Musician, Songwriter. Born to a Scottish mother and an Irish father (who was a coal miner), Rafferty worked in a butcher's shop and tax office, while performing in clubs along with Joe Egan (a former classmate while attending St. Mirin's Academy), in the band The Mavericks during the weekends. Rafferty (who played the guitar and piano) would later join Billy Connolly in Folk-genre group The Humblebums. They recorded a few albums with little success, however Rafferty's songwriting skills would evolve during this period. Following The Humblebums' disbanding, he rejoined Egan to form Stealers Wheel, signing with the A&M label they scored a Top-10 hit with the Bob Dylan-sounding single "Stuck In The Middle With You" (reaching number 6 in 1973). Later during the decade, he launched what would be a second attempt at a solo career with "City to City" (1978), which featured the gold record "Baker Street" and the Top-20 hit "Right Down The Line"; he followed this with "Night Owl" (1979). Over the next two decades, Rafferty recorded albums sporadically with less success, while battling increasing bouts with alcoholism, which led to his death from liver failure.
Musician, Songwriter. Born to a Scottish mother and an Irish father (who was a coal miner), Rafferty worked in a butcher's shop and tax office, while performing in clubs along with Joe Egan (a former classmate while attending St. Mirin's Academy), in the band The Mavericks during the weekends. Rafferty (who played the guitar and piano) would later join Billy Connolly in Folk-genre group The Humblebums. They recorded a few albums with little success, however Rafferty's songwriting skills would evolve during this period. Following The Humblebums' disbanding, he rejoined Egan to form Stealers Wheel, signing with the A&M label they scored a Top-10 hit with the Bob Dylan-sounding single "Stuck In The Middle With You" (reaching number 6 in 1973). Later during the decade, he launched what would be a second attempt at a solo career with "City to City" (1978), which featured the gold record "Baker Street" and the Top-20 hit "Right Down The Line"; he followed this with "Night Owl" (1979). Over the next two decades, Rafferty recorded albums sporadically with less success, while battling increasing bouts with alcoholism, which led to his death from liver failure.
Bio by: C.S.
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