Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter, born 16th April 1947, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland; died at the age of 63 on 4th January 2011 at his daughter's home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, UK (liver and kidney problems). He was brother of Jim Rafferty.
Rafferty was best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line" and, with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle".
Born into a working-class family in Paisley (Scotland), his mother taught him both Irish and Scottish folk songs as a boy; later, he was influenced by the music of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. He joined the folk-pop band The Humblebums - whose line-up included Billy Connolly - in 1969, but left in 1971 and recorded his first solo album "Can I Have My Money Back". Rafferty and Joe Egan formed the group Stealers Wheel in 1972, producing several hits. In 1978, he recorded his second solo album, "City to City", which includes "Baker Street", his most popular song and a radio mainstay.