Gerry And The Pacemakers

From BeatlesWiki

Gerry Marsden formed the group in the late '50s, calling themselves, The Mars-Bars, featuring himself on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Fred on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano (to be replaced in 1961 by Les McGuire).

They worked the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit as the Beatles, and ran neck and neck with their rivals in local popularity.

They were signed by Epstein in mid-1962 (the first band to do so besides the Beatles), and began recording for the EMI/Columbia label in early 1963, under the direction of producer George Martin. Their first single was a Mitch Murray tune that Martin had wanted the Beatles to record for their debut, "How Do You Do It?"

The Beatles did record a version (found on the Anthology 1 release), but objected to its release, finding it too sappy, and in any case, were more interested in recording their own, gutsier original compositions. It suited Marsden's grinning, peppy style well, and went to Number One before it was displaced from the top spot by the Beatles' third 45, "From Me to You".