A portrait of Gerry Rafferty by John "Patrick" Byrne on the cover of the album City to City.

Gerry Rafferty (born Gerald Rafferty, 16 April 1947, in Paisley) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. He is the son of a Scottish mother and an Irish father.[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... John Byrne is a Roman Catholic Scottish artist and scriptwriter who was born in Paisley, Scotland, on January 6, 1940. ... City to City is an album by British singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paisley (Pàislig in Scottish Gaelic) is a large town, and former royal burgh in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... This article is about the Scottish as an ethnic group. ... For other uses, see Mother (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Father (disambiguation). ...

Career

In his early years, Gerry Rafferty earned money by the formerly illegal practice of busking on the London Underground. Poetically, his biggest hit "Baker Street" was about busking at a tube station. After working with Billy Connolly (now better known as a comedian) in a band called the Humblebums, he recorded a first solo album, Can I Have My Money Back. In 1972 Rafferty and his old school friend Joe Egan formed Stealers Wheel, a group beset by legal wranglings but which did have a huge hit "Stuck in the Middle With You" (made famous for a new generation in the movie Reservoir Dogs) and the smaller top 40 hit "Star" ten months later. The duo disbanded in 1975.[2] Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. ... The London Underground is a transit system that serves much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ... The original Gerry Rafferty version single cover of Baker Street Baker Street is a song by Gerry Rafferty written in 1978 during his break from the band Stealers Wheel. ... William Billy Connolly, CBE, (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter, and actor. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... The Humblebums were a Scottish folk band, based in Glasgow. ... Joe Egan was born on may 10 1986 For the former rugby league player see, see Joe Egan (rugby league). ... Stealers Wheel Debut Album Stealers Wheel was a Scottish folk/rock band formed in Paisley, Scotland in 1972 by former school friends Joe Egan (born 16 April 1944, in Paisley, Scotland) and Gerry Rafferty (born 18 October 1947, Paisley, Scotland). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... For the video game based on the film, see Reservoir Dogs (video game). ...

In 1978, Rafferty cut a solo album, City to City, which included the song with which he remains most identified, "Baker Street". The single reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 2 in the U.S. The album sold over 5.5 million copies, toppling the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in the U.S. on 8 July 1978, while "Baker Street" remains a mainstay of radio airplay. A cover version by Undercover (not to be confused with the Christian rock band of the same name) also made the Top 3 in the UK singles chart in 1992. Another song from the City to City album, "Right Down the Line", also continues to receive copious radio airplay. "Home and Dry" managed a top 30 spot. One of the more obscure tracks from that time is "Big Change in the Weather" (the B-side of "Baker Street"). City to City is an album by British singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. ... The original Gerry Rafferty version single cover of Baker Street Baker Street is a song by Gerry Rafferty written in 1978 during his break from the band Stealers Wheel. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 movie starring John Travolta as Tony Manero, a troubled Brooklyn youth whose weekend activities are dominated by visits to a Brooklyn discotheque. ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Airplay is a technical term used in the radio industry to state how frequently a song is being played on a radio station. ... Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christian and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. ... Releasing their first album in 1982, Undercover was described by some as Christian punk, and initially played a series of high energy anthems, and 3-chord short songs. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ...

His next album, Night Owl, also did well, and the title track was a UK No. 5 hit in 1979. "Days Gone Down" reached #17 in the U.S. The follow-up single "Get It Right Next Time" made the UK and US Top 30. An album (from Latin albus white, blank, relating to a blank book in which something can be inserted) is a packaged collection of related things. ... Night Owl is a 1979 album by Gerry Rafferty. ...

Subsequent albums, such as Snakes and Ladders (1980), Sleepwalking (1982), and North and South (1988), all fared less well, perhaps 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. That album reunited him with Stealers Wheel partner Joe Egan on several tracks. Rafferty redid his own "Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway" on the album Over My Head (1994). His latest effort was Another World, released in 2000 and was originally available only through direct order from his no longer active website, but is now on general release through the Hypertension label. Another World featured an album cover painting by J. Patrick Byrne, who also painted the covers for City to City, Night Owl, and Snakes and Ladders. Snakes and Ladders is the fourth album by Gerry Rafferty. ... North and South is the sixth studio album by Gerry Rafferty. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is the most popular station in the UK. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. ... Gerry Rafferty (born Gerald Rafferty, 16 April 1947, in Paisley) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. ... Another World is the eighth studio album by Gerry Rafferty. ... An album cover is a cover used to package commercial audio recordings such as the printed cardboard covers that were typically used to package 12 gramophone records from the 1960s through to the 1980s when the 12 record was the major format for distribution of popular music. ...

Rafferty also sings on the soundtrack to the film, Local Hero - "The Way it Always Starts" (1983), and co-produced The Proclaimers first UK hit single Letter From America in 1987 along with Hugh Murphy. In film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Local Hero is a 1983 British comedy film starring Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson, Fulton Mackay, and Peter Riegert, and directed by Bill Forsyth. ...

Trivia

• A much repeated rumour, originating in the New Musical Express, has it that the sax on "Baker Street" was played by the UK TV quiz (Blockbusters) host, Bob Holness. The saxophonist was actually Raphael Ravenscroft.
• In 1997, The Simpsons featured an episode where the character Lisa Simpson plays a saxophone cover of "Baker Street".
• In 1998, The Foo Fighters recorded a hard rock cover of "Baker Street".
• He has a singing brother, Jim Rafferty, who sang a song called "The Bogeyman" in 1980 released on Charisma Records.
• He also has a singing nephew, Mark Rafferty, who released an album of funny songs mostly regarding Scottish football (Mr. Mark).
• According to Billy Connolly, Rafferty is an expert at prank telephone calls.
• Rafferty currently lives alone in London.
• Rafferty ran his own website from 2000 until the end of 2006.
• "Baker Street" is the theme song of "The Dave Ramsey Show" radio program.

The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... For the large bomb used in World War II by the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force, see Blockbuster bomb. ... Bob Holness (born 12 November 1928 in Vryheid, Natal, South Africa) is an English actor and presenter. ... Raphael Ravenscroft is a saxophone player whose performing credits include work with ABBA, America, Kim Carnes, Marvin Gaye, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, Robert Plant, Bonnie Tyler and, most famously, Gerry Rafferty, performing the iconic saxophone solo on Baker Street. The solo has often been mistakenly attributed to broadcaster and TV... Simpsons redirects here. ... Lisas Sax is the third episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, which explains how Lisa Simpson got her saxophone. ... Lisa Marie Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Yeardley Smith; Lisa is the only character Smith voices on a regular basis. ... This article is about the band. ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... Charisma Records was a record label started by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. ... This article is about the domestic group. ... William Billy Connolly, CBE, (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter, and actor. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Discography

• (1971) Can I Have My Money Back
• (1978) City to City #? UK Gold, #1 US Platinum
• (1979) Night Owl Top 10 UK Gold, Top 10 US Gold
• (1980) Snakes and Ladders #15 UK Silver, #50 US
• (1982) Sleepwalking
• (1988) North and South
• (1991) Right Down The Line: The Very Best of Gerry Rafferty
• (1992) On a Wing and a Prayer
• (1994) Over My Head
• (1995) One More Dream: The Very Best of Gerry Rafferty Gold
• (2000) Another World
• (2006) Days Gone Down- The Anthology: 1970-1982

Can I Have My Money Back is the first solo album by Gerry Rafferty. ... City to City is an album by British singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 195. ... Night Owl is a 1979 album by Gerry Rafferty. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Snakes and Ladders is the fourth album by Gerry Rafferty. ... This article is about the chemical element. ... Sleepwalking is the seventh studio album by Gerry Rafferty, released in 1982. ... North and South is the sixth studio album by Gerry Rafferty. ... On a Wing and a Prayer is the seventh studio album by Gerry Rafferty. ... Gerry Rafferty (born Gerald Rafferty, 16 April 1947, in Paisley) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Another World is the eighth studio album by Gerry Rafferty. ...

External links

General biographical information

• VH1 in depth biography