Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer-songwriter.[1] His 1978 album, City to City, reached number one on the music charts in the USA.[1] "Baker Street", a song from the album reached the Top 10 in both the USA and Britain.[1] It featured a distinctive saxophone solo played by Raphael Ravenscroft.[1]
Rafferty was born in Paisley, Scotland and began playing in bands as a teenager. "Stuck in the Middle" was written in the early 1970's with his band "Stealers Wheel". It was a parody of Bob Dylan's style.[1] It became a hit again after being used in the movie Reservoir Dogs directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1992.[1] Rafferty also played in a folk group, the Humblebums, with Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.[2]
He sold more than 10 million albums but did not enjoy working in the music industry which he said he "loathed and detested."[1] He died in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, from liver failure caused by his alcoholism.[2]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Martin, Chris (4 January 2011). "Gerry Rafferty, Songwriter, Dies at 63". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Watt, Chris (6 January 2011). "Connolly praises his 'hugely talented' late friend Rafferty". heraldscotland.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.