Gerry Rafferty -

Gerry Rafferty (1947–2011) was a Scottish musician and songwriter who emerged in The Humblebums, a folk duo with future comedian Billy Connolly. The pair released two 1969–70 albums, which presaged Rafferty’s 1971 solo debut Can I Have My Money Back?

In 1972, Rafferty teamed with longtime friend Joe Egan in the art-pop/folk combo Stealers Wheel, which scored an international hit with “Stuck In the Middle With You” from their self-titled debut, followed by the 1973–75 albums Ferguslie Park and Right or Wrong.

Rafferty kick-started his solo career with the 1978 release City to City, a US No. 1 album with the evergreens “Baker Street” and “Right Down the Line.” He followed with the 1979–80 albums Night Owl and Snakes and Ladders. His output slowed after the 1982 release Sleepwalking. In 1987, he produced the debut album by Scottish folk-rock twins The Proclaimers.

Early Life, Activity

He was born Gerald Rafferty on April 16, 1947, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, to Joseph and Mary (née Skeffington) Rafferty. He had two brothers: Joe (d. 1988) and Jim, who also became a musician. The family lived in the suburb of Ferguslie Park, where his Irish-born father worked as a miner and lorry driver. Joseph, an alcoholic, died when Gerry was sixteen.

Rafferty’s musical roots were in the mixed Scottish–Irish pedigree of his household. The boys were raised on traditional folk songs from both cultures; their mother sang such numbers around the house. As a teenager, Rafferty started writing songs, inspired by trad folk, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan.

After leaving secondary school, Rafferty held a series of odd jobs, including work as a shoe salesman. With classmate Joe Egan, he formed the beat covers group The Maverix, which performed locally on weekends. In 1966, the pair formed another beat combo, The Fifth Column, which issued the single “Benjamin Day” (b/w “There’s Nobody Here”) on Columbia.

The Humblebums

In 1969, Rafferty joined The Humblebums, which released one prior album as a duo comprised of (future comedian) Bill Connolly and Tam Harvey, who left soon after Gerry’s arrival. Connolly and Rafferty released two albums together, The Humblebums (1969) and Open Up the Door (1970), both on the folk label Transatlantic. They toured the UK and Europe and played one high-profile London gig at the Royal Festival Hall supporting Nick Drake and Fotheringay.

The Humblebums split in 1971. While Connolly tried to launch himself as a comedic folk singer, Transatlantic owner Nathan Joseph suggested he focus on comedy. Meanwhile, Joseph re-signed Rafferty as a solo artist. Around this time, Rafferty read The Outsider, the 1956 classic by author Colin Wilson. Its themes of alienation profoundly influenced Rafferty’s lyrics and overall outlook on life.

Can I Have My Money Back?

Gerry Rafferty released his debut solo album, Can I Have My Money Back?, in November 1971 on Transatlantic.

Rafferty’s first solo effort followed his departure from The Humblebums and previewed the lyrical candor and acoustic clarity that later defined his mainstream work. The album blends folk-rock and soft pop elements with touches of country and pub-rock, distinguished by Rafferty’s introspective vocals and melodic craftsmanship.

Backing Rafferty were vocalist Joe Egan, guitarist Rab Noakes, and multi-instrumentalist Roger Brown, who later joined him in Stealers Wheel. Further contributors include electric guitarists Zed Jenkins and Alan Parker, bassist Gary Taylor, drummer Henry Spinetti, and keyboardist Tom Parker (Hammond organ, harmonium, harpsichord).

Rafferty wrote eleven of the thirteen songs and co-wrote two — “Sign on the Dotted Line” with Egan and “One Drink Down” with playwright and visual artist John Byrne.

The album divides between brisk, rhythmic numbers and reflective ballads. “New Street Blues” opens with jangling strum and narrative wit, while “Didn’t I?” tempers remorse with warm country phrasing. “Mary Skeffington,” a spare acoustic elegy to his mother, contrasts the exuberant fiddle-tinged “Can I Have My Money Back?” and the reflective closer “Where I Belong.” “Sign on the Dotted Line” hints at Rafferty’s later collaborations with Egan, while “One Drink Down” and “Half a Chance” explore the barroom loneliness that recurs throughout his writing.

A1. “New Street Blues” (3:51)
A2. “Didn’t I?” (3:35)
A3. “Mr. Universe” (2:34)
A4. “Mary Skeffington” (2:35) — the song reflects on his mother’s quiet strength and lost innocence
A5. “The Long Way Round” (4:47)
A6. “Can I Have My Money Back?” (2:00) — features fiddle by Johnny Van Derrick
A7. “Sign on the Dotted Line” (2:39) — co-written with Joe Egan

B1. “Make You, Break You” (3:54)
B2. “To Each and Everyone” (2:48)
B3. “One Drink Down” (3:13) — co-written with John Byrne
B4. “Don’t Count Me Out” (3:18)
B5. “Half a Chance” (3:42)
B6. “Where I Belong” (3:41)

Sessions occurred at Morgan Studios in London with producer Hugh Murphy and engineer John Whitehead.

Can I Have My Money Back? features cover art by Scottish playwright and painter John Patrick Byrne, whose stylized portrait marked the start of a long collaboration with Rafferty.

Transatlantic promoted the album with “Can I Have My Money Back?” (b/w “So Bad Thinking”). “Didn’t I?” followed on Big T (b/w “Can I Have My Money Back?”). In 1973, after the success of Stealers Wheel, Blue Thumb issued the album in the US, and in 1978 reissued it to coincide with Rafferty’s solo breakthrough “Baker Street.”

Rafferty later reworked “Mary Skeffington” for CD reissues, while Noakes released an earlier demo version on his Demos and Rarities Vol. 2 – Adventures with Gerry Rafferty.

Stealers Wheel

In early 1972, Gerry Rafferty re-teamed with Fifth Column bandmate Joe Egan in Stealers Wheel.

City to City

Gerry Rafferty released his second solo album, City to City, on January 20, 1978, on United Artists.

Recorded after a three-year legal impasse that followed the breakup of Stealers Wheel, City to City marked Rafferty’s return to recording and established his mature sound: polished, acoustic-centered pop with Celtic touches, jazz inflections, and lush instrumental layering. The album’s themes of transit, reflection, and reconciliation unfold through pastoral textures and lyrical introspection.

Rafferty’s core collaborators were keyboardist Tommy Eyre (piano, organ, synthesizer, Fender Rhodes), guitarist Hugh Burns (rhythm and lead), bassist Gary Taylor, and drummer Henry Spinetti. Supplemental players included steel guitarist B.J. Cole, fiddler Graham Preskett, percussionist Glen LeFleur, reedist Raphael Ravenscroft (alto saxophone), and vocalist Barbara Dickson, with occasional contributions from Roger Brown, Vivienne McAuliffe, and Rab Noakes. Rafferty co-produced the album with Hugh Murphy.

The material alternates between ruminative folk-pop and layered soft-rock with orchestral, Celtic, and jazz overtones. “The Ark” opens with a traditional-flavored prelude that eases into a reflective travelogue. “Baker Street,” the album’s centerpiece, unfolds in a mid-tempo pulse framed by Ravenscroft’s alto sax riff and Hugh Burns’ spiraling guitar line. “Right Down the Line” moves with a precise rhythmic cadence and steel guitar undertone, while “City to City” and “Stealin’ Time” sustain the album’s wistful pacing. Side two broadens the scope with the fiddle-driven “Mattie’s Rag,” the gospel-toned piano ballad “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart,” and the airborne “Home and Dry.” The closing pair, “Island” and “Waiting for the Day,” shift between soft-focus introspection and rhythmic propulsion.

A1. “The Ark” (5:40) — an atmospheric opener with Celtic lilt, featuring fiddle and concertina passages by members of Australian folk group the Bushwackers
A2. “Baker Street” (6:06) — centers on a recurring eight-bar saxophone refrain by Raphael Ravenscroft, originally voiced on Rafferty’s demo as a guitar phrase; the lyrics reflect alienation and the search for renewal
A3. “Right Down the Line” (4:28) — characterized by a steady backbeat and bright, open-chord guitar pattern
A4. “City to City” (5:03) — an uptempo travelogue with syncopated rhythm and wordless chorus refrain
A5. “Stealin’ Time” (5:59) — slow, contemplative song underscored by Rhodes piano and acoustic textures

B1. “Mattie’s Rag” (3:28) — brisk folk-inspired tune with fiddle, mandolin, and brass interplay
B2. “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart” (6:38) — solemn piano piece with choral backing, arranged with string and Moog counterlines
B3. “Home and Dry” (4:57) — mid-tempo number with layered guitars and introspective lyric on returning home
B4. “Island” (5:17) — gentle country-tinged ballad accented by saxophone phrases
B5. “Waiting for the Day” (5:46) — closing track built on rhythmic drive and electric piano foundation

Sessions occurred at Chipping Norton Studios in Oxfordshire with additional work at Berwick Street and Marquee Studios, London. Rafferty and Hugh Murphy co-produced, Barry Hammond engineered, and Declan O’Doherty mixed the final masters at Advision Studios.

City to City features cover art by John Patrick Byrne, depicting a surreal landscape with a train motif symbolic of Rafferty’s lyrical preoccupation with distance and return.

United Artists first promoted the album with “City to City” (b/w “Big Change in the Weather”) in late 1977. “Baker Street” followed in February 1978, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 in the UK, and topping charts in Canada and Australia. “Right Down the Line” appeared that July (b/w “Waiting for the Day”), peaking at No. 12 on the Hot 100 and topping the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. “Home and Dry” followed in November (b/w “Mattie’s Rag”), reaching No. 28 in the U.S. and No. 23 in Canada.

The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, displacing Saturday Night Fever, and No. 6 in the UK.

Night Owl

Gerry Rafferty released his third solo album, Night Owl, in June 1979 on UA.

Rafferty followed the global success of City to City with another set of inward-looking, carefully arranged soft-rock songs recorded with many of the same musicians. The album sustains the lush, acoustic-electric textures of its predecessor but shifts toward darker, more personal subject matter centered on isolation, fame, and self-doubt. Its smooth instrumental surfaces and multitracked harmonies mask a confessional tone, mirroring Rafferty’s growing aversion to public life.

Rafferty’s studio ensemble included guitarist Hugh Burns, drummer Liam Genockey, bassist Mo Foster, keyboardists Tommy Eyre (electric piano, synthesizer) and Pete Wingfield (organ), fiddler Graham Preskett, and reedist Raphael Ravenscroft (saxophone, Lyricon). Guest players included Richard Thompson (electric guitar, mandolin), Richard Harvey (penny whistle, pipe organ, recorders), and percussionist Frank Ricotti. Rafferty also played acoustic guitar, piano, and Polymoog and handled all vocal arrangements.

The songs divide between reflective ballads and mid-tempo folk-pop narratives. “Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)” opens with affirmation and resignation, setting the tone for the record’s mix of warmth and weariness. “Night Owl” offers a stark self-portrait of dependence and retreat, its polished arrangement offset by Ravenscroft’s Lyricon passages. “Get It Right Next Time” conveys resilience through brisk rhythm and layered vocal phrasing, while “Family Tree” provides a tender counterpoint rooted in domestic affirmation. Elsewhere, “Why Won’t You Talk to Me?” and “Take the Money and Run” frame the lyrical arc with subdued tension and quiet fatigue.

A1. “Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)” (6:31) — opens with a hopeful refrain that contrasts the album’s introspective tone
A2. “Night Owl” (6:11) — autobiographical reflection on dependence and self-escape, highlighted by Raphael Ravenscroft’s Lyricon solo
A3. “The Way That You Do It” (5:08)
A4. “Why Won’t You Talk to Me?” (3:59) — questions emotional distance over layered harmonies and understated organ
A5. “Get It Right Next Time” (4:42) — upbeat, rhythm-driven number expressing perseverance

B1. “Take the Money and Run” (5:49)
B2. “Family Tree” (5:58) — gentle, affirming piece dedicated to familial connection
B3. “Already Gone” (4:54)
B4. “The Tourist” (4:14) — reflective travel metaphor underscored by restrained electric piano
B5. “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night” (4:22)

Sessions occurred at Chipping Norton Recording Studios and Lansdowne Studios in London with producers Gerry Rafferty and Hugh Murphy. Barry Hammond and Nick Patrick engineered the recordings.

Night Owl features cover art by Scottish painter John Patrick Byrne, who depicted a surreal, nocturnal scene in subdued maroon hues that parallel the album’s tone of quiet introspection.

United Artists promoted Night Owl with the title track (b/w “Why Won’t You Talk to Me”), which reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. “Days Gone Down” followed as the U.S. lead single (b/w “Why Won’t You Talk to Me”) and reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Get It Right Next Time” (b/w “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night”) climbed to No. 30 in the U.S.

The album reached No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 29 on the Billboard 200, solidifying Rafferty’s standing as a premier singer-songwriter of the late 1970s.

Snakes and Ladders

Gerry Rafferty released his fourth album, Snakes and Ladders, in April 1980 on UA.

Rafferty continued the polished soft-rock approach of City to City and Night Owl but infused the material with sharper lyrical contrasts and a weary, reflective tone. The album balances richly layered, folk-tinged pop with piano-centered ballads that reveal disillusionment with fame, homesickness, and the tension between personal and professional life.

Backing Rafferty were five guitarists (including Jerry Donahue, Bryn Haworth, and Richard Brunton), eight keyboardists (notably Ian Lynn, Billy Livsey, and Pete Wingfield), and two bassists (Mo Foster and Pete Zorn), with Liam Genockey on drums, percussionist Frank Ricotti, saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft, and arranger Wil Malone on strings. Multi-instrumentalist Richard Harvey contributed penny whistle, while Chris Mercer handled brass arrangements.

Rafferty wrote all twelve songs. Two tracks revisit earlier works: “Johnny’s Song,” first recorded by Stealers Wheel, and “Didn’t I,” from his 1971 solo debut Can I Have My Money Back?

The songs alternate between rueful travelogues, nostalgic memoirs, and subdued vignettes. “The Royal Mile” opens with marching rhythm and martial brass overtones that recall the pacing of “Mattie’s Rag.” “I Was a Boy Scout” and “The Garden of England” frame Rafferty’s reflections on innocence and national identity, the latter closing with a recorded excerpt from William Whitelaw’s 1979 “short, sharp shock” speech. “Welcome to Hollywood” and “Wastin’ Away” express jaded views of the entertainment industry, while “Look at the Moon” and “Bring It All Home” provide understated melodic relief. The closing sequence—from the syncopated “Syncopatin’ Sandy” through the nocturnal “Café Le Cabotin” to the tender finale “Don’t Close the Door”—draws the album toward quiet resignation.

A1. “The Royal Mile” (3:48) — marching rhythm and brassy overtones frame a lyric about homesickness and return
A2. “I Was a Boy Scout” (4:15) — nostalgic self-portrait recalling youth and lost certainty
A3. “Welcome to Hollywood” (5:17) — weary narrative about industry illusion and burnout
A4. “Wastin’ Away” (3:29) — blues-inflected lament on idleness and isolation
A5. “Look at the Moon” (2:18) — gentle piano ballad with wistful lyricism
A6. “Bring It All Home” (4:40) — mid-tempo reflection on belonging and closure

B1. “The Garden of England” (4:08) — concludes with a recording of William Whitelaw’s 1979 “short, sharp shock” remark
B2. “Johnny’s Song” (3:25) — remake of a 1973 Stealers Wheel track
B3. “Didn’t I” (4:14) — reworking of Rafferty’s 1971 composition from Can I Have My Money Back?
B4. “Syncopatin’ Sandy” (4:24) — piano-driven shuffle with narrative character detail
B5. “Café Le Cabotin” (4:51) — reflective song set in a French barroom setting
B6. “Don’t Close the Door” (3:45) — closing number on parting and emotional fatigue

Sessions occurred at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire and AIR Studios in Montserrat with producers Gerry Rafferty and Hugh Murphy. Barry Hammond and Stephen Lipson engineered. Wil Malone arranged strings, and Gavyn Wright led the orchestral sessions.

Snakes and Ladders features cover art by John Patrick Byrne, whose surreal image mirrors the album’s alternating moods of ascent and decline.

United Artists promoted the album with “The Royal Mile” (b/w “Wastin’ Away”), which reached No. 67 in the UK and No. 54 in the US, followed by “Bring It All Home” (b/w “Look at the Moon”), which charted at No. 54 in the UK.

The album reached No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart, No. 17 in the Netherlands, and No. 31 in Australia. It earned silver certification from the BPI for UK sales exceeding 60,000 copies.

Sleepwalking

Gerry Rafferty released his fifth album, Sleepwalking, in September 1982 on Liberty.

The album marks Rafferty’s final studio release for Liberty/United Artists and his last new work for six years. Co-produced by Christopher Neil, Sleepwalking embraces early-1980s technology with prominent synthesizers, drum machines, and sequenced textures woven through his classic melodic craftsmanship. It features contributions from Dire Straits members Alan Clark (keyboards) and Pick Withers (drums) alongside longtime session partners guitarist Hugh Burns, bassist Mo Foster, drummer Liam Genockey, percussionists Morris Pert and Frank Ricotti, saxophonist Mel Collins, and keyboardist Kenny Craddock.

Rafferty wrote and arranged all eight songs. The set pairs introspective, mid-tempo ballads with more rhythmic, synthesizer-driven tracks. “Standing at the Gates” opens with layered keys and dynamic drumming, setting a reflective tone that continues through the tender “A Change of Heart” and “The Right Moment,” the latter later recorded by Olivia Newton-John for her 1985 album Soul Kiss. “Sleepwalking” introduces a brisker, rockabilly-tinged pulse, while “As Wise as a Serpent” closes the record with ornate string synths and philosophical overtones.

A1. “Standing at the Gates” (6:51)
A2. “Good Intentions” (4:15)
A3. “A Change of Heart” (4:10)
A4. “On the Way” (4:24)

B1. “Sleepwalking” (3:51)
B2. “Cat and Mouse” (5:03)
B3. “The Right Moment” (3:24) — a meditation on hesitation and renewal, urging release from the past and acceptance of the present
B4. “As Wise as a Serpent” (5:15) — an atmospheric finale framed by layered keyboards and lyrical self-examination

Sessions occurred at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire and Strawberry Studios South in Dorking with Rafferty and Christopher Neil producing. Alan O’Duffy and Barry Hammond handled recording duties; Nick Ryan mixed the album at Audio International in London, and Ron McMaster mastered it at EMI America/Liberty in Hollywood.

Liberty promoted Sleepwalking with “Sleepwalking” (b/w “Cat and Mouse”), followed by “The Right Moment,” which became one of Rafferty’s most enduring late-period songs.

In 2012, EMI reissued Sleepwalking with its 1980 predecessor Snakes and Ladders as a 2-CD set.

North and South

Gerry Rafferty released his sixth album, North and South, in April 1988 on London Recordings.

The album marked Rafferty’s first new material in six years and reunited him with longtime producer Hugh Murphy, with whom he crafted City to City and Night Owl. It reflects a matured, reflective sound where Celtic influences merge with refined studio craft and mid-tempo rock settings. Rafferty’s acoustic and electric guitars intertwine with multiple layers of keyboards by Alan Clark and Kenny Craddock, fiddle by Ric Sanders, and Uilleann pipes by Davy Spillane. The ensemble also features guitarist Jerry Donahue, bassist Ian Maidman, drummer Arran Ahmun, and saxophonists Mel Collins and Andrew White, among a small core of returning British session players.

Rafferty wrote and arranged all ten songs, emphasizing introspection and human fragility over narrative pop structure. “Shipyard Town” revisits industrial hardship through personal reflection, while “Tired of Talking” and “Hearts Run Dry” capture emotional exhaustion and resignation. The title track and “A Dangerous Age” blend folk instrumentation with slow-building rhythmic frameworks, and “Winter’s Come” stands as one of his most contemplative later works.

A1. “North and South” (6:45) — opens with a misty instrumental passage that leads into themes of distance, reconciliation, and identity
A2. “Moonlight and Gold” (6:10) — evokes nocturnal reflection and the fleeting quality of contentment
A3. “Tired of Talking” (4:09) — expresses fatigue with hollow communication and lost intimacy
A4. “Hearts Run Dry” (6:09) — a spacious mid-tempo meditation on emotional depletion
A5. “A Dangerous Age” (6:11) — examines change and risk across a tense, atmospheric arrangement

B1. “Shipyard Town” (6:12) — portrays working-class decline and personal displacement through Celtic tonalities
B2. “Winter’s Come” (6:50) — reflective piece centered on isolation and passage of time
B3. “Nothing Ever Happens Down Here” (3:42) — introduces a shuffling rhythm and narrative irony
B4. “On a Night Like This” (6:09) — explores rekindled affection under nocturnal imagery
B5. “Unselfish Love” (5:25) — concludes the album with a plea for emotional honesty and humility

Sessions occurred at Rafferty’s home studio with additional work at RAK Studios and Odyssey Studios in London. Rafferty and Hugh Murphy produced and engineered the album, with mixing handled at Comforts Place in Surrey by Brad Davis and Greg Jackman.

London Recordings promoted North and South with “Shipyard Town,” which appeared on multiple Rafferty compilations.

The album sleeve was designed by Bill Smith Studio with photography by World Travel and Gered Mankowitz.

Discography: