- 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
- Isaac Hayes ' recording career begins
- Paul & Paula 's musical career begins
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1962.
Hot 100 No. 1 Hits Of 1962 (USA)
- January 4 - Robin Guthrie , The Cocteau Twins
- 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 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 7 - Andrew Glover , Composer
- August 25 - Vivian Campbell , Def Leppard
- October 3 - Tommy Lee , Mötley Crüe
- 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 - Antony Kiedis , lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers
- November 3 - Marilyn , pop vocalist
- 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
- 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
- December 7 - Kirsten Flagstad
- December 13 - Harry Barris , US singer, composer and pianist
- December 22 - Roy Palmer , jazz trombonist
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