Gerry and the Pacemakers

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Gerry and the Pacemakers
The band in 1964: Les Maguire (top), Freddie Marsden, Gerry Marsden, and 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 Les Maguire Jose McLaughlin Billy Kinsley Pete Clarke Rick Medlock Rob Linacre John Summerton Tony Young Tony Hancox
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] Their early successes alongside the Beatles were instrumental in popularizing the Merseybeat sound and launching the wider British beat boom of the mid-1960s.

They were 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, and was the title song for the film of the same name. The group also enjoyed some success in North America as part of the British Invasion with seven of their singles reaching the US top 40, the most popular being "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying".

Gerry Marsden led the group on and off through the years, until his retirement in 2018. Since his death in 2021 (at his request before his retirement), his bandmates (from his final lineup of the band) returned to touring as Gerry's Pacemakers.^[3]