The Crowd (band)

The Crowd
Origin England
Genres Charity Group
Years active 1985

The Crowd was a charity group formed specifically to produce a charity record for the Bradford City stadium fire, in which 56 people died on 11 May 1985. The group consisted of singers, actors, television personalities and others.

Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers had decided to make a charity record to aid the families of the victims of the disaster (the Bradford City Disaster Fund). The re-recording of the 1963 number 1 hit song "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the broadway musical Carousel, also a 'football anthem' for Liverpool supporters, entered the UK charts at No. 4, and reached Number 1 on 1 June 1985. The record also topped the Irish Singles Chart. 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.

Contributing musicians

The band members included: Bruce Forsyth, Denny Laine, Jim Diamond, Tony Christie, Rick Wakeman, John Conteh, The Barron Knights, Jess Conrad, Kiki Dee, the Foxes, Rolf Harris, Graham Gouldman, Kenny Lynch, Rick Wild of The Overlanders, Keith Chegwin, Tony Hicks, Colin Blunstone, Tim Hinkley, Johnny Logan, Zak Starkey, Girlschool, Black Lace, John Otway, Gary Holton, Nigel Holton, Hank Hancocks, 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 Hardin, Gerard Kenny, Chris Robinson, Tim Healy, Kin Kelly, John Verity, Rose Marie, David Shilling, Chris Norman, Pete Spencer, Bernie Winters, Robert Heaton, and Frank Allen of The Searchers.

Paul McCartney contributed some words on the B-side of the record.

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 did not 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.

See also

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