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Home , Ferry Cross the Mersey, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Gerry Marsden

ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

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This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Federico Ielapi, (center), and Teco Celio, (right), in a scene from ‘Pinocchio.’ ‘Pinocchio’ debuted in US theaters and on the streaming service on Dec 25, 2020. (AP) Obit Music ‘A legend, good friend’ A low-key Memphis guitar legend ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone:’ singer Marsden dies at 78 Cropper builds on a musical legacy LONDON, Jan 4, (AP): , lead singer MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan 4, (AP): It’s cials and movies: “It’s like thunder per said. “My hair stood up on my of the 1960s British group 1966 and a thunderstorm illuminates and lightning, the way you love me is arms. I said, ‘Stop right there.’ He said, that had such hits as “” and the night sky in Memphis, Tennessee. frightening. I better knock, on wood, ‘What you don’t like it?’ I said, ‘No, I the song that became the anthem of Foot- Two Stax Records musicians, guitarist baby.” love it.” ball Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” has died. He Steve Cropper and singer Eddie Floyd, Cropper draws a lean, precise, un- The song became Redding’s fi rst hit was 78. sit in a room inside the Lorraine Motel, derstated-yet-signature sound from his for Stax, and the beginning a string of His family said that Marsden died Sunday “after a struggling to fashion a song about love guitar. “In the Midnight Hour,” “Soul hits. In 1967, Cropper and Redding sat short illness in no way connected with COVID-19” and superstition. Man,” and “Time is Tight” feature ir- down to write “(Sittin’ On) The Dock and that his wife, daughters and grandchildren are The pair try many references to resistible intros. Cropper mastered the “devastated.” of the Bay.” good and bad luck - rubbing rabbit’s art of fi lling gaps with an essential lick As they worked, Cropper decided His friend Pete Price said on Instagram after speak- feet, breaking mirrors - but nothing or two, then stepping aside as organ- ing to Marsden’s family that the singer died after a the song needed something. He went to Guitarist, and record pro- fi ts. Then, as the lightning fl ashes and ist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald a Memphis studio known for produc- short illness related to a heart infection. the thunder roars, Cropper asks Floyd: “Duck” Dunn and others led the way. “I’m sending all the love in the world to (his wife) ducer Steve Cropper poses Dec 2, ing jingles and recorded sound effects 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Cropper has “What do people usually do for good “I listen to the other musicians and of sea gulls and ocean waves. Pauline and his family,” he said. “You’ll Never Walk been in the music business for more luck?’” the singer,” Cropper said. “I’m not lis- Alone.” The song became Redding’s biggest than six decades. (AP) “And Eddie goes, knock, knock, tening to just me.” hit. Marsden was the lead singer knock,” Cropper told The Associ- On a YouTube instructional video, of the band that found fame Cropper left Stax in September ated Press. “I said, ’There’s our song, guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa says 1970. He has has lived in Nashville for in the Merseybeat scene in ‘Knock on Wood.’” Cropper’s moves are often copied. the 1960s. Though another more than 30 years. He still cuts guitar At a time when it was common for “If you haven’t heard the name dubs at RCA Studio 3, and has a new Liverpool band - white musicians to co-opt the work of Steve Cropper, you’ve heard him in - reached superstardom, Gerry album set for release in April. Black artists and make more money song,” Bonamassa said. The last time he saw Redding was and the Pacemakers will al- from their songs, Cropper was that rare As a teenager new to Memphis, ways have a place in the city’s on a Friday at the studio as he was put- white artist willing to keep a lower Cropper fell in love with music ema- ting the fi nishing touches on “Dock of consciousness because of profi le and collaborate. That may ex- nating from churches, clubs and car “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” the Bay.” plain why now, more than half a cen- radios. He bought his fi rst guitar from “He popped his head into the con- “I thought what a beauti- tury later and still making music at 79 a Sears catalog at age 14. Marsden ful song. I’m going to tell my years old, he can walk through an air- trol room. At the time, I was setting band we’re going to play that port or a grocery store without being Soulful up to do the guitar licks,” said Crop- song,” Marsden told The Associated Press in 2018 per. “Otis said, ’I’ll see you Monday. I Prince Lima recognized, while the original songs Formed by Jim Stewart and Estelle when recalling the fi rst time he heard the song at the Axton, Stax Records became a soul- said, ‘Ok, I’ll see you Monday.’ That’s cinema. “So I went back and told my buddies we’re he co-wrote - played on sound systems in those same public spaces - remain ful, gritty counterpoint to Detroit’s the last word I heard from him.’” doing a ballad called ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’” Motown. Booker T. and the MGs, with Redding, 26, and four members of Marsden is best known for his band’s rendition of instantly familiar. Variety From “In the Midnight Hour” to Cropper, Dunn, Al Jackson and Jones, his band died in a plane crash on Sun- the song from “,” which was a 1945 Rodgers day, Dec. 10, 1967. They were headed and Hammerstein musical that became a feature fi lm “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” to became the lead house band. When “Soul Man,” Cropper worked along- trumpeter Wayne Jackson and saxo- to a show in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1956. The Pacemakers’ cover version was released MINNEAPOLIS: The ongoing controversy when their plane plummeted into a in October 1963 and became the band’s third No. 1 hit side the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson phonist Andrew Love joined them, over the money left behind by Prince when Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, they called themselves the Mar-Keys. frigid lake. on the British singles chart. he died without a will is heating up again Cropper and his bandmates were It was adopted by fans of the soccer club Liverpool Eddie Floyd and many others to leave Cropper, Dunn and Wayne Jackson after Internal Revenue Service calculations an indelible imprint on the American were white. Jones, Al Jackson and in an Indianapolis airport when they and is sung with spine-tingling passion before each showed that executors of the rock star’s heard Redding died. Songwriter David home game of the 19-time English champion - before estate undervalued it by 50%, or about $80 songbook. Love were Black. Missouri-born and Memphis-raised, “When you walked in the door at Porter had called his wife, who broke coronavirus restrictions meant many matches being million. the news to her husband. played in empty stadiums. The IRS determined that Prince’s estate Cropper joined the Stax Records team Stax, there was absolutely no color,” is worth $163.2 million, overshadowing as a 20-year-old. Working as a song- Cropper said. “David Porter looked like he had “I was saddened by Gerry Marsden’s passing. His the blood drained out of him. We said, voice will always lead the way at Anfi eld, in times the $82.3 million valuation submitted writer, producer, and guitarist in the In 1962, when Johnny Jenkins and by Comerica Bank & Trust, the estate’s bi-racial house band Booker T. and the Pinetoppers arrived at Stax to re- ‘David are you alright, what’s the mat- of celebration or lament,” singer Elvis Costello said, ter?’ So, he said, his wife just told him referring to Liverpool’s stadium. administrator. The discrepancy primarily the MGs, Cropper laid the foundation cord, a valet named Otis Redding was involves Prince’s music publishing and for songs that have outlasted the studio with them. that Otis’ plane had gone down, and Faithful recording interests, according to court that created them. As Cropper tells it, Redding pes- he had died,” said Cropper, his voice The song’s lyrics, showcasing unity and persever- documents. “Knock on Wood” featured Crop- tered Al Jackson to ask Cropper to hear cracking. “Pretty heavy duty.” Documents show the IRS believes that per’s catchy, hip-moving guitar and him sing. Redding never got to hear Cropper’s ance through adversity - including “When you walk Prince’s estate owes another $32.4 million through a storm, Hold your head up high, And don’t rousing horns, setting the stage for “He starts singing, ‘These Arms of fi nal version of “(Sittin’ On) the Dock in federal taxes, roughly doubling the tax lines still heard heard in TV commer- Mine.’ And I went ‘Holy ----,’” Crop- of Bay.” be afraid of the dark” - have been a rallying cry for bill based on Comerica’s valuation, the Star the Liverpool faithful and the song’s title are on the Tribune reported. Liverpool club crest. The IRS also has ordered a $6.4 million The song has also been adopted by supporters of was posthumously honored with a Doctor Prince’s backing band The Revolution dinner. “accuracy-related penalty” on Prince’s of Humane Letters by the University of also has a star on the mural, to the immedi- Somerset Offi cer Matt Lima responded Scotland’s Celtic and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund. estate, citing a “substantial” undervaluation to a report of shoplifting recently at Stop & Liverpool tweeted alongside a video of the fans in Minnesota.Prince has been honored with a ate right of Prince’s. (Agencies) of assets, documents show. star on the outside mural of the Minneapo- ❑ ❑ ❑ Shop, where two women with two young full voice that Marsden’s voice “accompanied our big- Prince’s death of a fentanyl overdose on lis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing children were accused of putting groceries gest nights” and that his ”anthem bonded players, staff April 21, 2016, created one of the largest performers that have played sold-out shows SOMERSET, Mass: A Massachusetts into bags at a self-checkout kiosk without and fans around the world, helping create something and most complicated probate court pro- or have otherwise demonstrated a major police offi cer declined to charge two scanning them. truly special.” ceedings in Minnesota history. Estimates contribution to the culture at the iconic women accused of trying to steal groceries The women said they had fallen on The song was embraced during the outset of the of his net worth have varied widely, from venue. for the children — and instead bought them hard times and were trying to provide a coronavirus pandemic last spring when a cover of $100 million to $300 million. dinner for the children. Lima says he was the song, which featured World War II veteran Tom With Prince’s probate case dragging on, reminded of his own children and used his Moore, reached number one. Moore had captivated his six sibling heirs have grown increas- own money to buy $250 in grocery gift the British public by walking 100 laps of his garden ingly unhappy, particularly as the estate cards. in England in the run-up to his 100th birthday in April has doled out tens of millions of dollars to “His actions exemplify what it means to to raise some 33 million pounds ($40 million) for the lawyers and consultants. protect and serve the members of our com- Comerica and its lawyers at Fredrikson munity,” Chief George McNeil said on the . & Byron in Minneapolis maintain their The Cavern Club in Liverpool, the music venue department’s website. (AP) estate valuations are solid. Comerica sued ❑ ❑ ❑ which was the venue for many of The Beatles’ early the IRS this summer in US Tax Court in gigs, described Marsden as a “legend” and a “very Washington, DC, saying the agency’s BAY SHORE, NY: A Long Island man has good friend.” calculations are riddled with errors. been arrested after a crime spree that gave In 1962, Beatles manager signed up “What we have here is a classic battle new meaning to the term doorbuster. the band and their fi rst three releases reached No. 1 in of the experts - the estate’s experts and It happened shortly before 2 am, Suffolk 1963 - “How Do You Do It?” and “I Like It” as well as the IRS’ experts,” said Dennis Patrick, an County police said, when Justin Shuffl e “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Later hits included “Fer- estate planning attorney at DeWitt LLP stole a 2010 Bobcat skid loader, which is ry Cross the Mersey,” and “Don’t Let Catch in Minneapolis who is not involved in the used to push snow, from a Bay Shore shop- You Crying.” The group split in 1967 and Marsden case. Valuing a large estate, Patrick added, ping center. He then crashed the mini-snow pursued a solo career before reforming the bank a few “is way more of an art than a science.” plow through the front doors of a nearby years later. Comerica, a Dallas-based fi nancial ser- Target. Paul McCartney from The Beatles said Marsden vices giant, has asked the tax court to hold Once inside, authorities said, Shuffl e was “a mate from our early days in Liverpool” and a trial in St Paul. A trial could dramatically swiped a coat and several gift cards before that his group were “our biggest rivals” on the local lengthen the settlement of Prince’s estate police caught him in the electronics section scene. and generate more legal fees at the expense of the big-box retailer. “His unforgettable performances of ‘You’ll Never of Prince’s heirs, Patrick said. No one was injured, but the front doors Walk Alone’ and ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ remain in Prince sold over 150 million records of the store “suffered extensive damages,” many people’s hearts as reminders of a joyful time in worldwide, ranking him among the police said in a news release. best-selling music artists of all time. He This April 20, 2009 fi le photo, shows Gerry Marsden on board the . Shuffl e, 33, of Deer Park, pleaded not British music,” he said. was inducted into the Hall Gerry Marsden, the British singer and lead singer of Gerry and the Pacemakers, guilty Friday to third-degree burglary and Marsden is survived by his wife Pauline, whom he of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of who was instrumental in turning a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein fourth-degree larceny. It was not im- married in 1965. The couple had two daughters. Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues musical ‘Carousel’ into one of the great anthems in the world of football, has mediately clear whether he had a defense Music Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2016, he died. He was 78. (AP) attorney. (AP)