Gerard Marsden MBE (24 September 1942 – 3 January 2021) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers.

He remembered standing on top of an air-raid shelter singing "Ragtime Cowboy Joe", and getting a great reception from onlookers.

The group's other singles included "It's Gonna Be Alright", "I'm the One", "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying", and "Ferry Cross the Mersey", all released in 1964.

[5] 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.

[7] He also starred in the West End musical Charlie Girl alongside Derek Nimmo and Anna Neagle, replacing another pop singer, Joe Brown.

In 1985 after the Bradford Football Club stadium tragedy in which 56 were killed,[11] 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".

fans died, he joined forces with Paul McCartney, the Christians, Holly Johnson, and his production trio Stock, Aitken & Waterman on a new version of "Ferry Cross the Mersey".

[16][17] In 2012, Marsden and Paul McCartney were among another 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.