This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1962.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.
Sam Roy Hagar, also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed further commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985, but left in 1996. He returned to the band from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. His musical style primarily consists of hard rock and heavy metal.
Girls Town is a 1959 American drama film directed by Charles F. Haas and starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Tormé, and Ray Anthony. Paul Anka also appears in his first acting role. Van Doren stars as a juvenile delinquent who is sent to a girls' school run by nuns, where she finds herself unable to help her sister. The film capitalizes on the 1950s rebellious-teen exploitation films, with catfights, car races, music from Anka and The Platters, and sexy outfits.
Valley Girl is a 1983 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge and written and produced by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane. Loosely based on the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the film centers on the romance between a valley girl and a city punk. Michelle Meyrink, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye and Michael Bowen appear in supporting roles.
The beach party film is an American film genre of feature films which were produced and released between 1963 and 1968, created by American International Pictures (AIP), beginning with their surprise hit, Beach Party, in July 1963. With this film, AIP is credited with creating the genre. In addition to the AIP films, several contributions to the genre were produced and released by major and independent studios alike. According to various sources, the genre comprises over 30 films, with the lower-budget AIP films being the most profitable.
"Chevy Van" is a song by American singer and songwriter Sammy Johns, written and sung by Johns. The song was originally released in 1973 by GRC Records on Johns debut album, which was also released in 1973. The instrumental backing was played by Los Angeles-based session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.
Sammy Reginald Johns was an American singer-songwriter known for his 1975 hit song "Chevy Van", which was originally released in 1973. The song was certified gold by the RIAA on May 5, 1975.
"High Hopes" is a popular song first popularized by Frank Sinatra, with music written by James Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was introduced by Sinatra and child actor Eddie Hodges in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head, was nominated for a Grammy, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 32nd Academy Awards.
Stuart Goetz is a Daytime Emmy Award winning film music editor best known for his music editing roles on The West Wing, The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars, among others.
"There's a Small Hotel" is a 1936 song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. Originally written for but dropped from the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1935), it was used in On Your Toes (1936), where it was introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson, and repeated by Jack Whiting and Vera Zorina in the London West End production that opened on 5 February 1937, at the Palace Theatre.
The Bobby Vinton Show was a Canadian musical variety television series produced for the CTV Television Network between 1975 and 1978, with a total of 52 episodes broadcast. Featuring Bobby Vinton, a best-selling popular music singer since the early 1960s, the series mixed comedy skits with musical interludes. Appearing on the series as a regular was comedian Billy Van. The series often satirized Vinton's Polish heritage, and its theme song was an "umpah band" rendition of his 1974 song "My Melody of Love". The series was created by Chris Bearde and packaged by Chuck Barris. The shows always commenced with a large woman named Monique dancing the guest out to the stage.
"Asphalt Risin'" is a song by American stoner rock band Fu Manchu. It was released as a single in 1996 by Mammoth Records – the first of two single releases off the album In Search of.... The B-side was a rendition of the 1975 song "Chevy Van" which was originally written and performed by Sammy Johns. It was featured in and on the soundtrack of the 1977 film The Van, in which the main character drove around in a retrofitted custom van.
Joy of Sex is a 1984 American sex comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. It was written by Kathleen Rowell and J.J. Salter, based on the sex manual by Alex Comfort.
Starstruck, stylized as StarStruck, is a 2010 American teen musical drama television film starring Sterling Knight and Danielle Campbell that premiered as a Disney Channel Original Movie on February 14, 2010.
The Pom Pom Girls is a 1976 American film directed by Joseph Ruben. The screenplay was written by Ruben and based on a story by him and Robert J. Rosenthal. The movie was shot on location at Chaminade High School in Los Angeles. The Pom Pom Girls is a low budget sex comedy, which was often popular at drive-in theaters during the 1970's. The film features an early performance by Robert Carradine, who would go onto playing Lewis Skolnik in the 1984 hit movie, Revenge Of The Nerds. The film also features Susan Player Jarreau, wife of Grammy winning singer, the late Al Jarreau.
"I Go to Pieces" is a song written by Del Shannon which became a top ten hit for Peter and Gordon on 20 February 1965. The duo's fourth single, it was their first not to be written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Michael Jeffrey Lloyd is an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. After working with Mike Curb, Kim Fowley and others in the mid-to-late 1960s on musical projects including the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, and Steven Spielberg's first short film, Amblin', he became a producer of such teen idol pop stars as the Osmonds, Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett in the 1970s.
Vansploitation is a term and film genre used to describe American independent films from the 1970s, in which a van or vans are the main key element to the plot, and feature comedic stories about young adults.
Michael George Thevis was a Greek American millionaire pornographer and convicted murderer based in Atlanta, Georgia, but with close links to the Five Families of New York City and the DeCavalcante crime family of Newark, New Jersey. After escaping from prison on April 28, 1978, Thevis was put on the FBI Most Wanted List.
