He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. [50], Rafferty's death in January 2011 rekindled interest in the singer's work. Jon Brewer now a successful documentary maker (opens in new tab) managed Rafferty through his most successful period before their relationship ended in acrimony. We want to hear it. "Gerry Rafferty: Right Down the Line". [79], In October 2013, Peter Cameron released a biography of Rafferty entitled Stuck in the Middle with Gerry Rafferty, published by the independent publisher Linn. Gerry had had a tough upbringing in Glasgow and the manager sensed that he carried tremendous resentment about it. Do you remember how old ladies used to have those little baskets on wheels they used to push around the shops? affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, and But the song did benefit Ravenscofts career, and he went on to work with Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, and Daft Punk. He died many years later in a terrible state. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. "Days Gone Down" reached No. [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. Ravenscroft considered his contribution to Baker Street to be substantial enough to warrant a songwriting credit or a percentage of publishing money. "[63][64], There were conflicting reports about what happened next. TV documentary produced by Neon Productions (Glasgow) for BBC Scotland, co-produced by Valerie Lyon and Robert Noakes, 2011. The lyric and the melody fuse beautifully and the lyric is complemented by the melody. Featuring 18 tracks, the album contains six new recordings, covers of Christmas carols, plus also some traditional songs that had previously been available on the Gerry Rafferty website. For decades in England, for instance, there was a widely believed urban myth that Bob Holness, the buttoned-up British gameshow host, had actually performed the saxophone solo in Baker Street.. His wife had just given birth to their daughter and he told me that he didnt have any money to buy nappies, says Brewer. 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. 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. Before he parted ways with Rafferty, Brewer recalls a visit from saxophone player Raphael Ravenscroft. I probably did more music with him than any other musician. He was also friends with Ravenscroft and toured with him. Guitarist Richard Thompson helped by performing on the track "Take The Money and Run", and the title track was a UK No. BA1 1UA. The sax solo did sound vaguely familiar, so perhaps I have heard this in the past on the radio somewhere along the way. "[5] Two decades later, speaking to the press after Rafferty's funeral, Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers confirmed Rafferty's dislike of celebrity: "He was not entirely comfortable with fame. The follow-up single "Get It Right Next Time" made the UK and US Top 40. "They came back with a bigger offer," says Brewer, "and I said, I'll tell you what we'll do. So what you get is someones heartfelt experience and you put that into the lyric and into the song. He recalled, "My father was Irish, so growing up in Paisley I was hearing all these songs when I was two or three. The remaining tracks are remastered tracks from his previous three albums. He wouldnt sit in my Rolls, he wouldnt sit in my offices, we had to meet in these pubs and it all became very strange. Baker Street has been covered by a wildly diverse set of outfits, most virtuously by Waylon Jennings and the London Symphony Orchestra, most sentimentally by Lisa Simpson, and most blandly by the Foo Fighters and Rick Springfield. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). And theres still another wrinkle on the other side of the pond. (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. During this time, he met Enzina Fuschini, an Italian artist living in Dorset. Gerry Rafferty signed up with Brewer and his production company funded the making of new album, City To City. I'm older and my audience is older. Burns was performing on the road with Jack Bruce in 1978 when he made arrangements to visit the London studio where Raffertys album City to City was being recorded. [5], In his next album, Sleepwalking (1982), Rafferty took a very different approach to his work. If youre asking me: Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play? then no, he didnt.. At first it was part of the melody, and Rafferty reckoned hed sing it. The liner notes to the compilation album Right Down the Line, written by Jerry Gilbert with Rafferty's close co-operation, note his consistent refusal to tour the United States and "generally 'play the industry game'. 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. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Barry Recap: A Tragic Death Shakes Up Bill Haders Dark Satire Nor have the preoccupations of Raffertys lyrics changed all that much. 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. Gerry had a glass eye I didnt know this until Billy told me this story and theyd wait until it was really pouring and theyd go out and all the old girls would put up their umbrellas. In 2012, Cuillin Recordings issued Paisley Spin, a remix of three tracks from Can I Have My Money Back? 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. The next album was all organised but Gerry wanted to get rid of me.". England and Wales company registration number 2008885. For institutions, Rock's Backpages is provided as an unlimited access subscription, meaning that all staff, students and library patrons have Thats why I especially liked the Everly Brothers.. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. [citation needed], "Baker Street" remains a mainstay of soft-rock radio airplay[24] and, in October 2010, it was recognised by the BMI for surpassing 5 million plays worldwide. 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. [68] Fuschini claims she cared for the singer during 2009 and tried to help him overcome his alcoholism, and that he proposed to her at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on Christmas Eve that year. Listening to it now as I write this. His music is a testimony to what a great artist can. Marcus passed away in 2005 and none of the tributes to him seem to make mention of it. Gerry Rafferty - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Just graduated high school and was getting ready to head off to college. And thats when the fun started, says Brewer. Politicians in attendance were the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond MSP, Wendy Alexander MSP, Hugh Henry MSP, and Robin Harper MSP. Gerry Rafferty at home. His girlfriend Enzina Fuschini said she "felt that he was under some sort of evil spell. 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? Two years after the release of Night Owl, Gerry Rafferty presented his fans with Snakes & Ladders, and although some of his former album's charm and lyrical appeal manages to resurface, the whole of the album comes up short.