Gerard Marsden MBE, the leader of the Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers, was an English singer-songwriter, musician, and television personality who died on 3 January 2021. He was a bandmate and the younger brother of Freddie Marsden.
Gerry and the Pacemakers hold the distinction of being the only group to have all three of their debut albums peak at number one in the UK charts.
Despite never having a number one in the nation, they were the second-most successful Liverpool band to have singles on the American pop charts, behind the Beatles. Their 1965 musical film Ferry Cross the Mersey was co-written by Tony Warren.
Career
He worked with Paul McCartney, the Christians, Holly Johnson, and his production firm Stock, Aitken & Waterman to create a new version of “Ferry Cross the Mersey” three days after the Hillsborough tragedy, which claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool FC supporters on April 18, 1989.
1993 saw the release of I’ll Never Walk Alone, a song co-written by Marsden and former Melody Maker editor Ray Coleman.
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The Pacemakers ceased to exist in October 1966. Marsden had a low-key television career after leaving the band, which included a regular appearance on children’s television in The Sooty Show.
He replaced another pop singer, Joe Brown, in the West End production of Charlie Girl alongside Derek Nimmo and Anna Neagle. A brand-new song called “Liverpool” was added to the soundtrack to match Marsden’s Liverpool accent. In the 1980s, Marsden again regained the top spot on the charts with re-recordings of two of his previous songs, with all earnings going to charity. Following the Bradford Football Club stadium disaster in 1985, in which 56 people died, he established a group called the Crowd with other musicians, singers, and radio DJs in order to produce a brand-new rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
He wrote “Red, White, and Blue,” which is also included on England’s Glory CD from Euro 96, in collaboration with The England Supporters Club in 1990.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 epidemic, he published a cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in support of the National Health Service.
Personal Life
Marsden’s older brother, Freddie, played drums in the band, co-founded Gerry and the Pacemakers, and passed away in 2006. After being married in 1965, Marsden and Pauline Behan had two daughters, Yvette and Victoria.
In September 2003, Marsden underwent triple bypass heart surgery at Broad Green Hospital in Liverpool. He endured a second heart operation in 2016, and in November 2018 he announced his retirement. Nevertheless, he joined Take That onstage in June 2019 during their Anfield show.
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Net Worth
English musician and television personality Gerry Marsden had a $5 million net worth at the time of his death in 2020. He is best known for being the lead singer of the British band Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry passed away on January 3, 2021, at the age of 78.
