1962 was a monumental year for us humans; Astronaut John Glenn became the 1st man to orbit the earth, it was the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis, James Meredith becomes the first African-American student to begin college as a freshman at the University of Mississippi, and 1962 is also the year Marilyn Monroe is found dead in a Hollywood bungalow. Here are the top tunes from 1962…
“Palisades Park” from Freddy Cannon
“Johnny Angel” from Shelley Fabares
“The Wanderer” from Dion
“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” from Neil Sedaka
“The Twist” from Chubby Checker
“Stranger On The Shore” from Mr. Acker Bilk
“The Loco-Motion” from Little Eva
“Duke Of Earl” from Gene Chandler
“Soldier Boy” from Shirelles
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” from Ray Charles
“Mashed Potato Time” from Dee Dee Sharp
Observations: Diversity was alive in well in 1962, at least on your local radio station. The real stars that have incredible careers are Neil Sedaka, Ray Charles, and to a lesser extent, Shelly and the Shirelles.
—
Photo credit: Gajus / Shutterstock.com