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Gerry Rafferty


THYLACINE

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Heard today about the death of Gerry Rafferty, from cancer, aged 64. Took me back to a wonderful discussion I had on the forum about Tommy (Fred) Eyre, one of Sheffield's sons, ex Thornbridge School pupil who played keyboard on Rafferty's best known hit 'Baker Street' and went on to have a fabulous career. Topic Have a look at the link to Tommy's web page on Vox's post #15 and tell me you're not impressed!

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Heard today about the death of Gerry Rafferty, from cancer, aged 64. Took me back to a wonderful discussion I had on the forum about Tommy (Fred) Eyre, one of Sheffield's sons, ex Thornbridge School pupil who played keyboard on Rafferty's best known hit 'Baker Street' and went on to have a fabulous career. Topic Have a look at the link to Tommy's web page on Vox's post #15 and tell me you're not impressed!

My son is quite a skilled clarinetist and saxophonist and of course was brought up on that Baker Street sax solo which opens the song (and also, for clarinet, the equally impressive clarinet solo which opens Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue)

Makes you wonder how many present day sax players were influenced by this short but powerful burst of sax in this piece.

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R.I.P. Gerry

From a non-musician that appreciated your work over the years.

A truly unique person, however, let´s not forget the sax solo on Baker Street was performed by Raphael Ravenscroft. In 2010 Raphael played with several artists, including Duffy and UB 40 on L.P.´s. He is also the author of several books on saxophone technique including a successful instruction book, "The Complete Saxophone Player" (Clarence Clemons eat your heart out!! lol ) and was also a tutor of music at York College. Sad to see you go Gerry, "Stuck in the Middle" is always enjoyable and evokes lots of good memories.

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`Baker Street`. One of only 2 recordings made over the last 60 odd years that I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard them. [The other was 'The House of the Rising Sun]. R.I.P. Gerry. W/E.

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`Baker Street`. One of only 2 recordings made over the last 60 odd years that I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard them. [The other was 'The House of the Rising Sun]. R.I.P. Gerry. W/E.

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"We are ceasing to regard smoke and filth as necessary evils and are striving after remedies.

Perhaps our children will once again see roses blooming in Attercliffe and trout on the rise near Lady's bridge".

J.D. Leader (1891)

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In the press today it claimed Baker Street was still bringing him in £80,000 a year - do you think that can be true?

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A truly unique person, however, let´s not forget the sax solo on Baker Street was performed by Raphael Ravenscroft. In 2010 Raphael played with several artists, including Duffy and UB 40 on L.P.´s. He is also the author of several books on saxophone technique including a successful instruction book, "The Complete Saxophone Player" (Clarence Clemons eat your heart out!! lol ) and was also a tutor of music at York College. Sad to see you go Gerry, "Stuck in the Middle" is always enjoyable and evokes lots of good memories.

In fact, the solo was played by Scottish musician Raphael Ravenscroft, who was in the studio to record a brief soprano saxophone part and, when he heard that the guitarist would not be available to play the solo, suggested that Rafferty record it using the alto saxophone he had in his car. Rafferty later said that he composed the saxophone melody but Ravenscroft - the author of The Complete Saxophone Player and a former tutor of music at York College - claimed he was presented with a song that contained "several gaps".

Ravenscroft said: "In fact, most of what I played was an old blues riff. If you're asking me: 'Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play?' then no, he didn't."

Ravenscroft's fee was, reportedly, a cheque for £27, which he says bounced anyway and was framed and hung on his solicitor's wall. He received no further payment for his session-playing, adding: "If I had received pots of money, I wouldn't have known what to do. It might have destroyed me."

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In the press today it claimed Baker Street was still bringing him in £80,000 a year - do you think that can be true?

I think that's entirely possible. Given how many times it, or even a part of it, is played around the world on a daily basis. And that's only the people who declare it.

Consider also how much more that would be if everyone payed the PRS that was due when it was performed, and nobody copied it for friends etc.

I met the bloke who wrote "Under the boardwalk." The royalties from that alone were/are his living. (And a very good one indeed he said.)

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