The Crowd (band)
The Crowd |
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The Crowd was a 'supergroup' formed specifically to produce a charity record for the Valley Parade football disaster, in which 56 people died on May 11 1985.
Gerry Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers had decided to make a charity record to aid the families of the victims of the disaster. The re-recording of the hit song "You’ll Never Walk Alone", already a 'football anthem' for Liverpool supporters, entered the UK charts at No. 4, and reached Number 1 on June 1 1985.
Band members
The band members included: Jim Diamond (Former Ph.D Lead singer), Tony Christie, Rick Wakeman, John Conteh, The Barron Knights, Jess Conrad, Kiki Dee, Bruce Forsyth, the Foxes, Rolf Harris, Graham Gouldman, Kenny Lynch, Keith Chegwin, Tony Hicks, Colin Blunstone, Tim Hinckley, Johnny Logan, Zak Starkey, Girlschool, Black Lace, John Otway, Gary Holton, Peter Cook, the Nolans, John Entwistle of The Who, Motörhead, Karen Clark, Dave Lee Travis, Graham Dene, Ed Stewart, Phil Lynott, Smokie, Joe Fagin, Eddie Harding, Gerard Kenny, Chris Robinson, Tim Healy, Kin Kelly, John Verity, Rose Marie, David Shilling, Chris Norman, Pete Spencer and Bernie Winters.
Paul McCartney contributed some words on the B-side of the record.
'First'
The single gave Gerry Marsden a ‘first’ in British recording history, by becoming the first person ever to top the charts with two versions of the same song.
Fund controversy
Having decided to collect the money and donate it as a lump sum to the fire disaster fund, Marsden was shocked to discover that the appeal had been closed, and the organisers had told him that they didn't want the money. In the end, the money was donated instead to the burns research unit in Bradford.
The music publishers of the record refused to waive their royalties, resulting in a much-reduced donation of £132,000.