Editing Gerry and the Pacemakers (section)

{{Short description|English band}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Gerry and the Pacemakers
| image             = Gerry and the Pacemakers group photo 1964.JPG
| caption           = The band in 1964: [[Les Maguire]] (top),<br />Freddie Marsden, [[Gerry Marsden]],<br />Les Chadwick
| landscape         = yes
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = [[Liverpool]], England
| alias             = Gerry Marsden and the Mars Bars (1956–1959); Gerry's Pacemakers (2021–present)
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
*[[Merseybeat]]
*[[Pop music|pop]]
*[[rock and roll]]
}}
| years_active      = {{flatlist|
* 1956–1966
* 1972–2018
* 2021–present (as Gerry's Pacemakers)
}}
| label             = {{Flatlist|
*[[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia (EMI)]] (UK)
*[[Laurie Records|Laurie]] (US)
*[[United Artists]] (US)
*[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (Canada)
*[[Parlophone Records|Parlophone]] (UK)
}}
| current_members   = '''Gerry's Pacemakers:'''<br>Darren Tingey<br>Jimmy Stanley<br>Dean Hilborne<br>John Meaney
| past_members      = {{plainlist|
*[[Gerry Marsden]]
*Freddie Marsden
*Arthur "Mack" McMahon
*Les Chadwick
*[[Faron Ruffley]]
*[[Les Maguire]]
*Jose McLaughlin
*[[Billy Kinsley]]
*Pete Clarke
*[[Tony Young (musician)|Tony Young]]
*Dave Burgess
*Neil Rhodes
*Alan Greenwood
*[[Keff McCulloch]]
*Tracey McCulloch
*[[Andy Taylor (guitarist)|Andy Taylor]]
*Rick Medlock }}
}}

'''Gerry and the Pacemakers''' were an English [[beat music|beat]] group prominent in the 1960s [[Beat music|Merseybeat]] scene. In common with [[the Beatles]], they came from [[Liverpool]], were managed by [[Brian Epstein]] and recorded by [[George Martin]].<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4359|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography by Richie Unterberger |publisher=Allmusic.com |access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref> Their early successes helped make popular the Merseybeat sound and launch the wider British beat boom of the mid-1960s

They were the first act to reach number one in the [[UK Singles Chart]] with their first three single releases: "[[How Do You Do It?]]", "[[I Like It (Gerry and the Pacemakers song)|I Like It]]" and "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]".<ref name="British Hit Singles 14th">{{cite book |first=David |last=Roberts |year=2001 |title=British Hit Singles |edition=14th |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |page=35 |isbn=0-85156-156-X}}</ref> This record was not equalled for 20 years,<ref name="British Hit Singles 14th" /> until the mid-1980s success of fellow Liverpool band [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]. Another of their most famous songs, "[[Ferry Cross the Mersey]]", refers to the [[River Mersey]], which flows past Liverpool and was the title song for the [[Ferry Cross the Mersey (film)|film of the same name]]. The group also enjoyed some success in [[North America]] as part of the [[British Invasion]], with seven of their singles reaching the US top 40, the most popular being "[[Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying]]".

[[Gerry Marsden]] led the group on and off through the years until his retirement in 2018. Since his death in 2021 his bandmates, from his final lineup of the band, have returned to touring as '''Gerry's Pacemakers''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gerryspacemakers.com/|title=Gerry's Pacemakers – continuing the legacy of Gerry & The Pacemakers}}</ref> as Marsden requested before he retired.