Gerry Rafferty: 'Baker Street' and Beyond Quiz

Answer: Scotland

Gerry was born in April 1947 in Paisley, Scotland. From his mother, he learned folk songs, which encouraged him to write his own songs. His father was Irish and his mother of Irish/Scottish descent, so he grew up hearing both Irish and Scottish traditional songs. Following his father's death in 1963, Gerry left school and worked at various jobs, but his main love was always music.

Answer: Gerald

Gerald was the youngest of three sons born to Joseph Rafferty and Mary Skeffington. His brothers were named Jim and Joe. Rafferty later had a very public falling out with Jim, who set up a website on which he described Gerry as his 'psychotic sibling' and by other unflattering names.

Answer: Billy Connolly

The Humblebums were formed by Tam Harvey and Billy Connolly in 1965, with Rafferty joining the band later. Harvey then left, leaving Connolly and Rafferty to work as a duo. Having had little commercial success, despite releasing two albums, the band broke up in 1970. Connolly worked as a solo artist, providing humorous introductions to his songs, before adapting his act to become a stand-up comedian.

Answer: Stealers Wheel

Stealers Wheel went through several changes of personnel, with Rafferty himself leaving at one stage before being persuaded to return. Eventually, Rafferty and Egan worked as a duo. They released three albums between 1972 and 1975, with the first one, simply called 'Stealers Wheel' being the most successful.

This album included 'Stuck in the Middle with You', which was released as a single, reaching the top ten in both the UK and USA.

Answer: Reservoir Dogs

All the films listed have Quentin Tarantino as director or writer, if not both, but it was 'Reservoir Dogs', one of his earliest films, which used the track. It accompanied a particularly gruesome scene of torture, with Tarantino apparently choosing the music deliberately to provide a contrast to what was on the screen. Rafferty refused his permission for the song to be re-released to capitalise on the film.

Answer: Leiber and Stoller

Jerome Leiber and Mike Stoller were extremely successful songwriters with their credits including 'Hound Dog', recorded by Elvis Presley and 'Is That All There Is?' for Peggy Lee. They also worked as independent record producers and were responsible for the production of Rafferty and Egan's first two albums. 'Stealers Wheel' came out in 1972 and was followed by the less successful 'Ferguslie Park' in 1973.

Answer: City to City

'City to City' was Rafferty's first solo album, apart from an early attempt in 1971. It was a huge hit, reaching number one in America and number six in the UK on their respective album charts. Apart from the title song, it included 'Stealin' Time', 'Right Down the Line' and, of course, 'Baker Street'.

Answer: False

Surprisingly, the song didn't reach number one in either country. It reached number three on the UK Singles chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, although it did manage the top spot on the ARIA chart in Australia. It was his highest ranking single in either the UK or USA, and remains a staple on the radio due in no small part to the haunting saxophone solo performed by Raphael Ravenscroft.

Answer: Owl

The album, and the song from it, were 'Night Owl. The single made number five on the UK Singles chart, although it made no impact in America. The album did manage number twenty-nine on the US Billboard 200 as well as number nine on the UK Album chart. Two other singles were released from the album, also in 1979, called 'Days Gone Down' and 'Get it Right Next Time'.

These were minor hits, but marked Rafferty's final appearances in the singles charts. He continued to record, with 'Another World' being his final album release in 2000.

Answer: Alcoholism

Gerry's father had problems with alcohol, and, sadly, Gerry followed in his footsteps. His songs, including 'Baker Street', often mention alcohol and it may have been his way of coping with fame. Rafferty was happy to write and sing, but did not like the 'celebrity' life style that came with his fame.

His misuse of alcohol led to increasingly erratic behaviour, and 2010 saw him hospitalised due to the failure of several internal organs. Rafferty died in Gloucestershire, at his daughter's home, from liver failure.