According to Burns, a lot of the songs that seem to have some longevity tend to feature, for the most part, real instruments. For a while, the saxophone was a key feature of that dynamic. We want to hear it. I just now went to the Internet and, sure enough, found out the history of Rafferty and Baker Street, and viewed a YouTube performance of it. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. Then, in the most offhand, glory-belying way, Burns dropped in this aside: Strangely enough, another record that I played on, which was a massive hit, certainly in this country and I think in America as well, was called Careless Whisper, that also had a massive opening solo. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Joel Whitburn, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (6th Edition)", p. 493. Hell do all the painting -it will be partly animated -and Ill do the music., Raffertys outlining of his goals, which seem at once modest and ambitious, is interrupted by the entrance of members of his entourage, a magazine photographer and a newspaper reporter who confesses to me that until today she had never heard of the man shes about to interview. [70][71], A requiem mass was held for Rafferty at St Mirin's Cathedral in his native town of Paisley on 21 January 2011. After the duo separated in 1971, Transatlantic owner Nathan Joseph signed Rafferty as a solo performer. Rafferty felt he had matured as an artist, as he told the Evening Standard at the time of the release: "At my time of life, I don't want to be talking to 23-year-old record executives who are just trying to sell their products to 19-year-olds. For the time being I feel good at the moment.. Gerry Rafferty - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Some of these old ladies used to pass out. Gerry in a very rare interview from a radio scotland programme in 2003.This is a rare insight into the world of one of the past centurys greatest songwriters. [63], On 17 February 2009, The Guardian reported that Rafferty was in hiding in the south of England, being cared for by a friend. But few people know the origin story of rocks most iconic sax riff, which is complicated, to say the least. Still, some would consider Raffertys decision not to tour America until next March, long after the excitement generated by Baker Street will have dissipated, an imprudent career move. Musical is very cyclical. Though it would seem to have struck America like a bolt from the blue, City to City does not depart dramatically from the music Rafferty has recorded over the past decade. Rafferty and Ventilla divorced in 1990. His wife had just given birth to their daughter and he told me that he didnt have any money to buy nappies, says Brewer. Rafferty and Fuschini rented a large home together in Upton, near Poole. "Thats how they regulated the charts. Things came to a head when the star told Brewer that he was planning to go on the David Frost TV show. Thats the price I paid for being Gerry Raffertys manager.. He said, You are not a good man! [73], Newspapers printed lengthy obituaries for the singer; in The Guardian, Michael Gray charted Rafferty's long downward spiral into alcoholism,[38] while a full-page obituary in The Times summarised his career more positively: "As well as being a singer of considerable talent who at one time had the pop world at his feet, Gerry Rafferty was also a consummate songwriter, blessed with sensitivity and an enviable melodic flair that at its best recalled Paul McCartney. BA1 1UA. Enter your email address in the field below and we'll send you a password to read all free articles on RBP. Its a haunting sound that drops bread crumbs from a listeners pocket for their melancholy to follow. In fact, I just spoke to a good friend of mine about doing a film in Scotland, a project weve been wanting to do for years. Ghosts! He wandered over with Gerry and left them to talk. [4], Rafferty left St Mirin's Academy in 1963. At eleven, he started to play. Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947 - 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. In a 2011 episode of the NBC show 30 Rock, which aired the same year that Rafferty died, Tina Feys character paces the streets faced with the prospects of losing her job as a television writer. "[5] When a remastered version of City to City was released in 2011, it included the original, electric guitar version of the song, confirming Rafferty's authorship of the riff. You never know a new generation of young musicians coming up [might bring back the sax]. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Gerry Rafferty Biography by Timothy Monger As one-half of the Humblebums, Scottish singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty came up through the U.K. folk-rock scene of the late 1960s and early '70s before finding mainstream international success with his 1978 solo album, City to City. The mass was streamed live over the Internet. From a Richard Thompson interview this spring, discussing the shelved Rafferty-produced 1980 sessions prior to the Shoot Out the Lights album. I thought the contract had finished but it turned out it hadnt. Gerry Rafferty signed up with Brewer and his production company funded the making of new album, City To City. He really cant stand anyone in the music industry, anyone in the music publishing industry, and all he wants to do is write songs for his daughter., So I go back to Gerry," says Brewer, "and say, Youve got to stop doing this were going to run out of record companies!. In person, Mr Rafferty was a really nice man, he kept himself to himself and didn't bother the other guests but he was clearly on a downward spiral. In the right music it sounds fantastic, its the only way to make certain kinds of music. [3], In October 2011, newspapers reported that Rafferty's immediate family were the beneficiaries of his 1.25million estate. I said, Youre just not the right person to do David Frost. Best Gerry Rafferty Songs: 10 Greats From Scotland's Beloved - Dig! Rafferty says working with the legendary authors of Hound Dog and producers of (among others) the Coasters was trying. Three acoustic guitars, layers and layers of backing vocals, very lush, very evened out sound., (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Scottish singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty, best known for his solo hit "Baker Street" and "Stuck In The . The group was beset by legal wranglings, but had a huge hit with "Stuck in the Middle with You", which earned critical acclaim as well as commercial success: a 1975 article in Sounds described it as "a sort of cross between white label Beatles and punk Dylan yet with a unique Celtic flavour that has marked all their work". The man behind the saxophone was Raphael Ravenscroft, who in addition to having the best-ever name for a session saxophonist, claims to have authored the riff. In his interview with Colin Irwin, Rafferty disputed this and said that Ravenscroft had been his second choice to play the saxophone solo, after Pete Zorn, who was unavailable: "The only confusion at the time that I didnt enjoy too much was the fact that a lot of people believed that the line was written by Raphael Ravenscroft, the sax player, but it was my line. Individuals can subscribe to Rocks Backpages for three, six and twelve months to get unlimited access to the complete Rocks Backpages archive. No matter the true genesis of its sax riff, the song still endures. In 2010, Baker Street was honored by BMI for achieving 5 million radio plays worldwide. Its fellow honorees that yearCome Together, Candle in the Wind, and Build Me Up Buttercupdeliver some sense of the songs real reach. Gerry Rafferty - Snakes & Ladders Album Reviews, Songs & More - AllMusic Marcus passed away in 2005 and none of the tributes to him seem to make mention of it. Joseph Rafferty died when Gerry was just sixteen, but if he bequeathed anything to his last-born son it was an affinity for songs in the Irish and Scottish folk tradition. And he certainly got that. The Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, who has died aged 63 after a long illness, wrote the multimillion-selling hit Baker Street, which more than 30 years after . exclusive audio interviews. Here is the song sung by Gerry with Joe providing the second lead vocal: Theres a 1 hour BBC4 documentary about him here. Rafferty was born into a working-class family in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Rafferty's guitarist Hugh Burns, multi-instrumentalist Graham Preskett and saxophonist Mel Collins, were also featured. He had been signed to A&M. And a whole suite of Irish traditional songs and Scots traditional songs". Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line (Lyric Video) 'Right Down the Line' is taken from the album 'City to City'. But Gerry Rafferty is wearing a button warning, Dangerous Times Ahead, and hes known bad times in the past as well. Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street' Blues: Rolling Stone's 1978 Feature ZigZag, But depending on whom you ask, the intrigue doesnt quite end there. GERRY RAFFERTY rarely comes up in interviews, seldom works on the road and is in London even less often. His remains were then cremated at the Woodside Crematorium in Paisley[72] and his ashes scattered on Iona. the Amazon Associates Program via amazon.com. [citation needed], By the end of the 1990s, new technology enabled Rafferty to distance himself even further from the conventional approach of the music industry and work entirely on his own terms. Gerry Rafferty Buy album Year of Release: 1978 Appears in: 141 charts Rank Score: 881 Rank in 1978: 35 Rank in 1970s: 375 Overall Rank: 1,918 Average Rating: 76 (159 votes) Comments: 8 2. What I want is just to develop in terms of my songs and also to work in other areas. [19] Rafferty considered this his first proper taste of success, as he told Melody Maker the following year: "all the records I've ever done before have been flops. So I picked up and moved [from London] back to Scotland to sort myself out., Eventually Rafferty was prevailed upon to rejoin Stealers Wheel, and he resumed writing songs that conveyed pretty scary kinds of feelings and condemned managers, record companies, the whole thing. (When I asked what he felt was the persistent theme of his music, Rafferty replied tersely and without hesitation, Alienation.) Though he and Egan sugarcoated their bitter pills with sweet melodies and glossy pop arrangements, they were unable to repeat the success of Stuck in the Middle., Editors picks Later I get a call from Martin Wyatt: I wouldnt sign that man if you gave me the record and I know its a number 1 album! I said, Why? He says, Hes the most unbelievably obnoxious person Ive ever met in my life., "What did he say to you? He said that he was never going to support the album, he was never going to play in a band, and he was never going to go on the road. So theyd ship them, get big warehouses, put them in there. Isnt that interesting because I definitely did not compose it. He regularly appears on Classic Rocks podcast, The 20 Million Club (opens in new tab), and was the writer/researcher on 2017s Mick Ronson documentary Beside Bowie (opens in new tab). He was the third son of Irish miner and lorry driver Joseph Rafferty and Rafferty's Scottish wife Mary Skeffington. Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty. And he now had more of what he didn't like. 'Can I Have My Money Back?' ), Forum Policies, Rules, and Terms of Service. Contributing artists included his friend Rab Noakes, The Proclaimers, Barbara Dickson, Ron Sexsmith, Jack Bruce, Paul Brady, Emma Pollock, James Vincent McMorrow and Betsy Cook. Stuck In The Middle With You had Joe Egan miming Gerrys lead vocal as he had left the band by the time they shot it. Now I feel much more in control of myself, and certainly much more in control of the way I want my career to go along. He wanted his talent to be respected. Brewer: He says, Heres the deal. I feel as if I can dictate the pace, and thats whats really very good: to dictate your own pace so that you have enough time to write, enough time to record, enough time, really, to give your best. [34] According to Michael Gray, Rafferty's personal manager at the height of his success, he turned down many opportunities to work with other artists:[38] " he retained a healthy scepticism not just about the music industry but about society, money and politics in general. [5][6] Heavily influenced by folk music and the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, Rafferty started to write his own material. I asked Burns why he thought Baker Street is still a staple nearly 40 years after its release. There was a generation gap and a culture gap, too. The Mystery Behind Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street' - The Atlantic For once, Brewer and Rafferty agreed on something they refused to credit the sax player (demos of Baker Street show that Rafferty already had the melody of what would become the sax part, played on guitar). "[52] Reid believed Rafferty was fundamentally unsuited to the pressures of celebrity: "He struck me as a very, very sensitive man and for someone like that, fame was probably not appropriate. I thought, well, if a little bit of that rubs off on us, perhaps we'll get in the charts as well, but actually, in practice, it was kind of a claustrophobic experience. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Now based in London, he employed sound engineer Giles Twigg to assemble a Digidesign mobile recording studio and, with Twigg's help, recorded the album Another World in London, Scotland, Barbados, France, and Italy with collaborators from previous albums, including Hugh Burns, Mark Knopfler, Kenny Craddock, and Mo Foster. She portrayed her father as an autodidact with an "incredibly strong work ethic" and passion for books ("There were literally whole walls of book shelves at home and he'd read every single word. Right down the line: Remembering Gerry Rafferty [60], In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital where he was put on a life-support machine and treated for multiple organ failure. The album City to City went to No. ", Rafferty's next album, Night Owl, also did well. Scott wrote chapters for two of legendary sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson's books (For The Love Of Vinyl (opens in new tab), 2009, and Gathering Storm (opens in new tab), 2015). His daughter Martha relaunched Rafferty's old website, gerryrafferty.com, with a full discography, rare photos, and new artwork by John 'Patrick' Byrne. "[5], In 1995, Rafferty was deeply affected by the death of his older brother Joseph, an event from which family and friends said he never fully recovered. At first it was part of the melody, and Rafferty reckoned hed sing it. Thats why I especially liked the Everly Brothers.. Four days later, my personal assistant suddenly disappeared. [51], On 3 September 2021 Parlophone UK released "Rest In Blue" an album on which Martha Rafferty completed a project started by her father from demos left by Rafferty. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", and "Night Owl". Whatever I do in the future, it's at my own pace, on my own terms. But theres something special about four or five guys in a studio and working with an artist and honing whatever it is that the song is and fine-tuning it. [27] But it earned him another 1.5million, selling around three million copies in Europe and America. In The Times, critic David Sinclair was particularly scathing: "On North and South, it sounds as if he has thumbed a lift up the road to a mock-Texan bar somewhere in his native Scotland. Gerry Rafferty: Bipolar alcoholic, industry misfit - and one of Britain "[20], "Baker Street" featured a distinctive saxophone riff played by Raphael Ravenscroft, although the origins of the solo have been disputed. We tried electric guitar but it sounded weak, and we tried other things and I think it was Hugh Murphy's suggestion that we tried saxophone."[5]. Theres enough evidence to be suspicious and more than enough time to enjoy them both. Another World, almost an esoteric work, also with the assistance of Mark Knopfler and Egan, featured an album cover illustrated by John 'Patrick' Byrne, who also illustrated the covers for Can I Have My Money Back?, City to City, Night Owl, and Snakes and Ladders, and all three Stealers Wheel albums. Please visit our Personal Subscriptions page for pricing and to place your order. What is it going to take?, Jerry says, Jon, Ill tell you what well do: 3, 2, 1., He says, 3% on the first album, 2% on the second album and 1% on the third., I went, Oh, cmon, there must be another way., So that was the deal. It doesnt do that. Barbara Dickson released a tribute album of 13 Rafferty songs, To Each and Everyone: The Songs of Gerry Rafferty, in September 2013, including cover versions of "Baker Street", "The Ark", and "Steamboat Row". We didnt share a sense of humor or much of anything., Before long, Rafferty and Egan decided it was time to stop the whole fucking farce, which they did after completing a lackluster third album, Right or Wrong, with another producer. [60], In the last decade of his life, having taken pains to shun the fame and celebrity that accompanied his musical achievements, Rafferty found himself making headlines once again as he struggled with alcoholism and depression and the increasingly erratic behaviour they spawned. "[55] As the 1980s progressed, Rafferty's growing drinking problem placed his marriage under impossible strain;[38] his wife divorced him in 1990,[61] although they remained close. Right Down the Line - Wikipedia They had Electric Light Orchestra, Kenny Rodgers, and the third artist was to become Gerry Rafferty. Politicians in attendance were the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond MSP, Wendy Alexander MSP, Hugh Henry MSP, and Robin Harper MSP. The Internet is a conspiracy-theory clearing house, and yet the connection between Baker Street and the opening riff of Half a Heart lives in semi-ubiquity. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", and "Night Owl". Gerry Rafferty: Folk Roots Interview (1988) - Redstone Tech [5] Reviews of the album were mixed. "Stuck in the Middle With You" has received over 4million plays worldwide, and "Right Down The Line" has had over 3million plays. Rafferty and Joe Egan formed the group Stealers Wheel in 1972 and produced several hits, most notably "Stuck in the Middle with You" and "Star". In 2012, Cuillin Recordings issued Paisley Spin, a remix of three tracks from Can I Have My Money Back? Burns told me that theres no question that Rafferty came up with the music that became the famous riff line on Baker Street. After Burns laid down the solo, Rafferty asked him to have a go at what obviously became very famous, which was the sax line. Burns tried it on guitar, but the two men agreed that it would be better on the saxophone. [5], In his next album, Sleepwalking (1982), Rafferty took a very different approach to his work. You can take the boy out of Paisley but you can't take Paisley out the boy! The jazz-rock fusion album was almost exclusively of cover songs such as The Beatles title track. Gerry Rafferty at home. - YouTube Please visit our Institutional Subscriptions page for further information and to arrange for a trial or quote. The guitarist Hugh Burns has scored movies like Die Another Day and The Hobbit, and played with the likes of Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Jack Bruce, and George Michael throughout his storied career. "[38], In 2008, Rafferty moved away from California and briefly rented a home in Ireland, where his drinking soon became a problem again. I saw a man in despair". Succession Recap: Logan Roy Makes Shock Return, Shiv and Tom Get Kinky, After a long pause during which Raffertys eyes are downcast and the only sound to be heard is that of his chewing gum, he answers intently: I dont really think about it in those kinds of terms. Liner notes for the compilation album Right Down the Line (prepared with Rafferty's close co-operation[33]) confirmed this several years later, noting the singer was now "finding himself at the crossroads and looking to replace the treadmill with a new dimension in his life". Brewer was a big fan of Stealers Wheel and met Rafferty in London. So to hear him talk about his career with such passion, and be. Rafferty himself said as much, during an interview taken not long before his death in 2009: "There have been periods in my life where I have experienced depression. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, and Accept | Cookies policy | Privacy policy, Click here to sign in via the UK federation WAYF. [16] Stealers Wheel also produced the lesser top 50 hits "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine" followed by "Star", and there were further suggestions of Rafferty's growing alienation in tracks such as "Outside Looking In" and "Who Cares". Released as a single in July 1978, it reached #12 on the U.S. Gordon Laurie, director of the housing association behind the project, commented: "It is a fitting tribute to a brilliant musician who lives on through his music. To search for precise terms or phrases, it is advisable to place quote marks at either end of the phrase. The follow-up single "Get It Right Next Time" made the UK and US Top 40. I went to the studio after I played the gig and I think one of the first songs we played was Baker Street. And I said, This is fantastic. [29] One of the lesser-known songs from that time is "Big Change in the Weather" (the B-side of "Baker Street"). I probably did more music with him than any other musician. He was also friends with Ravenscroft and toured with him. Theres no question about that either. Obituary, Gerry Rafferty. Trending So he goes on David Frost, and I think it took four minutes before hed lost his audience. So surprised and impressed was he when he first heard Gerry's music, Billy didn't believe that the songs had been written by him . If your local library has signed up with Rock's Backpages, please enter your card number below: Becoming a subscriber is easy. (Singer/songwriters were crawling out of every apartment at that time.) But two of the initial recruits deserted before they even recorded, and as musicians came and went, Stealers Wheel deteriorated into Rafferty and Egan backed by a cast of dozens. [77] Electropop star Elly Jackson described "Right Down the Line" as "my favourite track of all time. I love Gerry's records, something like 'Baker Street' is a wonderful pop record. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time 5 hit in 1979. To access Rocks Backpages through your non-UK university or college, please use your library page via the below menu. [13], In September 2011, EMI issued a remastered collector's edition of City to City featuring previously unheard demo versions of "Baker Street", "Mattie's Rag", "City to City", and other tracks from the album. Gerry Rafferty - IMDb After they disbanded in 1971, he recorded his first solo album, Can I Have My Money Back? "Days Gone Down" reached No. The musicians present included Craig and Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers, former bandmates Joe Egan and Rab Noakes, Barbara Dickson, and Graham Lyle. [6] Finbar Furey, who knew Rafferty for over 40 years, said he "was in a different league completely. unrestricted remote and on-site access to each text and audio file in the database. According to Murphy, interviewed by Billboard in 1993, he and Rafferty had to beg the record label, United Artists, to release "Baker Street" as a single: "They actually said it was too good for the public. This is a great song.. "[42], Generally an autobiographical writer,[7] Rafferty returned to this theme often, in the lyrics of Stealers Wheel songs such as "Stuck in the Middle With You" and "Good Businessman", and later solo tracks like "Take the Money and Run" (from Night Owl), "Welcome to Hollywood" (from Snakes and Ladders), and "Sleepwalking" (from the album of the same name). More likely, he has simply mellowed with age. For his self-titled album, see, Undated "Prank call" video of Billy Connolly on YouTube, uploaded 25 November 2007, Connolly remembers Rafferty as a prank call "expert he used to make me scream. We were looking for.
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