Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Gerry Rafferty, Singer of 'Baker Street,' Dead at 63

Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty died today after a long battle with alcoholism.

Rafferty penned and performed a number of pop hits, including "Stuck in the Middle With You," which he recorded with his group Stealers Wheel in the early '70s. Solo success came with the songs "Baker Street" and "Right on Down the Line," both of which were featured on the 1978 album "City to City."

Played by Raphael Ravenscroft, the distinctive saxophone melody in "Baker Street" came to epitomize the soft sound on stations across the FM dial, and the song, which is still a mainstay on radio, continued to earn Rafferty roughly $120,000 per year in royalties, the Guardian reported.

Citing his losing battle with alcoholism, Rafferty's wife divorced him in 1990.

With a little help from YouTube, Surge Desk recalls Rafferty's biggest hits of the 1970s.

"Baker Street"



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