Pop legend Gerry Marsden will always be associated with his home town of Liverpool. But he reveals to Mark Andrews his close personal ties to the West Midlands - and why he likes it here.
For the archetypal Liverpool lad, Gerry Marsden is surprisingly comfortable in the Midlands. His musical career began in the Black Country, and one of his closest friends was Wolves legend Billy Wright.
And the football-mad singer will never forget his last conversation with the former England captain.
“The day he died I rang him at the hospital, and we had a last chat. He said ‘Gerry, I had a dream last night. You and I were playing in the same football team, we both had red jerseys on’.”
The pair met after Billy’s daughters performed as a support act during one of Gerry’s tours, and their shared love of football resulted in a lifelong friendship.
“He was married to Joy Beverley, and his daughters formed their own group called The Foxes,” he says. “We were on tour and we needed a girl band who could sing, so we booked them.
“It was through the girls I met Billy, and we became very dear friends. He was a lovely man.”
Gerry and the Pacemakers will be headlining the Solid Silver 60s Show when it comes to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre next month, performing with Dave Berry, Swinging Blue Jeans and special guests Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Marsden, who is every inch the cheery, cheeky Scouser you would expect, says he is always pleased to return to the region, where he has a lot of friends.
“Express & Star? That’s a very good paper, one I always read whenever I get the chance.”
He says he is one of the few people in the world who actually likes West Midlands accents.
“The Grand is a lovely theatre,” says Gerry, who is now 65. “The people are great, they work hard, and then they go home and play hard.
“I started my career in Dudley, it was our first theatre show and I’ll never forget it. Before we only played dance halls and clubs, but we came to a theatre in Dudley in 1961 or 1962, supporting the singer Emile Ford.
“We were just breaking into showbiz.”
Gerry had formed the band in the late 1950s, with his brother fred, Les Chadwick and Arthur McMahon, who was replaced on piano by Les Maguire around 1961, and they rehearsed at Camell Laird shipping yard at Birkenhead.
The band was the second to sign with Brian Epstein, and comparisons with The Beatles became inevitable. The boys hit the big time in 1963, when their debut single How Do You Do It? went to No 1 in the UK charts. Ironically, the song - written by Mitch Murray - had previously been recorded by The Beatles, but Fab Four decided not to release it, preferring to release their own song From Me To You.
Indeed, 1963 proved to be a good year for Gerry and the Pacemakers. The group’s next single I Like It, also made top spot, but it was the third single which truly elevated the band to legendary status.
Gerry developed a love for the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic You’ll Never Walk alone while watching the musical Carousel as a child, and when he released it in October that year, it was the first time in history that a performer’s first three singles all reached top spot - a feat not repeated until Frankie Goes to Hollywood managed it in the 1980s.
Gerry had turned down an offer to release The Beatles’ Hello Little Girl for the slot, but he had few regrets and the song soon became an anthem for supporters of Liverpool Football Club.
The band would not hit the top spot again, although I’m The One made No 2, and Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying established the group in the American market.
By this time Gerry had made the transition from a performer of other people’s music to a singer-songwriter, and the band will forever be remembered for the 1964 hit Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey.
Gerry, who was awarded the MBE for services to music in 2003, admits he never imagined he would still be performing 45 years after his first single.
“I thought I would be back working at the railway after a couple of years,” he says.
Gerry says it is much more difficult for young musicians today, with the introduction of the internet and MP3 players making it much more competitive and commercially driven.
Who are his favourite of today’s singers?
“I like Kylie Minogue, I like Robbie Williams, he’s still great, Westlife. It’s mainly the girls I like, though. I want to meet Kylie one day when he has developed a liking for old men.”
One thing is for sure - next week’s show is unlikely to be his last in the area, with Gerry determined to carry on performing for as long as he can.
“I’m never going to retire,” he says.
“I get so much pleasure when I’m on stage, I get so much joy. I might play deaf all the time, I might have to have my band help me on the stage, but I’ll continue until I die.”
l The Solid Silver Show comes to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on March 16, with performances at 4pm and 7.30pm.
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