Name Les Maguire | Role Pianist | |
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Albums Ferry Cross the Mersey, Gerry Cross the Mersey Similar People Les Chadwick, Freddie Marsden, Gerry Marsden | ||
Leslie Charles "Les" Maguire (born December 27, 1941, Wallasey, Cheshire) is an English pianist.
Biography
Maguire started his career, playing tenor saxophone in a Liverpool pop group, the Vegas Five, which later changed its name to The Undertakers. Maguire later left in order to join the Merseybeat group, Gerry & the Pacemakers, replacing the group's original pianist, Arthur MacMahon. In 1961, The Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers merged to become the 'Beatmakers', for a one-off performance in Litherland Town Hall. The line-up comprised Gerry Marsden, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Les Chadwick, Pete Best, Freddy Marsden, plus vocalist Karl Terry from The Cruisers with Maguire on saxophone.
Gerry & the Pacemakers achieved immediate success in the British chart and later in the United States. Maguire remained with the group until it faded from the public eye towards the end of the 1960s. He briefly fronted the Mississippi blues band, Hog Owl in 1970, and teamed up with the Pacemakers for occasional reunion performances.