Musician Gerry Rafferty, writer of the hits “Baker Street” and “Right Down The Line” and former member of 70’s group Steeler’s Wheel, has died at the age of sixty-three. Paul Charles, the singer’s agent and manager, confirmed the story today to the press.
The Scottish-born Rafferty began his musical career in the early 60’s, when he and guitarist Joe Egan played in a local band named The Mavericks. Later in the decade, he joined fellow Scotsman Billy Connolly (yes, the same Billy Connolly who became a stand-up comedian, and later, an accomplished actor) in a band called The Humblebums.
By 1972, Rafferty was ready to fly solo, and released his debut album, Can I Have My Money Back? The same year, he re-teamed with Egan to form Steeler’s Wheel, whose lone hit “Stuck In The Middle With You” is a staple on classic rock radio stations, and was later given new life by director Quentin Tarantino’s inclusion of it in his film, Reservoir Dogs.
Rafferty also contributed a song for the 1983 flick, Local Hero (“The Way It Always Starts.”) His last album proper was Life Goes On, a collection of classic Christmas songs and traditional tunes. In recent years, the singer/songwriter had been in failing health (due to years of alcoholism) and was admitted to a British hospital in November of 2010, suffering from acute liver failure. Rafferty’s family took him off life support soon thereafter, after being given reassurance that his condition was terminal. Though Rafferty did rebound for a brief period of time, he finally succumbed to the illness this morning.
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