December 31, 1962 John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam, who form The Mamas & The Papas in 1965, are married. Their marriage falls apart in 1968 around the same time the group implodes. They're officially divorced in 1970.
December 6, 1962 Ben Watt (of the alt rock duo Everything but the Girl) is born in Marylebone, London, England.
November 27, 1962 Mike Bordin (drummer for Faith No More) is born in San Francisco, California. In high school, he forms the band EZ-Street with future Faith No More bandmate Jim Martin and future Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
November 9, 1962 In Birmingham, Alabama, two gunshots hit the side of the tour bus transporting Motown's Motortown Revue, as black acts are not welcome by everyone in the deep south. The show, at the National Guard Armory, marks the first time in the city's history that an integrated audience is allowed for a concert.
October 31, 1962 The "Monster Mash" rules the airwaves, becoming the most popular Halloween song of all time.More
October 28, 1962 At the Pandora's Box coffee shop in Los Angeles, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys meets his first wife, Marilyn Rovell, making an impression when he spills her hot chocolate. They are married from 1964 to 1979.
October 16, 1962 At the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, Motown Records launches their first package tour, the "Motortown Revue." Mary Wells and The Contours (thanks to their hit "Do You Love Me") are the big draws; lower on the bill are Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Little Stevie Wonder.
October 5, 1962 Parlophone releases the first Beatles single, "Love Me Do," in the UK. Radio Luxembourg puts it on the air, marking the first time a Beatles single is played on the radio.
October 3, 1962 Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is born Thomas Lee Bass in Athens, Greece. He soaks up media attention by marrying Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson, and locking horns with lead singer Vince Neil. Outside of Crüe, he fronts a rap-metal band called Methods Of Mayhem.
September 27, 1962 Martha Reeves and the Vandellas record "I'll Have To Let Him Go."
August 16, 1962 Stevie Wonder's first single is released: "I Call It Pretty Music (But Old People Call It The Blues)." Motown newbie Marvin Gaye plays drums on the track.
July 12, 1962 The Rolling Stones make their live debut at the Marquee Club in London subbing for Long John Baldry's Blues Incorporated. The band members are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Dick Taylor, Ian Stewart and future Kink Mick Avory.
July 11, 1962 The Marvelettes release "Beechwood 4-5789."
July 9, 1962 Bob Dylan, not yet famous, records "Blowin' In The Wind" at Columbia Records' studios in New York City, but doesn't release it until May 27, 1963, when it appears on his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. It eventually becomes one of Dylan's most famous songs, but the first version most listeners hear is the hit cover by Peter, Paul and Mary, which goes to #2 in the US in August 1963.
June 4, 1962 The Beach Boys release their second single, "Surfin' Safari" backed with "409."More
May 19, 1962 Mick Jagger is mentioned in print for the first time when the British music magazine Disc prints this item: "A 19-year-old Dartford rhythm-and-blues singer, Mick Jagger, has joined Alexis Korner's group, Blues Inc., and will sing with them regularly on their Saturday night dates at Ealing and Thursday session at the Marquee Jazz Club, London. Jagger, at present completing a course at the London School of Economics, also plays harmonica."
May 19, 1962 Less than three months before her death, Marilyn Monroe makes one of her last public appearances at President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration, where she famously sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in his honor.More
May 9, 1962 Pop singer Paul Heaton (of The Housemartins) is born in Machynlleth, Powys, Wales.
February 7, 1962 Garth Brooks is born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma; he's raised in Yukon, Oklahoma.More
February 1, 1962 Shelley Fabares debuts her hit single "Johnny Angel" on The Donna Reed Show episode "Donna's Prima Donna." Fabares plays daughter Mary Stone on the sitcom.
December 11, 1961 Motown Records scores their first #1 on the Hot 100 when The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" tops the chart.
November 25, 1961 The Everly Brothers report for duty at Camp Pendleton in southern California after joining the Marine Corps Reserves. By enlisting together, the brothers ensure that they won't be drafted - and separated.
October 23, 1961 Dion's "Runaround Sue" hits #1 for the first of two weeks. Dion pulled the name Sue out of thin air, but when he later marries a woman named Sue, she tells everyone the song is about her - even though she knows it isn't.
October 5, 1961 The Marcels release "Heartaches."
September 29, 1961 The New York Times publishes a glowing review of a Bob Dylan performance, giving the 20-year-old upstart his first press in a major publication.More
August 9, 1961 The movie Come September, starring first-time actor Bobby Darin and his wife Sandra Dee, opens in theaters. The pair met on set and married after a whirlwind romance.
April 3, 1961 The Marcels' "Blue Moon" hits #1 in America.
February 15, 1961 The Marcels record "Blue Moon."
January 19, 1961 The night before John F. Kennedy's inauguration, Frank Sinatra throws a star-studded gala to eradicate the Democratic Party's $2 million campaign debt. With the help of Peter Lawford, fellow Rat Packer and husband of JFK's sister Patricia, Sinatra enlists elite entertainers for the evening, including Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Gene Kelly, Ethel Merman, and actors Laurence Olivier, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, and Bette Davis.More
January 15, 1961 The Supremes sign with Motown Records. Along with Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, there is a fourth member, Barbara Martin, who leaves a year later. All except Martin are under 18 (Ross is 16) and need parental consent, which is granted after label boss Berry Gordy and his sister, Esther, win over their parents.
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