Gerry & the Pacemakers

Gerry & the Pacemakers was a British rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to challenge the Beatles in popularity. Gerry Marsden[?] formed the group in the late 1950s with Fred Marsden[?] (his brother), Les Chadwick[?] and Arthur Mack[?]. They rivalled the Beatles early in their career, playing in the same areas of Hamburg, Germany and Liverpool, England. They began recording in 1963 with "How Do You Do It?"; the song became a #1 hit.

After a few more hits, Marsden began writing most of their own songs, including "It's All Right" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey". The band also starred in a moderately successful film called Ferry Cross the Mersey[?]. By 1965, though, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic and they soon seemed un-hip. They disbanded in 1966 (see 1966 in music).