His daughter Martha relaunched Rafferty's old website, gerryrafferty.com, with a full discography, rare photos, and new artwork by John 'Patrick' Byrne. [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. His drinking increased with commercial success and subsequent attempts to play out. I have a similar tone/range to his voice, and have "come close" to this effect, but he really nailed it! According to his former manager Jon Brewer, City to City was rejected by several record label executives because of Raffertys rudeness. And what a tragedy, but no one chooses the way they die. 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. I've done nothing wrong that I can see. He even turned down chances to work with Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. Paul Sexton speaks to Raffertys daughter Martha about putting together one final round of superior song craft, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. I actually put a home studio together in 2012, and I got Andy Patterson, the engineer, up to Scotland, but I couldnt do it. [5] Reviews of the album were mixed. He said, Ill play you something. Heres how it works. The deeply introspective lyrics of Sleepwalking suggest Rafferty found success far from glamorous: tracks like "Standing at the Gates", "Change of Heart", and "The Right Moment" suggest the singer was exhausted, burnt-out, and desperately seeking a new direction and continued his long-running theme of alienation. He was an incredibly talented artist, but also a tortured soul, and although I can't be sure, I would imagine he'd have had a hard time after the success of the song Baker Street, since that really catapulted him into the mainstream, and probably became his most well known song. George Rafferty was shy, introverted, and suffered from bipolar disorder. 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. Written while Rafferty was trying to extricate himself from his Stealers Wheel record contract, it's entirely autobiographical, capturing the rage of a hard-drinking working class Scot trudging. Brewer was a big fan of Stealers Wheel and met Rafferty in London. By then, Rafferty had purchased property in California to be near his daughter Martha. The next album was all organised but Gerry wanted to get rid of me.". The Herald. By the late '60s, Rafferty had already played . "[75] Speaking after the funeral, Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers said: "I think Gerry Rafferty was one of the few people who really successfully straddled the worlds of both folk and popular music. [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. His career high came in the 1970s and included the anthemic Baker Street and Stuck in the Middle . [15] Twenty years later, the song was used prominently in the 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs; Rafferty refused to grant permission for its re-release. [Gerry] always had a home studio, and Andy was coming to work with him daily until about eight months before he died.. It remained at the top of the adult contemporary chart for four non-consecutive weeks. And theyd pay the radio stations to play the record. 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. Success, says Brewer, was the end of Rafferty. Some of the happiest memories of my life have been us all singing together, for sure. He really enjoyed it, particularly Wild Mountain Thyme. 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. Unfortunately, Raffertys struggle with alcohol addiction would end his marriage. Consider the artistic intelligence and emotional acuity in opening a song about romantic reverie with a 40 second introduction of wispy woodwinds and muted brass accompanied by humming revealing what spoken words are not yet ready to say . The result, somewhat supernaturally, is not only cohesive, but brings out sides of Raffertys musical personality that reach beyond the formidable charms of Baker Street, Night Owl and Get It Right Next Time. 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. Andy Patterson had been working with him on the record since 2006-2007, so hed been there from the beginning. Hows that for capitalism?. He was in self-destruct mode. He was so rude about his fanbase, about the American people and going on the road, that at the end of the day, that was it it was all over. Jonathan Bernstein Opinion This time around it's very different for Donald Trump presidential campaign ; John Downing Opinion Paschal Donohoe's late 'mea culpa' will not . Gerry had had a tough upbringing in Glasgow and the manager sensed that he carried tremendous resentment about it. The album concludes with a rootsy remake of Stuck In The Middle With You. The light are low when the music is loud. [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. Rafferty drew a clear distinction between the artistic integrity of a musician, on the one hand, and the music industry's need to create celebrities and sell products, on the other. The pair were in folk . Listen while you read! 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. On 4 January 2011, then 63 years old, Rafferty died of liver failure. Gerry Rafferty was a tormented artist, a loving father, a funny prankster, and an inspiration. Latest Analysis. [3], In October 2011, newspapers reported that Rafferty's immediate family were the beneficiaries of his 1.25million estate. The duo had a silly Saturday ritual in their hometown of Glasgow. Gerry Rafferty was a popular music giant at the end of the '70s, thanks to the song "Baker Street" and the album City to City. The musicians present included Craig and Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers, former bandmates Joe Egan and Rab Noakes, Barbara Dickson, and Graham Lyle. An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. He was already married and had one daughter, Martha. Byrne was also responsible for one of Rafferty's most prized possessions: a hand-painted Martin acoustic guitar bearing his portrait and the name 'Gerry Rafferty', which features in many photographs of the singer. His wife had just given birth to their daughter and he told me that he didnt have any money to buy nappies, says Brewer. 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. Gerry was a joker he used to joke all the time, an absolute nutter. It wasnt really a problem in the beginning, Martha reflects. Why Gerry Rafferty Is A No-Brainer For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. She was born in Tunbridge Wells, where Rafferty was living when Stealers Wheel were a touring band. By the time Stuck In The Middle With You became a number one hit, Rafferty had quit Stealers Wheel. [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. I even along the way suggested it to a few other people, but for some reason there just wasnt the right time or place or person to say, Yes, lets go for it., Somehow lockdown was the key to everything, Martha goes on. However, he explained in an interview, "But there was never anything else for me but music. Gerry Rafferty's legendary 1978 song Baker Street might contain the best saxophone solo of all time. Mainly philosophy, art, religion, psychology and many a biography.").[13]. We lived in a street, we had neighbours, and the more famous you got, the more youd retreat from other people. From knee high, Rafferty would sing these standards, three-part harmonising with his elder siblings, Jim and Joe. He joined the folk-pop group the Humblebums (of which Billy Connolly was a member) in 1969. Bereaving is a weird, non-linear process, but somehow 10 years just felt like the right amount of time to be able to turn back and pick it up.. A 1970 appearance at the Royal Festival Hall, supporting Fotheringay with Nick Drake, earned a positive review from critic Karl Dallas, who noted that all three acts showed "promise rather than fulfilment", and observed that "Gerry Rafferty's songs have the sweet tenderness of Paul McCartney in his 'Yesterday' mood". Maybe I should have realised, but I didn't. Whatever happened to Gerry Rafferty? He often said he really valued being the observer. "[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. Gerry Rafferty originally did Stuck in the Middle with You, Lonesome Polecat, Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway, Over My Head and other songs. [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. I think thats the one song that [for] people who know him well, really touches the heartstrings, because theyll have heard him singing those traditional songs at parties and gatherings. His girlfriend Enzina Fuschini said she "felt that he was under some sort of evil spell. Song Highlights Gerry Rafferty Follow Artist + Scottish singer/songwriter known for his work in Stealers Wheel, the Humblebums, and his massive late-'70s solo hit, "Baker Street." Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Related Song Highlights Highlights All Songs AllMusic Quiz Enzina Fuschini said she `` felt that he carried tremendous resentment about it was rejected by several label. 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