Right Down the Line: The Best of Gerry Rafferty

Biography

Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer-songwriter. In his early years, Rafferty earned money by the formerly illegal practice of busking on the London Underground. Poetically, his biggest hit, 1978's "Baker Street", discusses busking at a tube station and being a part of the street life. After working with Billy Connolly (now better known as a comedian) in an obscure outfit known as The Humblebums, he released his first solo album, called 'Can I Have My M...

Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer-songwriter. In his early years, Rafferty earned money by the formerly illegal practice of busking on the London Underground. Poetically, his biggest hit, 1978's "Baker Street", discusses busking at a tube station and being a part of the street life. After working with Billy Connolly (now better known as a comedian) in an obscure outfit known as The Humblebums, he released his first solo album, called 'Can I Have My Money Back', in 1971. That collection of folk inspired tunes gained some notice for its deliberately 'old-timey' cover art.

In 1972, Rafferty and his old school friend Joe Egan formed the outfit Stealers Wheel, a group that proved beset by legal wranglings yet brimming with talent. They had a huge hit with "Stuck in the Middle With You", a pop/rock track deliberately aping the style of Bob Dylan that has had massive airplay for decades. That song also was immortalized in the infamous torture scene in the motion picture 'Reservoir Dogs', the film's soundtrack introducing the group to a new generation. Despite their knack for The Beatles-like melodic rock, Stealers Wheel disbanded in 1975.

Rafferty spent quite a while in a sort of forced legal limbo before he could record again, spending his time wisely as he developed his sound. In 1978, Rafferty cut a solo album, 'City to City', which would catapult him right into international stardom. Earning praise from many music critics, the release included the song with which he remains most associated: "Baker Street". Known for its gripping lyrics and haunting saxophone solo by Raphael Ravenscroft, the single reached #3 in the U.K. and #2 in the U.S. The album itself also received a boost as another single, "Right Down the Line", picked up major attention.

"Baker Street" has remained a mainstay of radio airplay for decades and popped up several times in popular culture, an example being its placement in the 'Good Will Hunting' soundtrack. Notable cover versions include a release by Undercover that also made the Top 3 in the U.K .singles chart in 1992. American rockers Foo Fighters also made their own version, swapping the saxophone solo for a guitar solo.

His next album, Night Owl, also did well, and the title track was a UK No. 5 hit in 1979. The follow-up single "Get It Right Next Time", made the UK Top 40.

Subsequent albums, such as Snakes and Ladders (1980), Sleepwalking (1982), and North and South (1988) all fared less well, due partly to Rafferty's general reluctance to perform live. "Don't Give Up On Me", from his 1992 collection On A Wing and a Prayer, is a much-featured oldie on BBC Radio 2.


DISCOGRAPHY

With the Humblebums

First Collection of Merry Melodies (1969)
The New Humblebums (1969)
Open Up The Door (1970)


With Stealers Wheel

Stealers Wheel (1973)
Ferguslie Park (1974)
Right Or Wrong (1975)

Solo

Can I Have My Money Back? (1971)
City To City (1978)
Night Owl (1979)
Snakes And Ladders (1980)
Sleepwalking (1981)
North And South (1988)
On A Wing And A Prayer (1992)
Over My Head (1994)
Another World (2000) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.