Gerry Rafferty

Gerry Rafferty biography

Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 - 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working class family in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. His mother taught him both Irish and Scottish folk songs as a boy; later, he was influenced by the music of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. He joined the folk-pop band The Humblebums in 1969, but left in 1971 and recorded his first solo album Can I Have My Money Back. Rafferty and Joe Egan formed the group Stealers Wheel in 1972, producing several hits, most notably "Stuck in the Middle with You". In 1978, he recorded his second solo album, City to City, which includes "Baker Street", his most popular song.

Early years

Rafferty was born on 16 April 1947 into a working-class family in Paisley, a son and grandson of coal miners. He was a son of Mary Skeffington and Joseph Rafferty (died 1963); and had two brothers, Jim and Joe (died 1995).

Musical career

Rafferty left St. Mirin's Academy in 1963. He worked in a butcher's shop, as a civil service clerk, and in a shoe shop, although as he noted in a later interview: "But there was never anything else for me but music. I never intended making a career out of any of the jobs I did." On weekends he and a schoolfriend, Joe Egan, played in a local group named The Mavericks. In the mid 1960s Rafferty earned money, for a time, busking on the London Underground. In 1966 he was a member of the band The Fifth Column, along with future Stealers Wheel collaborator Joe Egan. The group released the single "Benjamin Day"/"There's Nobody Here" (Columbia 8068), but it was not a commercial success.

The Humblebums/Stealers Wheel

In 1969 he became the third member of an existing folk-pop duo The Humblebums which featured future comedian Billy Connolly and Tam Harvey. Harvey left shortly afterwards and Rafferty and Connolly went on to record two acclaimed albums for Transatlantic Records as a duo. After the two decided to go their separate ways in 1971, Transatlantic owner Nathan Joseph signed Rafferty to a contract as a solo performer and Rafferty recorded his first solo album - Can I Have My Money Back. The album was a critical success but did not enjoy commercial success. In 1972, Rafferty and Egan formed Stealers Wheel, a group which was beset by legal wranglings, but did have a huge hit "Stuck in the Middle With You", which 20 years later was used prominently in the 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs. Stealers Wheel also produced the lesser top 50 hits, "Everything'll Turn Out Fine", followed by "Star". The duo disbanded in 1975.

Legal issues after the breakup of Stealers Wheel meant that, for three years, Rafferty was unable to release any material. The album sold over 5.5 million copies, toppling the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in the US on 8 July 1978. "Baker Street" featured a distinctive saxophone solo played by Raphael Ravenscroft, although the origins of the solo have been disputed.

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