Gerry and the Pacemakers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerry and The Pacemakers
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Gerry and the Pacemakers (1964)
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Beat, Rock, Pop, British Invasion |
| Years active | 1959-1966 |
| Labels | Columbia (EMI) in the UK; Laurie Records in the US |
| Past members | Gerry Marsden Freddie Marsden Arthur Mack Les Chadwick Les Maguire |
Gerry and The Pacemakers was a famous rock and roll group from England. They were popular in the 1960s. Just like The Beatles, this band came from Liverpool. They also shared the same manager, Brian Epstein.
Contents
How the Band Started
Gerry Marsden was born in Liverpool, England, on September 24, 1942. His brother, Freddie, was born there on October 23, 1940. They started a music group called "The Mars Bars." Gerry played the guitar, and Freddie played the drums. They had to change their name to The Pacemakers. This was because a candy company called Mars threatened to sue them for using their name.
Les Chadwick (whose full name was John Leslie Chadwick) was born in Liverpool on May 11, 1943. He worked at a bank before joining the band in 1959. He first played lead guitar but later switched to bass. Les Maguire (Leslie Maguire) was born on December 27, 1941, in Wallasey, Cheshire. He joined the group in 1960. This happened after their first piano player, Arthur McMahon, left the band.
Big Success and Famous Songs
Gerry and The Pacemakers were the second band managed by Brian Epstein. He was also the manager for "The Beatles." Brian first heard The Pacemakers play at the "Cavern Club" in Liverpool in 1962.
In 1963, their first three songs became huge hits. "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It," and "You'll Never Walk Alone" all went straight to number one on the music charts. The song "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first written for a musical called "Carousel." It became the favorite song of fans of the Liverpool Football Club. They sing it before every home game.
The band even made a very successful movie in 1965. It was called Ferry Cross The Mersey. This movie was based on a song Gerry wrote with the same name. The song helped make Liverpool's ferries famous around the world. Gerry also wrote eight other songs for the film.
The band had great success from 1963 to 1966. They released many popular songs, like "It's Gonna Be All Right." This time was known as the British Invasion. Many British bands became very popular in other countries during these years. Gerry once said, "[Our] songs were happy. The music was simple, and the lyrics were nice to listen to. We didn't try to change the world."
The Band Breaks Up
The group broke up in 1967. After that, Gerry Marsden worked as an actor and performed in musical theater shows. He brought The Pacemakers back together in 1972. New musicians from Liverpool joined him, including Jose McLaughlin, Billy Kinsley, and Pete Clarke.
Gerry wrote a book about his life called You'll Never Walk Alone. It was published in 1993. Freddie Marsden, one of the original band members, passed away on December 9, 2006. He was 66 years old.
Images for kids
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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.
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The group's New York arrival in 1964.
See also
In Spanish: Gerry and the Pacemakers para niños
