Gerry and the Pacemakers

Gerry and the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers
	The band in 1964:Les Maguire(top),; Freddie Marsden,Gerry Marsden,; Les Chadwick
Background information
Also known as	Gerry Marsden and the Mars Bars (1956–1959); Gerry's Pacemakers (2021–present)
Origin	Liverpool,England
Genres	Merseybeat; pop; rock and roll;
Years active	1956–1966; 1972–2018; 2021–present (as Gerry's Pacemakers);
Labels	Columbia (EMI)(UK); Laurie(US); United Artists(US); Capitol(Canada); Parlophone(UK);
Members	Gerry's Pacemakers:; Darren Tingey; Jimmy Stanley; Dean Hilborne; John Meaney
Past members	Gerry Marsden; Freddie Marsden; Arthur "Mack" McMahon; Les Chadwick; Faron Ruffley; Les Maguire; Jose McLaughlin; Billy Kinsley; Pete Clarke; Tony Young; Dave Burgess; Neil Rhodes; Alan Greenwood; Keff McCulloch; Tracey McCulloch; Andy Taylor; Rick Medlock;
Website	gerryandthepacemakers.co.uk

Gerry and the Pacemakerswere an Englishbeatgroup prominent in the 1960sMerseybeatscene. In common withthe Beatles,they came fromLiverpool,were managed byBrian Epsteinand recorded byGeorge Martin.^[1]Their early successes helped make popular the Merseybeat sound and launch the wider British beat boom of the mid-1960s

They were the first act to reach number one in theUK Singles Chartwith their first three single releases: "How Do You Do It?","I Like It"and"You'll Never Walk Alone".^[2]This record was not equalled for 20 years,^[2]until the mid-1980s success of fellow Liverpool bandFrankie Goes to Hollywood.Another of their most famous songs, "Ferry Cross the Mersey",refers to theRiver Mersey,which flows past Liverpool and was the title song for thefilm of the same name.The group also enjoyed some success inNorth Americaas part of theBritish Invasion,with seven of their singles reaching the US top 40, the most popular being "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying".

Gerry Marsdenled the group on and off through the years until his retirement in 2018. Since his death in 2021 his bandmates, from his final lineup of the band, have returned to touring asGerry's Pacemakers,^[3]as Marsden requested before he retired.

History

Marsden formed the group in 1956 with his brother Fred, Les Chadwick, and Arthur McMahon.^[1]At the time, Gerry had been working forBritish Railas a deliveryman.^[4]They rivalledthe Beatlesearly in their career, playing in the same areas of Liverpool.^[1]McMahon (known as Arthur Mack) was replaced on piano byLes Maguirearound 1961.^[1]The group's original name wasGerry Marsden and the Mars Bars,^[5]but they were forced to change this when theMars Company,producers of the chocolateMars bar,complained.^[6]

The band was the second to sign with Brian Epstein (becoming one of his favourite artists.^{[citation needed]}Epstein later signed them toColumbia Records(a sister label to the Beatles' labelParlophoneunderEMI).^[1]They began recording in January 1963 with "How Do You Do It?",a song written byMitch Murray.^[7]The song was produced byGeorge Martinand became a number one hit in the UK, the first by an Epstein-managed Liverpool group to achieve this on all charts.^[8]"How Do You Do It?" was also reluctantly recorded by the Beatles (they eventually convinced Martin to let them release their song "Love Me Do"^[9]as a single instead). Both the Pacemakers' and Beatles' versions of "How Do You Do It?" were recorded atAbbey Road Studios.^[10]

Gerry Marsden was quoted as saying:

The Beatles and ourselves (The Pacemakers)—we let go, when we get on-stage. I'm not being detrimental, but in the south, I think the groups have let themselves get a bit too formal. On Merseyside, it's beat, beat, beat all the way. We go on and really have a ball.^[11]

The 'Shankly Gates' entrance to Liverpool's home stadiumAnfield.The anthem ofLiverpool F.C.,"You'll Never Walk Alone" is sung by its fans before the start of each home game, with the Gerry and the Pacemakers version played over thePA system.

Gerry and the Pacemakers' next two singles, Murray's "I Like It"andRodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone",both also reached number one in the UK Singles Chart,^[12]the latter recorded instead of the Beatles' "Hello Little Girl"."You'll Never Walk Alone "had been a favourite of Marsden's since seeingCarouselwhen he was growing up. It quickly became the signature tune ofLiverpool Football Cluband, later, other sports teams around the world.^[13]^[14]The song remains a football anthem.^[15]The group narrowly missed a fourth consecutive number one when "I'm the One"was kept off the top spot for two weeks in February 1964 by fellow LiverpudliansThe Searchers' "Needles and Pins".

Gerry and the Pacemakers had the distinction of being the first act to have their first three recordings go to number 1 in the UK charts.^[16]Although they never had a number 1 in the United States, they were the second-most successful group from Liverpool, afterthe Beatles,to have hits on theUnited States Billboard pop charts.

The group's New York arrival in 1964.

Despite this early success, Gerry and the Pacemakers never had another number one single in the UK. Marsden began writing most of their songs, including "I'm the One", "It's Gonna Be All Right" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey", as well as their first and biggest UShit,"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"(Laurie 3251), which peaked at No. 4.^[1]

The band also starred in the early 1965 film,Ferry Cross the Merseyfor which Marsden wrote much of the soundtrack.^[1]The film was co-written byCoronation Streetcreator and writerTony Warrenand is considered to be their version of the Beatles'A Hard Day's Night.^[17]

The title song was revived in 1989 as a charity single for an appeal in response to theHillsborough football crowd disaster,giving Marsden – in association with other Liverpool stars, includingPaul McCartney,Ringo StarrandFrankie Goes to Hollywood'sHolly Johnson– another British number one.^[1]^[18]

In the US, their recordings were released by the small New York City record labelLauriein 1963, with which they issued four singles without success. When the Beatles broke through in January 1964, Laurie's next regular single release of "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (Laurie 3284) became a big hit and, during 1964, Laurie coupled "How Do You Do It?" with "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Laurie 3261), and "I Like It" with "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"(Laurie 3271), with some success. They appeared in the landmarkconcert filmT.A.M.I. Show,released in December 1964, performing alongsideChuck Berry,The Beach Boys,James BrownandThe Rolling Stones.

By late 1965, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic.^[1]They disbanded either in October 1966 or sometime in early-to-mid-1967,^[1](or perhaps in 1969^[4]) with much of their later recorded material never released in the UK. Gerry Marsden maintained a low-key (but popular) career on television,^[10]including on TV variety shows and as a regular slot on children's television inThe Sooty Show.^[19]^[4]He also starred in theWest EndmusicalCharlie GirlalongsideDerek NimmoandAnna Neagle.^[20]^[21]^[4]

While working as a solo artist, Gerry Marsden began working with pianist and musical director Jose McLaughlin in 1970. In 1972, Gerry Marsden and McLaughlin reformed the Pacemakers in 1972 with fellowLiverpoolmusicians Billy Kinsley (bass) and Pete Clarke (drums).^[22]Kinsley had previously been a member ofThe Merseybeats,the Kinsleys, and Rockin' Horse. (Kinsley would later reunite Rockin' Horse after leaving the Pacemakers and rename his new groupLiverpool Express).^[23]Clarke had previously been a member of a band called The Escorts. In April 1973, this second version of the group became the only Merseybeat band to ever record for theJohn Peel Showon BBC Radio. The tracks from that show have now been included on the albumGerry and the Pacemakers Live at the BBC,released on Parlophone Records in October 2018.^[24]^[25]^[26]Since then, Marsden often toured with various lineups of the band on the oldies circuit. By the mid-1980s, Gerry and the Pacemakers toured nine months every year (in the words of David Fricke ofRolling Stone) "doing lucrative cabaret gigs and nostalgia rock shows in Europe, North America, and Australia."^[4]

Gerry Marsden returned to #1 in the UK charts twice during the 1980s with re-recordings of two of his hits with the Pacemakers, with all profits going to charity. In 1985 after theBradford Football Club stadium tragedyin which 56 were killed,^[27]he formed a group calledthe Crowd,which included other musicians, singers, and radio disc jockeys, to produce a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone".^[17]On 18 April 1989, three days after theHillsborough disasterin which 97 Liverpool F.C. fans died, he joined forces withPaul McCartney,theChristians,Holly Johnson,and the production trioStock, Aitken & Watermanon a new version of "Ferry Cross the Mersey".^[17]^[28]

Drummer Freddie Marsden later opened the Pacemaker driving school inFormby^[29]after having previously worked forBritish Telecomduring the 1980s.^[4]He died on 9 December 2006 inSouthport,age 66.^[30]

On 15 March 2017, Gerry Marsden collapsed onstage due to a sore knee while performing at a concert inNewport, Wales.After being helped offstage, Marsden did not return but was quoted as saying the incident was "nothing serious".^[31]

Gerry Marsden announced his retirement on 29 November 2018, in order to spend more time with family,^[32]but, on 6 June 2019, to commemorate Liverpool's win againstTottenhamin theChampions League,he surprisedTake Thatfans by singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at their show atAnfield.^[33]^[17]

Original bass player Les Chadwick died on 26 December 2019.^[34](After the original lineup broke up during the 1960s, Chadwick moved to Australia.^[4])

In 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic,Gerry Marsden released a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" in tribute to theNational Health Service.^[35]

Marsden died on 3 January 2021 atArrowe Park HospitalinMerseyside,after being diagnosed with ablood infectionin his heart. He was 78 years old.^[36]^[37]

Les Maguire, the last surviving member of the classic 1960s lineup, died on 25 November 2023.^[38](Some time after the original lineup split during the 1960s, Maguire joined theRoyal Navy,where he was still serving and employed during 1985.^[4])

Liverpool F.C.

Gerry and the Pacemakers song "You'll Never Walk Alone" was adopted by theLiverpool F.C.as an anthem.^[39]

The chart-topping song quickly gained popularity within the Liverpool community and became the Reds football anthem shortly thereafter.

Gerry Marsden gave Liverpool managerBill Shanklya copy of the single during a pre-season trip in 1963, the manager said to have been in awe of the song. Since then, the song has been played prior to every Liverpool home game atAnfield,with the club also eventually adding You'll Never Walk Alone to its coat of arms and using the phrase as an official motto. The sea of red scarves raised by Liverpool fans in The Kop as they blast out their anthem pre-game has become one of the most iconic images in the sport of football.^[39]

Members

This is a partial list of band members.^[40]^[41]^[1]^[22]^[23]

Current members (Gerry's Pacemakers)

Darren Tingey - vocals, bass (2022–present)
Jimmy Stanley - guitar (2023–present)^[42]
Dean Hilborne - drums (2023–present)^[42]
John Meaney - keyboards, vocals (2024–present)^[43]

Former members (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

The original lineup of "Gerry and the Pacemakers" are inbold

Gerry Marsden– lead vocals, guitar (1956–1966, 1972–2018; died 2021)
Les Chadwick– bass (1956–1966; died 2019)
Freddie Marsden– backing vocals, drums (1956–1966; died 2006)
Arthur (Mack) McMahon – piano (1956–1961)
Faron Ruffley– vocals (January–February 1961^[44])
Les Maguire– harmony and backing vocals, piano (1961–1966, 1980s; died 2023)
Jose McLaughlin – piano, guitar, musical director (1972–1974)
Billy Kinsley– bass (1972–1975?)
Pete Clarke – drums (1972–1978)
Dave Burgess – drums (1978–1983)^[45]^[46]
Neil Rhodes – bass (1981–1982)^[47]^{[deprecated source]}
Alan Greenwood – piano (1981–1982)^[47]^{[deprecated source]}
Keff McCulloch– backing vocals (1990s)^[48]
Tracey McCulloch – backing vocals (1990s)^[48]
Andy Taylor– guitar (1993)^[48]
Tony Young - vocals, keyboards (1996–2018)^[49]
Steve Thompson - lead guitar, vocals (2001 - 2018)
Nick Woolgar - drums (2012 - 2018)
Rick Medlock - drums

Former members (Gerry's Pacemakers)

Members of Gerry's Pacemakers who were in Gerry and the Pacemakers are inbold

Tee Green - vocals (2021–2022)^[50]
John Summerton- vocals, lead guitar^[51]^[52]^[53](2021–2023)^{[citation needed]}
Mike Steed - bass (2021–2022)^[50]
Tony Young- vocals, keyboards (2021–2023)^{[citation needed]}
Andy Mapp - drums (2021–2022)^[50]
Rick Medlock- drums (2022–2023)^{[citation needed]}
Rob Linacre - lead vocals (2022–2023)^[54]
Tony Hancox - vocals, keyboards (2023–2024)^[42]