On January 4th, 2011 Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty
died of liver failure. Best known for his pop hits, [solo] "Baker Street," "Right Down the Line" and [with band mates] "Stuck In the Middle With You," he was a life long alcoholic, which must have been genetic, because his father was one also. I want to acknowledge him for his distinctive voice and fine songwriting. Not only are his tunes catchy and likable, but his lyrics are crisp, precise and brilliantly simple. When you listen to him, he is really saying something that is universal. Few musicians write about relationships, or the human condition with as much clarity and understanding. Many artists never have a memorable song. Gerry Rafferty had three and a good album -- or two. Not too shabby; it makes you wonder what might have been. R.I.P. [For more read this from the NYT.]
died of liver failure. Best known for his pop hits, [solo] "Baker Street," "Right Down the Line" and [with band mates] "Stuck In the Middle With You," he was a life long alcoholic, which must have been genetic, because his father was one also. I want to acknowledge him for his distinctive voice and fine songwriting. Not only are his tunes catchy and likable, but his lyrics are crisp, precise and brilliantly simple. When you listen to him, he is really saying something that is universal. Few musicians write about relationships, or the human condition with as much clarity and understanding. Many artists never have a memorable song. Gerry Rafferty had three and a good album -- or two. Not too shabby; it makes you wonder what might have been. R.I.P. [For more read this from the NYT.]
Thank you for the Gerry Rafferty post, and for the link to the NY Times article.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. It turns out GR and his ex-wife were married for 20 years. I bet he wrote his well-known song for her. She probably hung in there as long as she could. Sad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. It's sad- I knew the songs, not much about the voice behind them. Kind of like the end of an era.
ReplyDeleteBarry P