 Gerry was born in Liverpool on September 24th 1942 and christened Gerard Marsden, He grew up in the Dingle area of Liverpool. In June 1960 while playing at the Grosvenor ballroom, Wallasey, Gerry and The Pacemakers met up with a band called "The Silver Beatles" this was the start of the Merseybeat era. The Silver Beatles went on to become The Beatles with fame and fortune I'm told. Hamburg marked the professional start of Gerry & the Pacemakers "It was a great training ground and really hard work, we went on about 7 in the evening and played right through to the small hours with a 15 minute break every hour. I started writing some songs while we where in Germany," said Gerry. The first Gerry & The Pacemakers LP was released in November 1963 making number two in the album charts. The single I'm the one written by Gerry was released in February 1964 this got to number two. Gerry reformed The Pacemakers in 1974 after 8 years as a solo artist, touring the world, another grand tour took place in 1993 to mark 30 years of Gerry & The Pacemakers. "I love being on stage performing for people all over the globe" said Gerry, smiling that cheeky smile that has become one of his trade marks over the years "I Get paid for enjoying myself !" Gerry wrote his biography with Ray Coleman in 1993 In this compelling autobiography Gerry Marsden emerges as a driven man, an artist with enormous confidence and a unique spirit, from his streetwise boyhood and early love of music to his friendship and keen rivalry with the Beatles, hunger for fame and hard won success, his story is one of grit, warmth, humor and determination. The book became the basis of a Musical Theatre production "Ferry cross the Mersey" a musical story of Gerrys Merseybeat days, It enjoyed a sell out premiere in Liverpool and went on to a successful tour of the UK, Australia and Canada.
|
