Wonderful collection celebrates the life and career of a true one-off

‘My Home Town’ is a collection released in memory of Gerry Marsden, who passed away this year after a truly incredible career that spanned decades. The album is released on CD through Angel Air [Cat No SJPCD643] on 4 June 2021.  Gerry Marsden found fame fronting Gerry and the Pacemakers, who were the first act after The Beatles to be signed by Brian Epstein. Like The Beatles they enjoyed huge success both here and in the States. Their first three singles, the evergreen ‘How Do You Do It’, ‘I Like It’ and the career-defining ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ [included here as a bonus track] all hit the Number One slot in the UK which is a feat that has never been repeated.

The sleeve notes for this album were written by David Martin, the legendary songwriter who penned works for artists like Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Cilla Black and many more as a part of the team featuring Chris Arnold and Geoff Morrow. They wrote ‘My Home Town’ for Gerry Marsden years ago, as well as five other tracks on the album [with one more being penned by David Martin alone].  ‘Lovely Lady’ and ‘Girl What You Doin’’ were written by Gerry himself. These tracks have never before been available as an album collection in this combination, and they represent a significant tribute to the artistry of Gerry Marsden and his distinctive voice and character.  Whilst many of the tracks are original first recordings of the songs by Gerry, ‘Here I Go Again’ is a cover of the hit by Edward Bear in Canada and ‘Can’t You Hear the Song?’ is a cover of the US Top Twenty hit by Wayne Newton.

Gerry, of course, will be eternally associated with Liverpool, he was awarded the Freedom of the City in 2009 and, as David says, “How appropriate, therefore, that the song will now be the title track of this album for Gerry”. Sir Kenny Dalglish commented on Gerry’s sad passing, “I don’t think it should ever be underestimated how important Gerry has been to millions of Liverpool fans”.

TRACKLISTING

My Home Town / Here I Go Again / Remember The Days Of Rock ‘n’ Roll / Red White And Blue / Can’t You Hear The Song? / They Don’t Make Days Like That Any More / There’s Still Time / Lovely Lady / Girl What You Doin’ / You’ll Never Walk Alone [Bonus Track]

Leaving the final word to David Martin, “If ever there was a man who never walked alone, that man was Gerry Marsden. He is dearly missed and will never be forgotten.”

In Memory of Gerry Marsden 1942 – 2021