1962 in British Music

The Story of 1962

The year everything changed. In January, Brian Epstein signed The Beatles to a management contract. In June, they auditioned for Decca and were rejected – guitar groups are on the way out, they were told. In September, they recorded 'Love Me Do', which crept into the charts at number 17, a modest start for the most important recording career in British history. The Beatles had arrived, but they weren't alone. The Merseybeat sound was exploding – Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers and Billy J. Kramer all emerged from the same Liverpool clubs. In London, the Rolling Stones were playing their first shows at the Marquee Club. The charts in 1962 still had room for trad jazz – Acker Bilk's 'Stranger on the Shore' was a massive hit, the first British single to top the American charts – but the tide was turning. Helen Shapiro, a teenage vocal sensation, showed that young British women could sell records. Joe Meek released 'Telstar' by the Tornados, a pioneering instrumental that became the first US number one by a British group. The British music industry was about to be turned upside down, and 1962 was the year the first domino fell.