GERRY & The PACEMAKERS

Loved these guys too and the way Gerry held his guitar high on his chest along with his distinctive Liverpool accent and his making no attempt to hide it endeared him to a family from the banks of the Mersey. The first three singles to make it into the very top of the pops made everyone sit up I think and of course the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" become definitive versions of the musical show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel which ever after is associated with association football clubs around the world, where it is performed by a massed chorus of supporters on matchday; this tradition began at Liverpool F.C. after their chart success of the 1963 single

On this day in music history: May 11, 1964 - “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” by Gerry And The Pacemakers is released (UK release is on April 10, 1964). Written by Gerry Marsden, it is the fifth single release for the pop band from Liverpool, UK. Formed in 1959, the band consist of Gerry Marsden (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Marsden (drums), Les Chadwick (bass) and Arthur McMahon (piano). McMahon is later replaced by Les Maguire in 1961. Riding the first wave of the British Invasion along with their fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers get their initial break with a song rejected by them. The band score their first UK hit in the Spring of 1963 with “How Do You Do It?”, originally offered to and recorded by The Beatles months before. When their version is shelved in favor of “Love Me Do”, The Pacemakers record a virtual copy and take it to number one. Their next two singles “I Like It” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” follow suit, making British chart history as the first act to have their first three singles top the pop singles chart. Though in those instances, those songs were written by professional songwriters, lead singer and guitarist Gerry Marsden also writes original material for his band. Their fourth single “I’m The One” written by Marsden breaks the string of consecutive chart toppers, but lands at a very respectable #2 behind friends and Liverpool natives The Searchers’ “Needles And Pins” in February of 1964. For their next single, the band turn to another original written by Gerry, but was not recorded by them. The ballad “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” is first given to singer Louise Cordet, who records it, but is not a hit for her. Deciding to try their own luck with the song, Gerry And The Pacemakers record it themselves. As with their previous singles, the band work with producer George Martin, recording it at Abbey Road Studios in London on December 9, 1963. Martin gives the track a lush orchestral arrangement, as well as conducting the additional backing musicians. Released in the UK first in April of 1964, “Crying” peaks at #6. During this time, Gerry And The Pacemakers make their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 3, 1964. The band perform “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”, along with “I’m The One”. The huge exposure from the appearance prompts their US label Laurie Records to rush release “Crying” as a single, and it takes off immediately. Entering the Hot 100 at #87 on May 23, 1964, it peaks at #4 on July 4, 1964, becoming their highest charting single in the US. It’s later covered by Steve Lawrence, Jose Feliciano, Rickie Lee Jones, Gloria Estefan, and Jeff Buckley to name a few. 

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