1962 in music

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

Specific locations

1962 in British music
1962 in Japanese music
1962 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

1962 in country music
1962 in jazz

Events

January 1 – The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records in London. Decca has the option of signing one group only. The Beatles are rejected, perhaps because they come from Liverpool and the others are Dagenham-based, nearer London.
January 5 – The first album on which The Beatles play, My Bonnie, as backing to Tony Sheridan (recorded the previous June in Hamburg and produced by Bert Kaempfert), is released by Polydor.
January 24 – Brian Epstein signs a contract 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".
March 18 – The 7th Eurovision Song Contest, held at Villa Louvigny in Luxembourg City, is won by France with the song "Un premier amour", performed by Isabelle Aubret.
March 19 – Bob Dylan releases his debut album, Bob Dylan, in the United States, featuring mostly folk standards.
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 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.
May 29 – The 4th Annual Grammy Awards are held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Henry Mancini wins the most awards with five, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his song "Moon River". Judy Garland's Judy at Carnegie Hall wins Album of the Year, while Peter Nero wins Best New Artist.
June 6 – The Beatles play their first session at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, having signed with the Parlophone label on May 9.
August 17 – Instrumental single "Telstar", written and produced by Joe Meek for English band The Tornados, is released in the UK. On December 22 it will be the first recording 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, UK.
August 23 – John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell in an unpublicised register office ceremony at Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, with Paul McCartney as best man.
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 22 – Bob Dylan appears for the first time at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of a hootenanny including the first public performance of "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall".
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". 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 Granada television's local news programme People and Places in the north of England.
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.
November 11
Ken Russell's film Elgar is shown in BBC Television's Monitor series in the United Kingdom.
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.
The first American Folk Blues Festival, initiated by German promoters, tours Europe; artists include Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and T-Bone Walker. Its only UK date, 21 October at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, is influential on the British R&B scene, with the audience including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones with Jimmy Page, Paul Jones, John Mayall and other musicians, and with a second show filmed and shown on Independent Television.
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.
The Gulbenkian Orchestra is founded, originally as a 12-piece chamber ensemble, the Orquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian, in Lisbon (Portugal).
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
Koerner, Ray & Glover
The Rolling Stones
The Trashmen
Question Mark and the Mysterians
The Routers

Albums released

Adam Faith – Adam Faith
After Hours – Joni James
Album Seven by Rick – Rick Nelson
Alice Faye Sings Her Famous Movie Hits – Alice Faye
Along Comes Ruth – Ruth Brown
All Aboard the Blue Train – Johnny Cash
All Alone – Frank Sinatra
All the Sad Young Men – Anita O'Day
Baby It's You – The Shirelles
Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith – Jimmy Smith
Because You're Mine – Keely Smith
Ben E. King Sings for Soulful Lovers
The Best of Ball, Barber And Bilk – Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, and Acker Bilk
The Best of Irving Berlin's Songs from Mr. President – Perry Como with Kaye Ballard and Sandy Stewart
The Best of Julie – Julie London
The Best of Sam Cooke – Sam Cooke
Bewitching-Lee – Peggy Lee
Big Band Percussion – Ted Heath and His Music
Big Band Specials – June Christy
Billy Rose's Jumbo – Soundtrack
Blues Cross Country – Peggy Lee
Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets – Bobby Vee and The Crickets
A Bobby Vee Recording Session – Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee's Golden Greats – Bobby Vee
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan (debut album)

| Stockhausen, Karlheinz || Momente, first version || 1962-05-21 || Cologne, Germany (WDR, ) || Arroyo, WDR Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Aloys and Alfons Kontarsky, Stockhausen.

| Britten, Benjamin || War Requiem, Op. 65 || 1962-05-30 || Coventry, UK (Coventry Cathedral) || Harper, Pears, Fischer-Dieskau, CBSO, Melos Ensemble, Davies, Britten

| Stockhausen, Karlheinz || Klavierstück X || 1962-10-10 || Palermo, Italy (Terzo Settimano Internazionale Nuova Musica) || Rzewski

Compositions

George Barati – Chamber Concerto
Carlos Chávez – Symphony No. 6
Aaron Copland – Connotations
George Crumb – Five Pieces for piano
Luigi Dallapiccola
' for orchestra
' for baritone and chamber orchestra
Mario Davidovsky
Electronic Study No. 2
Synchronisms No. 1 for flute and electronic sound
Trio for Clarinet, Trumpet, and Viola
Ding Shande – Long March Symphony
Paavo Heininen – Second Symphony ("Petite symphonie joyeuse")
György Ligeti – Poème symphonique
Francis Jackson – Intrada for organ, Op. 84 No. 6
André Jolivet – Concerto for cello n°1
Wojciech Kilar – Riff 62 for symphony orchestra
Darius Milhaud
A Frenchman in New York
Invocation à l'ange Raphael
Overture Philharmonique
Symphony No. 12 Rurale
Krzysztof Penderecki – Stabat Mater
Francis Poulenc
Sonata for Oboe
Sonata for Clarinet
William Schuman – Symphony No. 8
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 113 "Babi-Yar"
Ezra Sims – Third Quartet
La Monte Young – The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer

Opera

Mozart Camargo Guarnieri – Um homem só (tragic opera in one act, libretto by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, premiered on November 29 at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – The Importance of Being Earnest
Carlisle Floyd – The Passion of Jonathan Wade
Michael Tippett – King Priam
Bruno Maderna – Don Perlimplin (ovvero il Trionfo dell'amore e dell'immaginazione)

Film

David Amram - The Manchurian Candidate
Elmer Bernstein - To Kill a Mockingbird
Georges Delerue - Jules and Jim
Jerry Goldsmith - Freud
Bernard Herrmann - Cape Fear
Maurice Jarre - Lawrence of Arabia
Bronislau Kaper - Mutiny on the Bounty
Krzysztof Komeda - Knife in the Water
Henry Mancini - Days of Wine and Roses
Henry Mancini - Experiment in Terror
Henry Mancini - Hatari!
Alfred Newman - How the West Was Won
Monty Norman - Dr. No
Franz Waxman - Taras Bulba

Jazz

Musical theatre

All-American Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre and ran for 80 performances
Blitz! (Lionel Bart) – London production
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre and ran for 964 performances
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes London production
The Golden Apple Off-Broadway revival of 1954 Broadway production
I Can Get It for You Wholesale Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre and ran for 300 performances
Little Mary Sunshine London production
Little Me Broadway production opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 17 and ran for 257 performances
No Strings Broadway production opened at the 54th Street Theater on March 15 and ran for 580 performances
Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse) – Broadway production

Musical films

Bees Saal Baad, starring Biswajeet
Billy Rose's Jumbo released December 6 starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Stephen Boyd and Martha Raye
Gypsy starring Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood and Karl Malden. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
Girls! Girls! Girls! starring Elvis Presley
The Music Man starring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and Hermione Gingold. Directed by Morton DaCosta.
The Road to Hong Kong
State Fair
Wild Guitar

Births

January 2 - Sister Nancy, Jamaican dancehall DJ, and singer
January 4
Robin Guthrie (The Cocteau Twins)
Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
January 8 – Chris Marion, American musician (Little River Band)
January 13 – Trace Adkins, American country music singer-songwriter
January 15 – Tony Rebel, reggae/dancehall artist
January 16
Paul Webb (Talk Talk)
Maxine Jones, American singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman (En Vogue)
January 19 – Sandeé, American singer (Exposé) (d. 2008)
January 22 – Jimmy Herring, American guitarist
January 28 – Leslie Phillips/Sam Phillips, singer
January 31 – Sophie Muller, British music video director
February 1 – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese guitarist (Boøwy)
February 4 – Clint Black, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
February 5 – Martin Nievera, Filipino singer and TV personality
February 6 – Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses, LA Guns, AC/DC)
February 7
David Bryan, keyboardist for the band Bon Jovi
Garth Brooks, country singer
February 10 – Cliff Burton, bassist for Metallica (died 1986)
February 11 – Sheryl Crow, American singer
February 15 – Carol Rich, Swiss singer
February 17 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Triffids and The Blackeyed Susans) (died 1999)
February 19 – Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez, singer
February 21 – Mark Arm, born Mark McLaughlin, American grunge vocalist (Mudhoney)
February 22
Olivier Latry, French organist
Michael Wilton, American progressive metal guitarist Queensrÿche
February 24 – Michelle Shocked, American musician
February 26 – Gerry Leonard, Irish guitarist and singer
March 2
Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer for the band Bon Jovi
Scott La Rock, American DJ and producer (Boogie Down Productions) (d. 1987)
March 5
Craig Reid and Charlie Reid, The Proclaimers
Amina Annabi, French-Tunisian singer-songwriter and actress
March 7 – Taylor Dayne, American singer
March 10 – Gary Clark (musician), Scottish singer-songwriter, music producer (The Veronicas, Delta Goodrem, Reece Mastin, Gin Wigmore)
March 15 – Terence Trent D'Arby, American-born English singer
March 17 – Clare Grogan, Scottish actress and singer
March 24
Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
Renee Rosnes, Canadian jazz pianist/composer
Rita, Israeli pop singer and actress
March 29 – Dan Bittman, Romanian singer
March 30 – M.C. Hammer, American rapper
March 31 – Phil Leadbetter, American musician (died 2021)
April 3 – Mike Ness (Social Distortion)
April 8 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist (Guns N' Roses, Ju Ju Hounds)
April 12
Art Alexakis, American singer and musician (Everclear)
Michael English, American Christian singer
April 13
Hillel Slovak, American rock musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (died 1988)
Lane McCray, German group (La Bouche)
April 16 – Ian MacKaye, American musician (Minor Threat, Fugazi)
April 17 – Niki Haris, American singer and dancer (Snap!)
April 18 – Min Hae-kyung, South Korean singer
May 2 — Alain Johannes, American musician and producer (Eleven (band), Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures)
May 9 – Dave Gahan, English singer (Depeche Mode)
May 12 – Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion)
May 14
Ian Astbury, British rock singer (The Cult)
C.C. DeVille, American rock guitarist (Poison)
May 16 – Erwin Gutawa, Indonesian composer
May 18 – Sandra, German singer
May 28 – Brandon Cruz, American child actor and musician
May 30 – Choi Min-sik, South Korean actor
May 31 – Corey Hart
June 8
Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran)
Kristine W, American singer
June 10 – Wong Ka Kui, Hong Kong composer, songwriter, musician and singer (died 1993)
June 15 – Andrea Rost, Hungarian lyric soprano
June 16 – Femi Kuti, Nigerian saxophonist
June 17 – Lio, Belgian singer and actress
June 19 – Paula Abdul, American pop vocalist
June 20 – Mark De Gli Antoni, Soul Coughing
June 21 – Viktor Tsoi, Soviet underground singer and songwriter (died 1990)
June 22 – Bobby Gillespie, Scottish musician (Primal Scream)
June 23
Chuck Billy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Testament and Dublin Death Patrol)
Steve Shelley, American musician (Sonic Youth and Crucifucks)
June 26 – Andrej Šeban, guitarist
June 27 – Michael Ball, British stage actor and singer
July 3
Brian Canham, Australian rock singer (Pseudo Echo)
July 7 – Mark White, bassist (Spin Doctors)
July 8 – Joan Osborne, American singer
July 11 – Muriel Dacq, Belgian singer and songwriter
July 13 – Rhonda Vincent, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player
July 18 – Jack Irons, American drummer (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam)
July 21 – Lee Aaron, Canadian rock and jazz singer
July 22
Steve Albini, guitarist
Martine St. Clair, Canadian singer and actress
July 26 – Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Irish musician
July 27 – Karl Mueller (Soul Asylum) (died 2005)
July 29 – Lisa Ono, Japanese-Brazilian bossa nova singer
August 4 – Paul Reynolds (A Flock of Seagulls)
August 17 – Gilby Clarke, American rock musician (Guns N' Roses)
August 25 – Vivian Campbell, rock guitarist (Def Leppard)
September 9 – Kaija Kärkinen, Finnish singer and actress
September 12 – Dino Merlin, Bosnian singer-songwriter
September 18 – Joanne Catherall, English synth-pop singer (The Human League)
September 20 – Fionnuala Sherry, Irish violinist (Secret Garden)
September 22 – Alejandro Abad, Chilean-Spanish singer
September 26 – Tracey Thorn, English singer, songwriter and writer
September 27 – Glenn Jones, American R&B and soul singer
October 2 – Bebi Dol, Serbian singer
October 3 – Tommy Lee, drummer (Mötley Crüe)
October 5 – Ken Noda, concert pianist and composer
October 12 – Chris Botti, jazz trumpeter
October 15 – Mark Reznicek, alternative rock drummer (Toadies)
October 16
Flea, American-Australian actor and rock bassist (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, operatic baritone (died 2017)
October 25 – Chad Smith, American rock drummer (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
November 1
Magne Furuholmen, Norwegian rock keyboardist (a-ha)
Anthony Kiedis, American rock singer (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
November 2
Ron McGovney, American rock bassist (Metallica)
Graham Waterhouse, English composer
November 3
Marilyn, born Peter Robinson, pop vocalist
Geir Rönning, Finnish singer-songwriter
November 9 – Steve "Silk" Hurley, house-music producer and club DJ
November 11
Mic Michaeli, Swedish rock keyboardist (Europe)
James Morrison, Australian musician
November 12 – Brix Smith, American singer and guitarist (The Fall and The Adult Net)
November 16 – Carles Magraner, Spanish musician and teacher
November 18 – Kirk Hammett, American rock guitarist (Metallica)
November 20
Peng Liyuan, Chinese folk singer and First Lady
Gail Ann Dorsey, American musician and singer
November 21 – Steven Curtis Chapman, American Christian music singer-songwriter
November 27
Charlie Benante, American drummer (Anthrax)
Mike Bordin (Faith No More)
November 28 – Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
December 4 – Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge)
December 5 – José Cura, Argentine tenor
December 6 - Ben Watt, British musician, singer, songwriter, author, DJ and radio presenter, best known as one half of the duo Everything but the Girl and Tracy Thorn
December 8 – Marty Friedman (Megadeth)
December 23 – Sass Jordan, Canadian singer, actress and television personality
December 25 – Francis Dunnery, English musician, singer-songwriter (It Bites)
December 28 – Michel Petrucciani, French musician (died 1999)
December 31 – Jennifer Higdon, American composer
December 31 - Heather McCartney, American potter and artist daughter of Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
Unknown date? – Mark Adamo, American composer

Deaths

January 29 – Fritz Kreisler, violinist, 86
February 5 – Jacques Ibert, composer, 71
February 7 – Roy Atwell, American actor, comedian and composer, 83
February 17 – Bruno Walter, conductor, 85
February 22 – Attila the Hun, calypso singer, 69
March 24 – Jean Goldkette, jazz musician, 69
April 10 – Stuart Sutcliffe, early member of The Beatles, 21
May 24 – Cloe Elmo, operatic contralto, 52
May 27 – Egon Petri, pianist, 81
June 12 – John Ireland, pianist and composer, 82
June 13 – Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens, conductor, 69
June 15 – Alfred Cortot, pianist and conductor, 84
July 11 – René Maison, operatic tenor, 66
July 12 – Roger Wolfe Kahn, bandleader, 54 (heart attack)
July 25 – Christie MacDonald, actress and singer, 87
August 5 - Marilyn Monroe, Actress and Singer, 36
August 19 – Emilius Bangert, composer and organist, 79
September 6
Hanns Eisler, composer, 64
Dermot Troy, lyric tenor, 35 (heart attack)
October 6 – Solomon Linda, Zulu musician, 53
October 15 – Joseph Noyon, French organist and composer, 74
November 15 – Toscha Seidel, violinist, 62
November 18 – Steffy Goldner, harpist, 66
November 19 – Clara Clemens, concert contralto, daughter of Mark Twain, 88
December 7 – Kirsten Flagstad, operatic soprano, 67
December 13 – Harry Barris, singer, composer and pianist, 57 (alcohol-related)
December 22 – Roy Palmer, jazz trombonist, 70
December 31 – Bella Alten, operatic soprano, 85
date unknown – Palladam Sanjiva Rao, flautist and Carnatic musician

Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1962: Un premier amour, sung by Isabelle Aubret for France (music by Claude-Henri Vic, text by Roland Stephane Valade)