Gerry and the Pacemakers

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Gerry and the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers group photo 1964.JPG
The band in 1964 Top: Les Maguire Bottom from l to r: Freddie Marsden, Gerry Marsden, and Les (Chad) Chadwick
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres
Years active 1959–1966, 1972–2018
Labels
Website gerryandthepacemakers.co.uk

Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin.[1]

They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with 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 band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Another of their most famous songs, "Ferry Cross the Mersey", refers to the River Mersey, which flows past Liverpool.

History

Gerry Marsden formed the group in 1959 with his brother Fred, Les Chadwick, and Arthur McMahon. They rivalled the Beatles early in their career, playing in the same areas of Hamburg and Liverpool.[1] McMahon (known as Arthur Mack) was replaced on piano by Les Maguire around 1961.[1] The group's original name was Gerry Marsden and the Mars Bars,[3] but they were forced to change this when the Mars Company, producers of the chocolate Mars Bar, complained.[4]

The band was the second to sign with Brian Epstein, who later signed them to Columbia Records (a sister label to the Beatles' label Parlophone under EMI).[1] They began recording in early 1963 with "How Do You Do It?", a song written by Mitch Murray.[5] The song was produced by George Martin and became a number one hit in the UK, the first by an Epstein-managed Liverpool group to achieve this on all charts.[6] "How Do You Do It?" was also reluctantly recorded by the Beatles (they eventually convinced Martin to let them release their song "Please Please Me" as a single instead).

Gerry Marsden was quoted as saying:

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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.[7]

The 'Shankly Gates' entrance to Liverpool's home stadium Anfield. The anthem of Liverpool 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 the PA system.

Gerry and the Pacemakers' next two singles, Murray's "I Like It" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone", both also reached number one in the UK Singles Chart,[8] the latter recorded instead of the Beatles' "Hello Little Girl". "You'll Never Walk Alone" had been a favourite of Marsden's since seeing Carousel when he was growing up. It quickly became the signature tune of Liverpool Football Club and, later, other sports teams around the world.[9][10] The song remains a football anthem.[11] 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 Liverpudlians The Searchers' "Needles and Pins".

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 US hit, "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (Laurie 3251), which peaked at #4.[1]

The band also starred in the early 1965 film, Ferry Cross the Mersey (sometimes referred to as "Gerry and the Pacemakers' version of A Hard Day's Night"), for which Marsden wrote much of the soundtrack.[1] The title song was revived in 1989 as a charity single for an appeal in response to the Hillsborough football crowd disaster, giving Marsden – in association with other Liverpool stars, including Paul McCartney and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Holly Johnson – another British number one.[1][12]

In the US, their recordings were released by the small New York City record label Laurie in 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.

By late 1965, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic.[1] They disbanded sometime in early to mid 1967,[1] with much of their later recorded material never released in the UK. Gerry Marsden became a popular cabaret and children's TV entertainer. He reformed the Pacemakers in 1972 with prominent Liverpool musicians Jose McLaughlin, Billy Kinsley and Pete Clarke.[13]

In April 1973, this second version of the group became the only Merseybeat band to ever record for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio. The tracks from that show have now been included on the album Gerry and the Pacemakers Live at the BBC, released on Parlophone Records in October 2018.[14][15][16] Since then, Marsden occasionally toured with various line-ups of the band on the oldies circuit.

Drummer Freddie Marsden died on 9 December 2006 in Southport, age 66.[17]

On 15 March 2017, Gerry Marsden collapsed onstage due to a sore knee while performing at a concert in Newport, Wales. After being helped offstage, Marsden did not return, but was quoted as saying the incident was "nothing serious".[18]

Gerry Marsden announced his retirement on 29 November 2018, in order to spend more time with family,[19] but, on 6 June 2019, to commemorate Liverpool's win against Tottenham in the Champions League, he surprised Take That fans by singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at their show at Anfield.[20]

Original bass player Les Chadwick died on 26 December 2019.[21]

Gerry Marsden died on 3 January 2021.

Discography

Albums

Release date Title UK Albums Chart[8] Billboard 200[22]
October 1963 (UK) How Do You Like It?
2
n/a
July 1964 (US) Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
n/a
29
November 1964 (US) Gerry and the Pacemakers' Second Album
n/a
129
February 1965 (UK) Ferry Cross the Mersey †
19
13
February 1965 (US) I'll Be There!
n/a
120
May 1965 (US) Gerry and the Pacemakers' Greatest Hits
n/a
44
December 1966 (US) Girl on a Swing
n/a
–
July 1979 The Best of Gerry and the Pacemakers
n/a
–
1981 Ferry Cross the Mersey (live album)
n/a
–
1982 20 Year Anniversary Album
–
n/a
June 1984 The Very Best of Gerry and the Pacemakers
–
n/a
October 2018


Gerry and the Pacemakers Live at the BBC
–
–

† – Soundtrack, includes other artists

Singles

In the United States, a different series of Gerry and the Pacemakers' singles was issued, as their Laurie Records label created more albums, and at least two singles, which were never issued in Britain. This was a standard practice at the time; it also happened with the Beatles and the Dave Clark 5.[23]

Release Date A-side B-side Chart Positions UK Album US Album
UK[8] US[23] AU Can
March 1963 (UK)
April 1963 (US)		 "How Do You Do It?" "Away from You"
1
–
3
-
 non-album singles Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
May 1963 (UK)
June 1963 (US)		 "I Like It" "It's Happened to Me"
1
–
3
-
 Second Album
October 1963 (UK)
December 1963 (US)		 "You'll Never Walk Alone" "It's Alright"
1
–
1
–
 A: How Do You Like It?
B: Non-album track		 A: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
B: Second Album
January 1964 (UK)
June 1964 (US)		 "I'm the One" UK/Can: "You've Got What I Like"
US: "It's Alright"
2
82
14
2
 non-album singles A: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
UK B: Unreleased in US
US B: Second Album
April 1964 (UK)
May 1964 (US)		 "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" UK: "Show Me That You Care"
US: "Away from You"
6
4
21
4
 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
July 1964 "How Do You Do It?" (Reissue) "You'll Never Walk Alone"
n/a
9
n/a
6
 A: Non-album tracks
B: How Do You Like It?
September 1964 "I Like It" (Reissue) "Jambalaya"
n/a
17
n/a
11
 A: Second Album
B: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
September 1964 (UK)
June 1965 (US)		 "It's Gonna Be Alright" UK: "It's Just Because"
US: "Skinny Minnie"
24
23
36
11
 A: Ferry Cross the Mersey
UK & US B: Non-album tracks		 A: Ferry Cross the Mersey
UK B: Non-album track
US B: I'll Be There
December 1964 (UK)
January 1965 (US)		 "Ferry Cross the Mersey" UK: "You, You, You"
US: "Pretend"
8
6
2
4
 A: Ferry Cross the Mersey
UK B: Non-album track
US B: How Do You Like It?		 A: Ferry Cross the Mersey
UK B: I'll Be There
US B: Second Album
March 1965 "I'll Be There" UK: "Baby You're So Good To Me"
US: "You, You, You"
15
14
9
1
 A & US B: Non-album tracks
UK B: Ferry Cross the Mersey		 A & US B: I'll Be There
UK B: Ferry Cross the Mersey
March 1965 "Pretend" "Here's Hoping"
n/a
n/a
17
–
 How Do You Like It? Second Album
September 1965 "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Reissue) "Away From You"
n/a
48
n/a
31
 A: How Do You Like It?
B: Non-album track		 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
October 1965 "Give All Your Love to Me" "You're The Reason"
n/a
68
45
17
 A: Non-album track
B: How Do You Like It?		 A: Non-album track
B: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
November 1965 (UK)
December 1965 (US)		 "Walk Hand in Hand" "Dreams"
29
103
32
10
 non-album singles non-album single
February 1966 (UK)
March 1966 (US)		 "La La La" "Without You"
–
90
66
4
 Girl on a Swing
June 1966 (UK)
September 1966 (US)		 "Girl on a Swing" UK: "A Fool to Myself"
US: "The Way You Look Tonight"
–
28
24
3
 A & US B: Girl on a Swing
UK B: Unreleased in US
October 1966 "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" "Looking for My Life"
–
–
–
–
 Girl on a Swing
April 1970 "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (Reissue) "Away From You"
–
–
–
–
 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
April 1974 "Remember (The Days of Rock and Roll)" "There's Still Time"
–
–
–
–
 non-album single

(Note: The US single Of "I'll Be There" is an alternate take and all subsequent reissues used the original UK take.)

EPs

  • How Do You Do It – Columbia SEG8257 (July 1963)
  • You'll Never Walk Alone – Columbia SEG8295 (December 1963)
  • I'm The One Columbia – SEG8311 (February 1964)
  • Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying – Columbia SEG8346 (May 1964)
  • It's Gonna Be All Right Columbia – SEG8367 (December 1964)
  • Gerry In California Columbia – SEG8388 (February 1965)
  • Ferry 'Cross The Mersey – Columbia SEG8397 (1965)
  • Rip It Up – Columbia SEG8426 (June 1965)

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ The Beatles Anthology: Episode 1, chapter 16 "Please Please Me"-"We're No.1"
  6. ↑ The Beatles Bible: How Do You Do It Retrieved 22 August 2008
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Nik Brumsack. The story of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', Independent, April 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ Why Liverpool fans sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Four Four Two. Retrieved 10 October 2016
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Paddy Shennan, "Pacemaker Les, 76, loses battle with brain cancer", Liverpool Echo, 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020
  22. ↑ Allmusic.com – Charts & Awards (albums)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Allmusic.com – Charts & Awards (singles)

External links

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