⇦ 1961

1963 ⇨

The Best Music of 1962

Here is a selection of the best albums and songs from 1962. Hall of Famers are highlighted in orange.

For a list of the top artists who made their debut recording in 1962, check out this list.

Albums (?)		Wikipedia
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated	R&B from the Marquee	☆
Andy Williams	Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes	☆
Ben E. King	Don't Play That Song!	☆
Bill Evans Trio	Waltz for Debby	☆
Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	☆
Bobby "Blue" Bland	Here's the Man!	☆
Booker T. & The M.G.'s	Green Onions	☆
Chet Atkins	Down Home	☆
Count Basie	Count Basie and the Kansas City 7	☆
Dexter Gordon	Go!	☆
Dick Dale and His Del-Tones	Surfer's Choice	☆
Duane Eddy	Twangy Guitar, Silky Strings	☆
Etta James	Etta James	☆
Frank Sinatra	Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First	☆
Freddie Hubbard	Hub-Tones	☆
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass	The Lonely Bull	☆
Herbie Hancock	Takin' Off	☆
Howlin' Wolf	Howlin' Wolf (The Rockin' Chair Album)	☆
Howlin' Wolf	Howlin' Wolf	☆
John Coltrane	Coltrane	☆
John Lee Hooker	Burnin'	☆
Lightnin' Hopkins	Mojo Hand	☆
Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, et. al	The Real Ambassadors	☆
Marty Robbins	Marty After Midnight	☆
Nat King Cole	Dear Lonely Hearts	☆
Original Broadway Cast	Oliver!	☆
Patsy Cline	Sentimentally Yours	☆
Peter, Paul and Mary	Peter, Paul and Mary	☆
Quincy Jones	Big Band Bossa Nova	☆
Ray Charles	Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	☆
Roy Orbison	Crying	☆
Sam Cooke	Twistin' the Night Away	☆
Sonny Rollins	The Bridge	☆
Sonny Rollins	What's New?	☆
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd	Jazz Samba	☆
Stevie Wonder	The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie	☆
Sun Ra	The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra	☆
The Crystals	Twist Uptown	☆
The Four Seasons	Sherry & 11 Others	☆
Thelonious Monk	Monk's Dream	☆
Tony Bennett	I Left My Heart in San Francisco	☆
Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote	☆

---

Songs (?)		Wikipedia
Andy Williams	Moon River	☆
Ben E. King	Don't Play That Song	☆
Bob Dylan	Song to Woody	☆
Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers	Monster Mash	☆
Bobby Darin	Things	☆
Booker T. & The M.G.'s	Green Onions	☆
Buddy Guy	Stone Crazy	☆
Carole King	It Might as Well Rain Until September	☆
Chris Montez	Let's Dance	☆
Chubby Checker	Limbo Rock	☆
Clyde McPhatter	Lover Please	☆
Connie Francis	Pretty Little Baby	☆
Dee Dee Sharp	Mashed Potato Time	☆
Del Shannon	Little Town Flirt	☆
Dick Dale	Misirlou	☆
Dion	Little Diane	☆
Elvis Presley	Return to Sender	☆
Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell	Dueling Banjos	☆
Esther Phillips	Release Me	☆
Etta James	Something's Got a Hold on Me	☆
Freddy Cannon	Palisades Park	☆
Gene Chandler	Duke of Earl	☆
Gene Pitney	(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance	☆
Gene Pitney	Only Love Can Break a Heart	☆
John Barry & His Orchestra	James Bond Theme	☆
John Lee Hooker	Boom Boom	☆
Johnny Cash	The Ballad of John Henry	☆
King Curtis	Soul Twist	☆
Little Eva	The Loco-Motion	☆
Mary Wells	You Beat Me To The Punch	☆
Mary Wells	Two Lovers	☆
Neil Sedaka	Breaking Up Is Hard To Do	☆
Otis Redding	These Arms of Mine	☆
Patsy Cline	She's Got You	☆
Pete Seeger	Turn! Turn! Turn!	☆
Peter, Paul & Mary	If I Had A Hammer	☆
Peter, Paul, and Mary	Lemon Tree	☆
Quincy Jones	Soul Bossa Nova	☆
Ray Charles	I Can't Stop Loving You	☆
Ray Charles	Here We Go Again	☆
Roy Orbison	Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)	☆
Sam Cooke	Bring It on Home to Me	☆
Sam Cooke	Twistin’ the Night Away	☆
Sam Cooke	Having a Party	☆
Shelley Fabares	Johnny Angel	☆
Skeeter Davis	The End of the World	☆
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles	You Really Got a Hold on Me	☆
Solomon Burke	Cry To Me	☆
The Beach Boys	Surfin' Safari	☆
The Beach Boys	409	☆
The Beach Boys	Shut Down	☆
The Beatles	Love Me Do	☆
The Beatles	P.S. I Love You	☆
The Cascades	Rhythm of the Rain	☆
The Chantays	Pipeline	☆
The Contours	Do You Love Me	☆
The Crystals	He's a Rebel	☆
The Crystals	Uptown	☆
The Drifters	Up On The Roof	☆
The Earls	Remember Then	☆
The Everly Brothers	Crying in the Rain	☆
The Exciters	Tell Him	☆
The Four Seasons	Big Girls Don't Cry	☆
The Four Seasons	Sherry	☆
The Isley Brothers	Twist and Shout	☆
The Kingston Trio	Greenback Dollar	☆
The Marvelettes	Beechwood 4-5789	☆
The Orlons	The Wah-Watusi	☆
The Rivingtons	Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow	☆
The Shirelles	Soldier Boy	☆
The Shirelles	Baby It's You	☆
The Surfaris	Wipe Out	☆
The Tornados	Telstar	☆
The Vince Guaraldi Trio	Cast Your Fate to the Wind	☆
Tito Puente	Oye Cómo Va	☆
Tony Bennett	I Left My Heart in San Francisco	☆
Willie Nelson	Funny How Time Slips Away	☆

⇦ 1961

1963 ⇨