The day we met Gerry Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers
JEFFREY DAVIES reminisces about the day he met Gerry Marsden, of Gerry and the Pacemakers
THEIR first three singles How Do You Do It?, I Like It and You’ll Never Walk Alone all shot straight to the number one spot in the UK pop charts in the ’60s, the first group to have achieved this hat-trick. They were the record-breaking Liverpool band Gerry and the Pacemakers, the second group after The Beatles to be signed up by the legendary manager Brian Epstein, who regarded them as among his favourite artists. Formed in 1959 and produced by the equally iconic record producer George Martin, the Liverpudlian four-piece was fronted by Toxteth-born Gerry Marsden MBE sadly passed away, aged 78, earlier this month.
Comprising of Gerry’s brother Fred, Les Maguire and Les Chadwicke, the ‘true scousers’ went on to record a string of other hit songs, including It’s Gonna Be Alright, I’m the One, Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying and Ferry Cross the Mersey. A show tune from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Carousel, You’ll Never Walk Alone was revived in 1989 to raise funds for the Hillsborough disaster fund, following the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in which 96 people died.
I interviewed the vocalist, guitarist and singer/songwriter in 2014 before his triumphant appearance in Sixties Gold at the Bristol Hippodrome...
The ’60s were a much-revered era in the annals of British pop and rock music history - and pop royalty Gerry and the Pacemakers were there. No, they were more than that. They were instrumental in making the decade so special.
“Well thank you for saying that. You’re right, they were very special times and people still remember the great time they were having,” a most friendly and welcoming Gerry Marsden, 72, told me before the show.
“They [the audience] remember where they were and what they were doing. It was great to be part of it, and they can relive the feel of those times again with this show.”
Sixties Gold, a chance for everyone who lived through that exciting decade to indulge in pure ’60s nostalgia again then?
“Yes it most certainly is. Of course we’ll be singing as many of our hits as we can because that’s what people come for. We’ll also have a laugh and a joke and a chat with the audience in between in the hope everyone will have a good time. We want the audience to go home happy and contented,” said Gerry.
So who are the band’s fans today, some half a century after their ’60s heyday?
“Our fans range from 14 up to 94. Of course, many of them have been with us from the start. Others will come with their parents who were the original fans from first time around. Sometimes after a show when I’m signing autographs, I ask the younger ones whether they were forced by their parents or grandparents to see the show and they say ‘no’. They say they’ve heard the records and now want to see and hear the people who made them. They say the music is amazing which is lovely. It gives us a nice little buzz,” he answered.
Being a pop idol in one of the most successful Sixties bands must have been awesome for a young Gerry Marsden - a dream come true?
“It was. It definitely was. But it was a surprise really because we had been playing as a band for quite a while before that. It was only through the records that we got a chance to tour England, and later on America. It was a compliment really that we could do it. The ’60s was a wonderful time for all of us - the groups and the solo singers - although, at the time, we didn’t really appreciate just how special, because we were part of it. It was our job, and it was definitely not a 9 to 5 one which most people had.
“Although we had a fantastic time, it was still a lot of hard work. We were always on the road back then, going to different venues and engagements, so it was tiring. But we loved it nevertheless. We were young and full of enthusiasm and, to be honest, we still are,” Gerry admitted, obviously still loving his life as a pop legend.
Liverpool has always been at the forefront of this country’s ever-evolving music culture. It has produced many fine performers over the years, people who went on to become international stars. But why? What is it about the northern city that spawns such talent?
“Well Liverpool was a major sea port. Ships were always coming in and out of the dock with many people from foreign lands like America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. They always had music with them. If you went down Dock Road all the pubs would have people in them singing different songs. People from all different backgrounds and traditions. There was a good cultural mix. As kids, we would go down and sit outside these pubs and listen to the music being played. So to answer your question, I think that is where it all started.”
Of his back catalogue, does the engaging Gerry have a particular favourite song or two?
“Yes I do. My favourites are Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying, How Do You Do It?, and You’ll Never Walk Alone. But to be honest with you, I like all of them. They’re all such good songs,” he replied before going on to explain his own modus operandi for writing a ‘good’ song. “I always tried to write simple songs with simple lyrics and simple melodies. Songs that people could sing and remember, and that was the real success of each of our songs,” he said.
“It was also the reason for the success of most Sixties music.
The songs are very simple and easy to remember. People can sing along to them.”
Did inspiration for a catchy or meaningful lyric and hummable tune come easily for Gerry?
“Inspiration could come from anywhere and everywhere. From something I have read or from a sentence someone says to me. I’d think to myself that’s nice, I’ll do that for a song. Or it could be a melody. I’d just sit down at the piano and play a few things and think I like that. But really there’s no set pattern for inspiration. It just comes along.”
Gerry and the Pacemakers certainly had their fair share of hits. Did songwriter Gerry have a knack for predicting which of his songs would be the next top of the pops?
“No, never. You could never tell that for sure; you don’t know whether it’s going to do well or not. When you write a song and record it you just hope it’s liked. You would obviously like it to get into the music charts but that is up to the record-buying public,” said Gerry.
“Before we had a hit we used to look at the Charts and think how amazing it must be to have a number one single. Then we went and got ourselves three in a row! And we were right, it was amazing, a great feeling. You know, the Pacemakers and I wrote songs for everyone. We didn’t write them for a certain group of people as some artists do for example. Our music was for everyone to enjoy. We really tried to reach every age with the songs we wrote.”
Gerry said he was absolutely delighted and honoured that Liverpool football supporters chose the iconic You’ll Never Walk Alone as the club’s adopted anthem.
“I’m very proud of that. Every time I hear the Liverpool fans sing it my hair stands on end. It’s lovely. When I’m at Anfield, I’m singing along with them as well. I love it. I still go to see Liverpool play whenever I can because when you support the greatest team in the world that’s what you want to do,” Gerry told me somewhat emotionally.
Still very proud of his Liverpool roots, does Gerry ever think of retirement?
“You know, every time we walk on the stage we get a thrill. The audience’s response and all the clapping makes it even better. It is such a joy to be up there in front of the fans. I love singing, and if I ever retired that’s what I’d miss most.
Even now, when I am walking down the street, people call out my name or start singing one of our songs. Back in the ’60s if they saw me they would start screaming and chase after me.” All in all, a great life? “Yes. I have so many great memories. We played the Cavern hundreds of times and were pals with all the other groups and singers like The Beatles, The Mersey Beats and Cilla Black. So many great memories. I have been very lucky,” he said modestly, recalling with evident fondness the far off halcyon days of when he and the other ’60s greats took the music world by storm.
It was only through the records that we got a chance to tour England, and later on America. It was a compliment, really, that we could do it. The ’60s was a wonderful time for all of us - the groups and the solo singers.