“You’ll Never Walk Alone” singer Gerry Marsden is to quit showbiz after a staggering 60 years of making popular Music. The Liverpudlian legend has announced his retirement in order to share more time with his family after decades of touring up and down the country.
Sharing the news on his official website, the ever-engaging 76-year-old expressed his thanks to fans for their “unconditional support” down the years, dating back to when he first started out in the late 1950s. The announcement on his also site indicated that he “looks forward to this new chapter in his life.”
Synonymous with Liverpool FC
Marsden and his popular band “Gerry and the Pacemakers” will be forever synonymous with the rousing renditions of their biggest hit that have swept across the Kop at Liverpool football club’s home matches for decades.
But the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is, in fact, an adaptation from the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical Carousel.
Stellar chart success
“Gerry and the Pacemakers” were no one hit wonders though. Indeed, they became household names at the start of the 1960s, enjoying a string of UK chart hits including three consecutive number ones with their first three single releases, becoming the first act to achieve the feat. Fans flocked to see them perform and to buy their tracks such as “How Do You Do It?” and “I Like It”.
Stars of the Merseybeat scene
The band exemplified the Merseybeat scene that swept across the Swinging Sixties and have retained a place in the hearts of those who remember those exciting times.
Like fellow Scousers “The Beatles”, Brian Epstein became their manager and George Martin recorded their songs, as Liverpool became a hotbed of the British music scene.
Charity backing
Music lovers backed Marsden’s creative talents once again in 1989, when he joined forces with fellow Liverpudlians including Paul McCartney and Holly Johnson on the charity track “Ferry Cross the Mersey”.
Raising funds for the Hillsborough Disaster Fund, in the aftermath of the terrible disaster that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans, the recording topped the charts for three weeks.
It wasn’t the only time that Marsden’s undoubted affection and connection with the footballing community had shown itself though. In 1985, he joined forces with many other celebrities to assemble “The Crowd”.
Their rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” expressed a solidarity with other football fans, as they raised money to support those who perished in the Bradford football club stadium tragedy.
Concerns over his health
His retirement should come as little surprise, despite his clear love for music, as recent times have seen concerns raised over his health. In 2003, he underwent triple bypass heart surgery and had a second heart operation two years ago. Still, it will be a sad time for many fans who have enjoyed listening to his live performances over the years.
