In 1969, Gerry Rafferty took his influence of Scottish and Irish folk songs from his childhood, his love of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and joined the folk-pop group, the Humblebums. It was a short-lived band that gave birth to Rafferty’s eventual success in the 70s as a founding member of Stealers Wheel, and later as a solo artist. Now, let’s take a deep dive into Gerry Rafferty:
1972 saw the release of the first album by Stealers Wheel, featuring Rafferty on vocals doing his best Bob Dylan sound-a-like impression on their massive hit, Stuck in the Middle with You. After the album dropped, Rafferty actually quit the band, just before the band went on tour. When Stuck in the Middle with You reached number 6 in the US and number 8 in the UK, and was awarded a goal disc for selling one million copies worldwide, Rafferty decided to return.
Stealers Wheel disbanded in 1975 and legal issues after the break-up meant that, for three years, Rafferty was unable to release any material. In 1978, he resurfaced as a massive solo artist, achieving five US Top 40 hits, including “Baker Street,” his most famous song.
In 1970 Rafferty married Carla Ventilla, a hairdresser from an Italian family that settled in Scotland. They had a daughter, Martha, who was the inspiration for the City to City album track “Mattie’s Rag.” Unfortunately, a growing drinking problem strained his marriage, and Carla divorced him in 1990.
Rafferty died at his daughter Martha’s home on January 4, 2011 of liver failure, at just 63 years old. Martha sang her father’s song “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart” alongside five other family members at his funeral in his hometown of Paisley.
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