1962 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1962.

Events
January 1 – The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records in London 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 5 – The first album on which The Beatles play, My Bonnie, credited to "Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers" (recorded last June in Hamburg and produced by Bert Kaempfert), is released by Polydor.[1][2] January 24 – Brian Epstein signs on to manage The Beatles. February 16 – Conductor Bruno Walter, the day before his death, ends his last letter with: "Despite all the dark experiences of today I am still confident that Palestrina will remain. The work has all the elements of immortality".[3] March 19 – Bob Dylan releases his debut album, Bob Dylan, in the United States. April 6 – New York Philharmonic concert of April 6, 1962: Leonard Bernstein causes controversy with his remarks before a concert featuring Glenn Gould with the New York Philharmonic, when he (Bernstein) announces that although he disagrees with Gould's slow tempi in Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1, he finds Gould's ideas fascinating and will conduct the piece anyway. Bernstein's action receives a withering review from The New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg. 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.) April 24 – Bob Dylan begins recording The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in New York. June 6 – The Beatles played their first session at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London.[2] June 19 – The film version of the musical The Music Man is released to theaters by Warner Bros. August 16 – The Beatles fire Pete Best and replace him as drummer with Ringo Starr. August 17 – Telstar is released in the UK. The song will eventually be the first song by a British group ever to reach the top spot on the Billboard Top 100 in the United States, proving to be a precursor to the British Invasion. August 18 – The Beatles play their first live engagement with the line-up of John, Paul, George and Ringo, at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight on the Wirral Peninsula.[2] August 23 – John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell in an unpublicised register office ceremony at Mount Pleasant, Liverpool. September 21 – New Musical Express, the British music magazine, publishes a story about two 13-year-old schoolgirls, Sue and Mary, releasing a disc on Decca and adds "A Liverpool group, The Beatles, have recorded 'Love Me Do' for Parlophone Records, set for October 5 release." September 23 – Opening concert at the New York Philharmonic's new home, Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, conducted by Leonard Bernstein and broadcast live on television across the United States by NBC. The opening work, Aaron Copland's specially commissioned Connotations, sends "shock waves through the world of music".[4] Other commissions featured include Darius Milhaud's Overture Philharmonique and Samuel Barber's Andromache's Farewell for soprano and orchestra. The following day, John Browning premières Barber's Piano Concerto at the venue and on October 4 William Schuman's Symphony No. 8 is premièred here. October 5 – The Beatles' first single in their own right, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You", is released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label. October 14 – Italian tenor Sergio Franchi makes his American TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. October 17 – The Beatles make their first televised appearance, on People and Places.[5] October 20 – Peter, Paul and Mary's self-titled debut album reaches No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. October 21 – Sergio Franchi makes his American concert debut at Carnegie Hall (sans microphone), promoted by Sol Hurok. Joan Baez has all of her first three albums on the Billboard charts, on their way to Gold status. Two Pete Seeger classic songs reach the Billboard pop charts: "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" recorded by The Kingston Trio reaches No. 21. "If I Had a Hammer", recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, reaches No. 10.

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. José Manuel Calderón becomes the first Dominican musician to record bachata, at the Radiotelevisión Dominicana studios. 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. Paul & Paula make their first appearance together while attending Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas. The Mashed Potato is a popular dance craze, with several songs based around the style. Lou Harrison visits Taiwan; on his return he forms, with William Colvig, Richard Dee and Lily Chin, the first American ensemble to play traditional Chinese music. Sergio Franchi is signed to an RCA Red Seal recording contract in London by Norman Luboff.

Bands formed
Booker T. & the MG's Herman's Hermits The Rolling Stones The Trashmen Question Mark and the Mysterians The Routers

Singles

 * 1) Miserlou Dick Dale and The Del-Tones
 * 2) Green Onions Booker T. & the M.G.'s
 * 3) Bring It On Home to Me Sam Cooke
 * 4) Johnny B. Goode Chuck Berry
 * 5) My Baby Just Cares for Me Nina Simone
 * 6) Do You Love Me The Contours
 * 7) Telstar The Tornados
 * 8) Boom Boom John Lee Hooker
 * 9) She's Got You Patsy Cline
 * 10) Pipeline The Chantays
 * 11) Le temps de l'amour Françoise Hardy
 * 12) Happy Landing / You've Really Got a Hold on Me The Miracles
 * 13) These Arms of Mine Otis Redding
 * 14) The End of the World Skeeter Davis
 * 15) Twistin' the Night Away Sam Cooke
 * 16) The Loco-Motion Little Eva
 * 17) He's a Rebel The Crystals
 * 18) The James Bond Theme The John Barry Seven and Orchestra
 * 19) Love Letters Ketty Lester
 * 20) Monster Mash Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
 * 21) Sherry The Four Seasons
 * 22) Big Girls Don't Cry The Four Seasons
 * 23) Shelia Tommy Roe
 * 24) Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Neil Sedaka
 * 25) She's Not You Elvis Presley
 * 26) The Young Ones Cliff Richard
 * 27) The Stripper David Rose
 * 28) Johnny Angel Shelley Fabares
 * 29) Soldier Boy The Shirelles
 * 30) Dance On! The Shadows
 * 31) The Next Time/Bachelor Boy Cliff Richard
 * 32) Bobby's Girl Susan Maughan
 * 33) Don't Break the Heart That Loves You Connie Francis
 * 34) Roses Are Red (My Love) Bobby Vinton
 * 35) Forget Me Not Eden Kane
 * 36) Lovesick Blues Frank Ifield
 * 37) Sealed With a Kiss Brian Hyland