RIP Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers--Ric vid

[ch willie]

We lost an important part of the British Invasion.

Here's a sync'd version of one of their most known songs. Is he playing a 12 string Ric or a 6? And what's that bass?

[OldStrummer]

I really like Gerry and the Pacemakers. It's interesting to note the somewhat parallel paths they took with the Beatles, even being managed by Brian Epstein (guess the guy knew talent when he spotted it, eh?). Even today, I stop and listen when I (rarely) hear, Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying. Their other hits were justifiably so also, in my opinion: I Like It, Ferry Across the Mersey and a song recorded by but never released by the Beatles, How Do You Do It?

R. I. P.

Another sign of my disappearing youth.

[S. Cane]

Sad for us Gen Xers and earlier born folks, to lose our idols like this, and even worse for the millenials and later bloomers; some of them will love rock and blues based music, but they will probably never experience actually being there with those cats, buying their latest album and attending their concerts.

[ch willie]

Gerry et al played in the clubs side by side with The Beatles in Liverpool, both bands playing Hamburg too. After Epstein decided to manage The Beatles, he started signing other acts as well. The Beatles overshadow so many groups from the time, but at one point, Gerry and others in Brians stable were selling records, doing their acts on TV and before sizable audiences.

I can't recommend enough Mark Lewisohn's hefty Tune In bio of The Beatles from their births until Please Please Me--not only is the information about the lads historically fascinating, the book gets into the nitty gritty of Liverpool an it's history, often through his chapters on The Beatles ancestors. When you finally get to Brian Epstein's story--and he was so fascinating--you get an in depth portrait of his management skills and the way he worked with bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers--as you can guess, most of his energies went into The Beatles. It is possible that with his attentions divided, the other bands on his roster didn't get the kind of attention that might have propelled them toward a longer and more extensive period of fame.