Beryl Marsden (born 10 June 1947) is a British R&B and pop singer, who first came to notice on the

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

club scene of the early 1960s. She recorded a number of "powerful and soulful", Biography by Bruce Eder at Allmusic/ref> but unsuccessful, records, and has been described as "undeservedly neglected".

Life and career

She was born Beryl Hogg in the

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...

area of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, one of a family of 10 children. She began singing as a child, and at the age of 14 won a local talent competition. She was invited to join local band the Undertakers, but was too young to travel with them to club dates in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. Instead, she started singing with local group

Howie Casey Howard William Casey (born 12 July 1937) is a British rhythm and blues and rock saxophonist. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of Derry and the Seniors, the first rock and roll band from Liverpool to play clubs in Germany, ...

and the Crew, often performing at

the Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...

. Although she took the stage name Beryl Marsden, she was not related to musician

Gerry Marsden 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 was the younger brother of fellow b ...

. In 1963 she started appearing at the

Star Club The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 3 ...

in Hamburg, and on her return to Britain moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where she was managed by

Tony Stratton-Smith Tony Stratton-Smith (29 October 1933 – 19 March 1987) was an English rock music manager, and entrepreneur. He founded the London-based record label Charisma Records in 1969 and managed rock groups such as the Nice, Van der Graaf Generator and ...

and was signed as a solo singer by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. She recorded two singles for them, a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Barbara George Barbara George (16 August 1942 – 10 August 2006) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Biography Born Barbara Ann Smith at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, she was raised in the 9th ward New Orleans, and began si ...

's "

I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" is an R&B song written and recorded by American singer Barbara George, released as her debut single in 1961. It became her signature song and her only major hit in United States, reaching number-one on the ''Bi ...

", followed by a version of

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

' "

When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" is a song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland and recorded in 1963 by Motown singing group The Supremes. It is notable as the Supremes' first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top 40 recording, followin ...

". However, neither was successful. She supported

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

on their last UK tour in 1965 and in that same year was signed to the Columbia label. There, she released two singles that year, "Who You Gonna Hurt?", and "Music Talk". The B-side of the latter was a version of the

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

song " Breakaway" (later a hit for

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman, 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows ''A Kick Up the Eighties'' (wi ...

), arranged and produced by

Ivor Raymonde Ivor Raymonde (born Ivor Pomerance; 22 October 1926 – 4 June 1990) was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s. Life and care ...

. Her final solo single, "What’s She Got", was issued in April 1966. In May 1966 she joined a new group,

Shotgun Express Shotgun Express was a short-lived British R&B band formed in London in May 1966. Although it achieved little success at the time, it is notable for having briefly included such subsequently famous musicians as Rod Stewart, Mick Fleetwood, Peter ...

, whose members also included

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of th ...

and guitarist Peter Green. After that group split up in early 1967, she joined

all-female band An all-female band is a musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed. While ...

The She Trinity The She Trinity was a Canadian/British pop group of the 1960s. The band was assembled as an all-female group who played their own instruments, a rarity in the period. The original members, Robyn Yorke, Shelley Gillespie and Sue Kirby, were Canad ...

before linking up with Liverpool musician Paddy Chambers to form the band Sinbad. In the 1970s, she also performed as a member of a group called Gambler, before forming the Beryl Marsden Band. She also worked as a session singer, recorded with former Shotgun Express member

Phil Sawyer Philip Sawyer (born 8 March 1947,Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography'', Canongate, , p. 265 London) is an English musician who was a member of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s and later recorded under the alias Beautiful Wor ...

, and in the 1980s performed on stage with

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also ...

. She released an album, ''One Dream'' in 2004, the single "

Baby It's You "Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby I ...

" in 2007, and another single "Too Late" in 2008. Some of her 1960s recordings have also been reissued on compilation albums. On 10 and 11 June 2013, a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

, ''One Dream: The Beryl Marsden Story'' was staged at the

Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...

, only the second time that a theatrical show had been performed at the club. The musical ran for two nights, with Marsden performing at the end of the show. In 2014, she was portrayed by Gemma Sutton in '' Cilla'', a three-part television drama series about

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

Discography

Singles

* "

" / "I Only Care About You", Decca F11707, 1963 * "

" / "Love Is Going To Happen To Me", Decca F11818, 1964 * "Who You Gonna Hurt?" / "Gonna Make Him My Baby", Columbia DB 7718 (Capitol 5552 in the U.S), 1965 (A-side reached the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' Top 30)(#15 in Canada) * "Music Talk" / "Break-A-Way", Columbia DB7797, 1965 * "What’s She Got?" / "Let’s Go Somewhere", Columbia DB 7888, 1966 * "

" LBM, 2007 * "Too Late / Everything I Need" LBM, 2008

References

External links

Beryl Marsden article at "Old Memories..."
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsden, Beryl 1947 births Living people English women pop singers English rhythm and blues singers English soul singers People from Toxteth British rhythm and blues boom musicians Musicians from Liverpool Shotgun Express members