Gerry and the Pacemakers formed in 1959. They were the second group signed by
Brian Epstein, the first being the
Beatles, and remained among his favourite artists. A musical film
Ferry Cross the Mersey, considered to be their version of the Beatles' ''
A Hard Day's Night, was co-written by Coronation Street creator and writer Tony Warren, and was released in 1965. He also starred in the West End musical Charlie Girl'' alongside
Derek Nimmo and
Anna Neagle, replacing another pop singer,
Joe Brown. A new song, "Liverpool", was added to the score to tie in with Marsden's Liverpool accent. In 1983, Marsden and the Pacemakers' "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was covered by another band from Liverpool,
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, in a new arrangement as the B-side of their song "Relax"; at least partly due to this, Marsden began receiving significant royalties (with his total yearly publishing royalties at the time being equivalent to $250,000 USD). By that time, Marsden also owned a radio station in Liverpool and owned real estate in England and Spain. he formed a group called
the Crowd, which included other musicians, singers, and radio disc jockeys, to produce a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone". In 1993 Marsden published his
autobiography, ''I'll Never Walk Alone
, co-written with former Melody Maker editor Ray Coleman. In 1990, he recorded the song "Red White and Blue", with The England Supporters Club
, that also appears on the Euro 96 album England's Glory''. In 2012, Marsden and Paul McCartney were among another group of musicians that recorded a cover of "
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" for charity; the single was credited to
the Justice Collective. In 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic, he released a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" in tribute to the
National Health Service. == Personal life and death ==