The career of Gerry Rafferty from folk-roots to multi-million selling success and alcohol-fuelled demise was one of amazing highs and lows. Burns is responsible for the blistering guitar solo on Baker Street and considers working with Gerry Rafferty one of his lifes great honors. So what you get is someones heartfelt experience and you put that into the lyric and into the song. So to hear him talk about his career with such passion, and be. The testimony of Ravenscoft, who died last year, seems to be refuted by the existence of an early demo of the song, where the guitar replaces the sax. [4], Rafferty grew up in a council house in the town's Ferguslie Park, in Underwood Lane, and was educated at St Mirin's Academy. Gerry was a joker he used to joke all the time, an absolute nutter. In a 2006 interview with The Times, Ravenscroft recalled the episode differently, claiming he was presented with a song that contained "several gaps": "If you're asking me: 'Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play?' 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. 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. Him and Billy used to play a game. And I went, Ill fund the album. tenor sax player who toured with the jazz great Buddy Rich. August 1975. 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. From a Richard Thompson interview this spring, discussing the shelved Rafferty-produced 1980 sessions prior to the Shoot Out the Lights album. Inside the recording of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: only in the new issue of Classic Rock. It's been a huge earner for me. Rafferty offered to buy himself out of his contract and Brewer turned him down. And he certainly got that. Rafferty continues to ponder and juxtapose the differences between urban and pastoral life, and many of his new songs (especially, and most eloquently, Whatevers Written in Your Heart) still seem attempts to bridge the communication chasm between a man and a woman. He was Editor in Chief of Classic Rock magazine for 10 years and Editor of Total Guitar for 4 years and has contributed to The Big Issue, Esquire and more. (Both of these were popular hobbies in the year 1978. The newspaper Scotland on Sunday reported that Rafferty had been asked to leave the hotel and had then checked himself into St Thomas' Hospital suffering from a chronic liver condition, brought on by heavy drinking. "[40], In the early 1990s, Rafferty recorded a cover version of the Bob Dylan song "The Times They Are a-Changin'" with Barbara Dickson, who had contributed backing vocals to both City to City and Night Owl. Rafferty had apparently not changed his will after meeting Enzina Fuschini in 2008 and left her nothing. [41], Rafferty released two further albums in the 1990s in what musician Tom Robinson later described as "a major return to form". [28], "Right Down the Line" was the second single from City to City. Click here for academic and other group subscriptions. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", and "Night Owl". Tue 4 Jan 2011 14.01 EST. His frustration during this period underlies Baker Street, which takes its name from the London street where he often stayed in a friends flat. And Gerry would barge into their umbrella, shout Oh my god!, and as he hit the ground hed take his glass eye out and let it roll on the pavement. "[11] It was a good call: the single reached #3 in the UK and #2 in the US. "You were very lucky to get that interview because he didn't do many. . Ive got nothing against electronics. The song made No. He was an artist through and though., Seemingly alone in its era, Baker Street managed to stand out at the height of punk and new wave and also shined through the summer of Grease and the twilight of discos last saccharine gleaming. 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. Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. It was the days of payola and the days of sheds being filled with records and all sorts of things, says Brewer. The next album was all organised but Gerry wanted to get rid of me.". The Times, Wednesday 5 January 2011. The group released the single "Benjamin Day"/"There's Nobody Here" (Columbia 8068), but it was not a commercial success. I probably did more music with him than any other musician. He was also friends with Ravenscroft and toured with him. It's not for me there are too many inherent contradictions. We use cookies to help provide you with the best possible online experience. We want to hear it. [4], Rafferty left St Mirin's Academy in 1963. He hated capitalism. 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. I regard it as a great good fortune that I was able to meet and contribute something to Gerrys music, he told me over the phone from England. Capitol called me at one point and said, Were going to give him 5 million. 2 on the American Billboard charts behind Andy Gibbs Shadow Dancing.). The album City to City went to No. They married in 1970 and lived in Scotland with their daughter, Martha Mary, before moving to the south of England in the late 1970s,[20] where they divided their time between their farm near the KentSussex border and a home in Hampstead, London. His remains were then cremated at the Woodside Crematorium in Paisley[72] and his ashes scattered on Iona. Rafferty was born into a working-class family in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. 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. "[47] Finally, thanks to the Internet, it seemed Rafferty no longer needed the music industry: technology was allowing him to put his music directly in the hands of an appreciative audience. [24] No such missing persons report existed. Thats not to diminish Ravenscroft because, denuded of the sax, Baker Street sounds like another middling acid trip of a song in a decade full of them. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time What I want is just to develop in terms of my songs and also to work in other areas. Rafferty originally had conceived of Stealers Wheel which he formed after spending three years as the better half of a folk-rock duo, the Humblebums as a quartet of singer/songwriters, sort of a Scottish Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He joined the folk-pop group the Humblebums (of which Billy Connolly was a member) in 1969. But depending on whom you ask, the intrigue doesnt quite end there. If there were an official anthem for playing darts alone in an empty roadside bar during a rainstorm, it would be Baker Street. And while theres no data to back it up, Baker Street is undoubtedly the top song to idle to in a driveway before cutting the engine to your Dodge Aspen. She wont have much time to correct her ignorance, however, because Rafferty is rushing off to L.A. and another round of press interviews. 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 It has been through some of my darkest moments that I have written some of my best songs. And he married her! Kiss Paul Stanley Has 'Thoughts' About Parents Who Support Kids Gender Identities 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 . [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. 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. Theres enough evidence to be suspicious and more than enough time to enjoy them both. Scottish singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty, best known for his solo hit "Baker Street" and "Stuck In The . [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". Its Springfields failure to make a glam-rock version song compelling in particular that helps in deciphering the extremely unconventional allure of Baker Street, a song ultimately about depression, transition, and weary aspiration. "[55], Rafferty never changed his mind about the music business; if anything, his views hardened. As he explained in a press release heralding the new record in November 2000: "My heart and soul have gone into this album, and by releasing it in this way my creative influence has not been diluted in any way. Brewer's offices were just across the road. Im going to steal something from you., Now, Id always said to my staff, You must never involve yourself in a relationship with any of my artists or else Ill be forced to fire you. 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. And thats when the fun started, says Brewer. 4: Whatever's Written In Your Heart (from 'City To City', 1978) If there's one song that proves Gerry Rafferty's peerless songwriting ability, it's Whatever's Written In Your Heart. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. They got married and ran off together. [3] Rafferty learned both Irish and Scottish folk songs as a boy. This is a great song.. "[53] Barbara Dickson also paid tribute to her friend, whom she described as a "luminous, glorious Scottish musician". But Gerry Rafferty is wearing a button warning, 'Dangerous Times Ahead,' and he's known bad times in the past as well. In 2012, Cuillin Recordings issued Paisley Spin, a remix of three tracks from Can I Have My Money Back? Or as Burton put it, You hear something, your brain forgets., Musically, all the decisions on a Gerry Rafferty album, all the decisions on yes, that stays, or no, that goes were fundamentally his, said Burns. "[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. Isnt he afraid that once again hell be a one-hit wonder? [citation needed], In 1969, Rafferty became the third member of a folk-pop group, the Humblebums, along with comedian Billy Connolly and Tam Harvey. Whatever I do in the future, it's at my own pace, on my own terms. He recalled, "My father was Irish, so growing up in Paisley I was hearing all these songs when I was two or three. It disappeared., But when we spoke on the phone later, hed changed his mind. "[77], In November 2012, Rafferty's hometown of Paisley paid tribute to the singer by naming a street in the Shortroods area "Gerry Rafferty Drive". Roy Wood Jr. From knee high, Rafferty would sing these standards, three-part harmonising with his elder siblings, Jim and Joe. There are lots and lots of instances where things are very similar. He added that in 30 years of playing, he never encountered anyone who asked for or wanted to specifically copy another piece of music. However, he explained in an interview, "But there was never anything else for me but music. Marcus passed away in 2005 and none of the tributes to him seem to make mention of it. [5][6] Heavily influenced by folk music and the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, Rafferty started to write his own material. 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. Becoming a member is easy. Raffertys rise to glory hadnt come about entirely by chance. To access Rocks Backpages through your non-UK university or college, please use your library page via the below menu. Rafferty's guitarist Hugh Burns, multi-instrumentalist Graham Preskett and saxophonist Mel Collins, were also featured. Fewer reservations and a bit more ebullience might be expected from a man with Americas Number Two single, Baker Street, and album, City to City (both have been Number One on some charts). Billboard Hot 100 [2] and #8 on Cash Box. Nor have the preoccupations of Raffertys lyrics changed all that much. "[13] Rafferty later confirmed that alienation was the "persistent theme" of his songs;[2][14] "To Each and Everyone", from Can I Have My Money Back?, was an early example. 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. I said, If you go on David Frost, Im finished. That wasnt a very good career move. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. The sax solo did sound vaguely familiar, so perhaps I have heard this in the past on the radio somewhere along the way. Bonnie Raitt recorded a reggae treatment of "Right Down the Line" for her Slipstream album released 10 April 2012. As the 1980s progressed, Rafferty's growing drinking problem placed his marriage under impossible strain and his wife divorced him in 1990, though they remained close. So he goes on David Frost, and I think it took four minutes before hed lost his audience. Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty. Its a haunting sound that drops bread crumbs from a listeners pocket for their melancholy to follow. Burns isnt ruling out its return. That means youre there dead on two oclock, you have a coffee break at exactly five oclock, and then you finish at eight oclock on the dot and you dont go over regardless of what youre doing. [43][44] Through his company Icon Music, Rafferty promoted and sold the album independently on a website created specifically for the purpose. Quite frankly, I loved his songs. Still, they managed to record a brilliant second album, Ferguslie Park, which was produced, like its predecessor, by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. ), The video for Baker Street has been viewed over 5 million times. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", and "Night Owl". No matter the true genesis of its sax riff, the song still endures. Artists write the best songs when theyre hungry., "Anyway, they gave him five million and he pissed off and bought a house in the Caribbean. 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. I did six albums with him. Honestly, until receiving your email, I had never heard of Gerry Rafferty, or the song Baker Street, so Im pretty sure I dont have any meaningful insight to offer specifically about the song. "[78], In January 2013, BBC Radio 2 re-broadcast their 2012 programme "Bring It All Home Gerry Rafferty Remembered", which had been recorded live at Celtic Connections in Glasgow and was presented by Ricky Ross. [38] In the late 1980s, Rafferty had told journalist Colin Irwin: "I was always very conscious about keeping a low profile because that's the way I like to go about it. [7][34], Another World marked a new departure for the singer. Curiously though, the composition of Half a Heart is credited to Gary Burton, a vibraphonist and composer, who went to Berklee College of Music with Marcus in the early 1960s and lived down the block from him when the two moved from Boston to New York to start their music careers. 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. To search for precise terms or phrases, it is advisable to place quote marks at either end of the phrase. And he now had more of what he didn't like. [59], Rafferty enjoyed alcohol from a young age,[20][37][42][60] and early songs, such as "One Drink Down", "Baker Street", and "Night Owl", freely mention the subject. [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. 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". The problems we had, had little to do, actually, with the results we got on the board, because they were great in terms of sound and all that. Gerry Rafferty is one of the more elusive and enigmatic figures on this increasingly strange roundabout. 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. [11] Billboard praised the album as "high-grade folk-rock", describing it as Rafferty's "finest work" to date: "His tunes are rich and memorable with an undeniable charm that will definitely see him into the album and very possibly singles charts soon". I wrote to Martin Wyatt at Anchor records and they said, We really want this, this record is fantastic, its a hit record. Many of them collaborated with Rafferty (who plays rhythm guitar and rudimentary keyboards) on an excellent but little-noted 1971 solo album, Can I Have My Money Back? And yet when it comes to writing tasteful pop songs songs that you remember long after they've dropped out of the Top Twenty or whatever he's just about the best and consequently the most underrated in Britain. There is a mid-Atlantic blandness lurking behind the rococo roots veneer. Success, says Brewer, was the end of Rafferty. He just blew what he was told by the person who did write it, Gerry Rafferty."[22]. Before he parted ways with Rafferty, Brewer recalls a visit from saxophone player Raphael Ravenscroft. "[20], "Baker Street" featured a distinctive saxophone riff played by Raphael Ravenscroft, although the origins of the solo have been disputed. Many listeners come to Baker Street (and stay) for its hypnotic saxophone line. I dont have a manager now, nor do I want one.. Stealers Wheel was a flop. Gerry Rafferty at home. I said, If you give him 5 million, youll never get another album Its the worst thing you can do. In fact, most of what I played was an old blues riff. Its most popular comment is this: This song makes me think of the Summer of 1978. We may never know if one influenced the other or it was just the alchemy of two different studios coming up with something unmistakably great. ever-expanding collection of primary-source full-text articles from the music and mainstream press from the 1950s to the present day, along with a collection of The mass was streamed live over the Internet. It doesnt do that. His music is a testimony to what a great artist can. "[25], Ravenscroft went on to play on Rafferty's next two albums. There was a generation gap and a culture gap, too. Rafferty has been a one-hit wonder before, five years ago, when Stealers Wheel topped the charts with Stuck in the Middle with You. Stealers Wheel was led by Rafferty and Joe Egan, friends since both were sixteen-year-olds playing in bands in their hometown of Paisley, a bleak industrial city near Glasgow. Before, I was never in control. And he also seems to have overcome what he admits was a fondness for one drink too many (as we talked, he royed with a glass of water). The music itselfthe orchestration, so to speak compliments the lyric in a perfect way. TV documentary produced by Neon Productions (Glasgow) for BBC Scotland, co-produced by Valerie Lyon and Robert Noakes, 2011. From a Richard Thompson interview this spring, discussing the shelved Rafferty-produced 1980 sessions prior to the. Obituary, Gerry Rafferty. And that all he wanted to do was write songs for his daughter., "I said, Right. His mother taught him both Irish and Scottish folk songs when he was a boy; later, he was influenced by the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. When he gets there, Artie Mogull is in a hurry. 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. "Stuck in the Middle With You" has received over 4million plays worldwide, and "Right Down The Line" has had over 3million plays. The disputed history behind Gerry Raffertys 1978 hit. "[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. The Humblebums were a flop My life doesn't stand or fall by the amount of people who buy my records. Remembering Gerry Rafferty, rock's most reluctant star. "[35], Based at 16th-century[36] Tye Farm in Hartfield, near the Kent-Sussex border, Rafferty installed electric gates to protect his privacy, built a recording studio, and worked largely by himself[37] or with Murphy. Chaos! Rafferty married his fellow Scot, hairdresser Carla Ventilla, in 1970, and here he pays tribute to how she stuck by him through thick and thin. Although Richard Thompson eventually rejected the Gerry Rafferty version of SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS as too commercial . I'm unsure whether he did. Please visit our Institutional Subscriptions page for further information and to arrange for a trial or quote. He was a very humble man. Accept | Cookies policy | Privacy policy, Click here to sign in via the UK federation WAYF. He also referenced the demo, explaining that it was Rafferty himself playing the line on guitar. [5], In his next album, Sleepwalking (1982), Rafferty took a very different approach to his work. [38] Rafferty's lengthy commutes from London to Scotland inspired some songs on the album City to City (including the title track and "Mattie's Rag", which recounted his delight at being reunited with his daughter), while the later move south inspired "The Garden of England" (from the album Snakes and Ladders) and some songs on North and South. Burns also nodded to the songs unusual structure, which he compared in its unorthodox nature, to Queens Bohemian Rhapsody., Its not just opening, verse, chorus, he said. Soundtrack: 50/50. If you are interested in the syndication of this Rock's Backpages article, please email us. He didn't. "[74], Other entertainers also paid tribute to Rafferty, with comedian and ex-bandmate Billy Connolly calling him "a hugely talented songwriter and singer who will be greatly missed" and musician Tom Robinson saying, "His early work with Stealers Wheel was an inspiration to a whole generation of songwriters in the 70s, including me. He has the cautious fatalism of a coal miner, the trade both his father and grandfather pursued. Brewer: He says, Heres the deal. In 2010, Baker Street was honored by BMI for achieving 5 million radio plays worldwide. "Gerry Rafferty: Right Down the Line". The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History Maybe some new project would suddenly happen, but I knew he'd crossed the line as far as the record business went.
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