“Stuck in the Middle…’ then on to ‘Baker Street’

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 working-class 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 hottempered alcoholic who died in 1963, when Gerry 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 up covers of Beatles and Stones hits. Gerry later joined a folk-pop group called the Humblebums, which included future comic star Billy Connolly.

The Humblebums cut a pair of albums for Transatlantic Records, which received critical appreciation but sold poorly.

When the Humblebums