Telstar" - The Tornados
"The Twist" - Chubby Checker
"Up On The Roof" - The Drifters
"V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" - Connie Francis
"Watermelon Man" - Mongo Santamaria
"What's Now My Love" - Shirley Bassey
"Wolverton Mountain" - Claude King

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1962 (USA)

Published popular music

"Ahab The Arab" w.m. Ray Stevens
"Blowin' In The Wind" w.m. Bob Dylan
"Bossa Nova Baby" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
"The Boys' Night Out" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Boys' Night Out
"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" w.m. Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield
"Call Me Irresponsible" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Papa's Delicate Condition
"Can't Get Used To Losing You" w.m. Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman
"Can't Help Falling In Love" w.m. Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti & George David Weiss
"Comedy Tonight" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Danke Schoen" w. Milton Gabler & Kurt Schwabach m. Bert Kaempfert
"Days of Wine and Roses" w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini from the film Days of Wine and Roses
"Desafinado" w. Newton Mendonca m. Antonio Carlos Jobim
"Devil Woman" w.m. Marty Robbins
"Don't Make Me Over" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"Dream Baby" w.m. Cindy Walker
"Everybody Ought To Have A Maid" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" w.m. Ewan MacColl
"Free" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Go Away, Little Girl" w.m. Gerry Goffin & Carole King
"Gonna Build A Mountain" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
"Have A Dream" w.Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
"He's A Rebel" w.m. Gene Pitney
"Her Royal Majesty" w.m. Gerry Goffin & Carole King
"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"I'm Calm" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"I'm Not The Marrying Kind" w. Mack David m. Sherman Edwards
"I've Got Your Number" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman
"Impossible" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"It's The Only Way To Travel" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the film The Road To Hong Kong
"Johnny Get Angry" w. Mack David m. Sherman Edwards
Let's Not Be Sensible w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in the film The Road To Hong Kong
"Love I Hear" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Lovely" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Make It Easy On Yourself" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"More" w. Marcello Ciorciolini & Norman Newell m. Nino Oliviero & Riz Ortolani from the film Mondo Cane
"Old Rivers" w.m. Cliff Crofford
"On The Other Side Of The Tracks" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman from the musical Little Me
"Once In A Lifetime" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
"One Note Samba" w. Jon Hendricks & Newton Mendonca m. Antonio Carlos Jobim
"Only Love Can Break A Heart" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"Pretty Little Picture" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Quando, Quando, Quando" w. Pat Boone & Alberto Testa m. Elio Cesari
"Ramblin' Rose" w.m. Noel Sherman & Joe Sherman
"Real Live Girl" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman. Introduced by Sid Caesar in the musical Little Me.
"The Road To Hong Kong" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film The Road To Hong Kong
"The Stripper" m. David Rose
"The Sweetest Sounds" w.m. Richard Rodgers from the musical No Strings
"A Swingin' Safari" m. Bert Kaempfert
"Teamwork" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Joan Collins in the film The Road To Hong Kong
"Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer" w. Charles Tobias m. Hans Carste
"Vacation" w.m. Connie Francis, Hank Hunter & Gary Weston
"A Walk In The Black Forest" m. Horst Jankowski
"A Walk On The Wild Side" w. Mack David m. Elmer Bernstein from the film A Walk On The Wild Side
"Warmer Than a Whisper" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the film The Road To Hong Kong
"What Kind Of Fool Am I?" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley. Introduced by Anthony Newley in the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
"What Now, My Love?" w. Pierre Delanoe & Carl Sigman m. Gilbert Bécaud
"Wolverton Mountain" w.m. Merle Kilgore & Claude King

Classical music

George Barati - Chamber Concerto
Morley Calvert - Suite from the Montenegrian Hills
George Crumb - Five Pieces for piano
Mario Davidovsky - Electronic Study No. 2
Mario Davidovsky - Synchronisms No. 1 for flute and electronic sound
Mario Davidovsky - Trio for Clarinet, Trumpet, and Viola
Ding Shande - Long March Symphony
Francis Jackson - Intrada for Organ, Op 84 no 6
Krzysztof Penderecki - Stabat Mater
Francis Poulenc - Sonata for Oboe
Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 B flat minor, Op. 113 "Babi-Yar"
Ezra Sims - Third Quartet
La Monte Young - The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer