1962
Jan. 1: The Beatles audition for Decca Records. The songs include three Lennon-McCartney tunes, “Hello Little Girl,” “Love of the Loved” and “Like Dreamers Do”, plus 12 others including “The Sheik of Araby,” “To Know Her Is To Love Her,” ”September in the Rain” and “Besame Mucho.” Decca decides not to sign them.
Jan. 2: The Beatles formally make Epstein their manager with a contract that doesn’t include his signature. In his autobiography, “A Cellarful of Noise,” Epstein says he didn’t sign it because “I wanted to free the Beatles of their obligations if I felt they would be better off.” He transforms the group from a scruffy band with leather jackets and pants to a slickly dressed group with suits, ties and trimmed hair. Lennon later is quoted as saying it was when the Beatles “sold out.”
March 8: The Beatles are heard in the first of many performances on BBC Radio on the program “Teenager’s Turn (Here We Go).” Their songs include “Beautiful Dreamer.”
June 6: The group’s first recording session for their new label, Parlophone Records, includes recordings of “Love Me Do,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Ask Me Why” and “Besame Mucho.”
Aug. 16: In answer to a suggestion by producer George Martin that Pete Best isn’t good enough, the Beatles ask Brian Epstein to fire Best and hire Ringo Starr to play drums. Ringo doesn’t make his debut until Aug. 18 (with only two hours rehearsal time) and a substitute plays with them until then.
Aug. 23: John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell, pregnant with their first child.
Sept. 4: At their second recording session, producer George Martin offers them the Mitch Murray tune, “How Do You Do It,” but the Beatles insist on doing a song of their own, “Love Me Do.” The Beatles win the argument; although “How Do You Do It” is recorded, “Love Me Do” is released instead and the Beatles version of “How Do You Do It” stays in the vaults unreleased. The song is later a hit for fellow Liverpudlians Gerry and the Pacemakers, also managed by Epstein.
Oct. 5: The group’s first British single, “Love Me Do”/”P.S. I Love You” is released. Brian Epstein reportedly bought 10,000 copies to ensure the record was a top 20 hit.
Oct. 17: The Beatles make their TV debut with a live performance on Granada TV’s “People and Places.”
Oct. 28: After a performance with the Beatles at Liverpool’s Empire Theater, singer Little Richard claims that Brian Epstein offered him a percentage share (some reports say as high as 50 percent) in the Beatles, but the singer turns it down. “I couldn’t accept ‘cos I never thought they’d make it,” he says in his autobiography.