Gerry & the Pacemakers
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Gerry & the Pacemakers was a British rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to challenge the Beatles in popularity. Like the Beatles, they came from Liverpool and were also managed by Brian Epstein.
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Gerry Marsden formed the group in the late 1950s with Fred Marsden (his brother), Les Chadwick and Arthur Mack. They rivalled the Beatles early in their career, playing in the same areas of Hamburg, Germany and Liverpool, England. They began recording in 1963 with "How Do You Do It?"; the song became a #1 hit.
Their next two songs, "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone", both reached no. 1 in the UK -- the first time this feat had ever been achieved (first three singles by a performer all reach no. 1). Despite this early success, Gerry and the Pacemakers never had another number one single in the UK.
Marsden began writing most of their own songs, including "It's All Right" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey". The band also starred in a moderately successful film called Ferry Cross the Mersey. By 1965, though, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic and they soon seemed un-hip. They disbanded in 1966 (see 1966 in music). Gerry Marsden maintained a career as a television personality, and starred in the West End musical, Charlie Girl.