Remember Gerry and the Pacemakers invasion on the Australian music chart

The British Invasion was a term applied by the press when the Beatles started ruling the world of pop music, and many British bands followed in their footsteps. However, in Australia the first sign of the British Invasion arrived in the charts at the start of June 1963, when Gerry and the Pacemakers hit the number 13 spot and eventually peaked at number three with their debut song ‘How Do You Do It?’

The Beatles didn’t have their first big hit in Australia until late-June, when ‘From Me To You’ made it to number 10 before peaking at number nine on the Australian charts. Until then only Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and Helen Shapiro were regular British charters in Australia.

Gerry and the Pacemakers’ next hit was ‘I Like It’, which reached number six in July, and the Beatles follow up was ‘She Loves You’ reaching number 11 in September 1963, but both their next singles were number ones. For Gerry and the Pacemakers, that came on November 16 with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘It’s Alright’. In the United Kingdom, the band became the first act to have a number one with their debut three records. On December 21, 1963, the Beatles had their first Australian number one with ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’.

Perhaps the big surprise during this time was the return to the number one spot by Helen Shapiro with her hits ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘Not Responsible’, a record that was only a minor hit in the UK.

Gerry Marsden formed the Pacemakers in 1959 along with brother Freddie, Les Chadwick and Les McGuire. Like many of the Liverpool groups, the band learned their stage-craft in the clubs of Hamburg. They were different from most groups because Les McGuire played piano instead of lead guitar, but it suited the bouncy voice of Gerry well.

Brian Epstein started managing the group in 1962 and put them in the charge of record producer George Martin as he did with the Beatles. Gerry and the Pacemakers enjoyed 12 major hits in Australia between 1963 and 1966. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was taken by Liverpool Football Club fans and has become Britain’s most famous football anthem, so much so that in 1985 Gerry Marsden re-recorded it with an all-star backing as The Crowd to help raise money for the victims of the Bradford City football ground fire. Once more the record reached number one in the UK making Gerry the first artist to top the UK charts with different versions of the same song.

When the British Invasion started in Australia, the Australian top 20 consisted of 13 from the United States, four from the UK and only three from Australia. In the whole year only The Delltones, Frank Ifield, Jay Justin, Rob E.G., Jimmy Little, The Joy Boys, The Atlantics kept the Aussie flag flying in the charts.’

The only Australian number one in 1963 was The Atlantics’ album Bombora and the single ‘Greensleeves’. The Atlantics had been around beachside suburbs since 1961 with a line-up including drummer Peter Hood, guitarists Theo Penglis and Jim Skiathitis, and bassist Bosco Bosanac, and in 1965 they were joined by vocalist Johnny Rebb. Their big break came on the TV talent show New Faces in 1962 when they were voted the most promising group.

With most groups in Australia — like The Statesmen, Jimmy D. and the Starlighters, The Midnighters, The Telstars, The Dave Bridge Trio, The Joy Boys and The Denvermen — copying The Shadows or The Ventures, The Atlantics had an advantage with two lead-guitarists in their band. Their first record ‘Moon Man’ followed by ‘Dark Eyes’ was not too successful, but it did enough to get them a CBS Records contract.

The Australian top 10 on June 22, 1963

1. ‘Tamoure’, Bill Justis (US)
2. ‘It’s My Party’, Lesley Gore (US)
3. ‘I Will Follow Him’, Little Peggy March (US)
4. ‘Jezebel’/’Stage To Cimarron’, Rob E.G. (Australia)
5. ‘How Do You Do It?’, Gerry and the Pacemakers (UK)
6. ‘Summer Holiday’/’Dancing Shoes’, Cliff Richard and the Shadows (UK)
7. ‘I Love You Because’, Al Martino (US)
8. ‘Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer’, Nat ‘King’ Cole (US)
9. ‘Move Baby Move’/’You’ll Never Cherish A Love So True’, Johnny O’Keefe (Australia)
10. ‘From Me To You’, The Beatles (UK)

Do you remember these hits from 1963?

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