Behind the Beat

‘Stuck in the Middle with You’ — Stealers Wheel

Even before he became a successful and respected musician, Gerry Rafferty had developed a loathing for the often-underhanded machinations of the pop-music industry.

He was born in 1947 in Paisley, Scotland, a town that borders Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. Rafferty came from a workingclass family, where his mother taught him Scottish and Irish folk songs. As he grew into his teens, he became influenced by the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

His father was a hot-tempered alcoholic who died in 1963, when Rafferty was 16. That year, young Rafferty left school to work in a butcher store and a shoe shop, although deep down he wanted only to earn a living by making music. On weekends, he and best pal Joe Egan played in a local rock band called the Maverix, primarily offering covers of Beatles and Stones hits.

Gerry later joined a folk-pop group called the Humblebums, which