Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line" and "Night Owl", as well as "Stuck in the Middle with You", which was recorded with his band Stealers Wheel in 1973.
Rafferty was born into a working-class family in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. His mother taught him both Irish and Scottish folk songs when he was a boy; later, he was influenced by the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He joined the folk-pop group the Humblebums (of which Billy Connolly was a member) in 1969. After they disbanded in 1971, he recorded his first solo album, Can I Have My Money Back?. Rafferty and Joe Egan formed the group Stealers Wheel in 1972 and produced several hits, most notably "Stuck in the Middle with You" and "Star". In 1978, he recorded his second solo album, City to City, which included "Baker Street", his most popular song. In 2011, then 63 years old, Rafferty died of liver failure.