Died On This Date (Otober 19, 2014) Raphael Ravenscroft / Provided Iconic Sax Solo On “Baker Street”
themusicsover Raphael Ravenscroft
June 4, 1954 – October 19, 2014
Raphael Ravenscroft was an in-demand session musician whose saxophone can be heard on albums by Robert Plant, Daft Punk, Mike Oldfield, Duffy, and Pink Floyd to name just a few. He most famously provided the iconic sax parts for Gerry Rafferty‘s 1978 hit single, “Baker Street.” The song reached #2 on the US charts, #1 in Canada and Australia, and #3 in the UK. In 2010, BMI recognized the it for having been played more than 5 million times around the world. Throughout his career, Ravenscroft also wrote several regarded saxophone instruction books. He also composed music for numerous major advertising campaigns. Ravenscroft semi-retired in 2012 due to health issues and died from a suspected heart attack on October 19, 2014. He was 60.
Gerry Rafferty was a Scottish singer-songwriter who scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, most notably, “Baker Street” and “Right Down The Line.” Launching his career as a busker in London’s Underground during the late ’60s, Rafferty soon teamed up with future actor, Billy Connolly in a band called the Humblebums. In 1972, he helped form Stealers Wheel who had a hit with “Stuck In The Middle With You.” Six years later he released City To City which included the smash hit “Baker Street,” with one of the most instantly recognizable openings in pop music history. The album will go down in history as the one that knocked the groundbreaking juggernaut, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack out of the #1 slot in America. He released several more albums over the course of the next two decades, but none came close to the success of City To City. In August of 2008, Rafferty reportedly disappeared from a hospital where he was being treated for chronic liver problems, leaving all of his possessions behind. He resurfaced in the media in February 2009, apparently living in hiding and being cared for by a close friend. Other reports indicated however, that he was suffering from alcoholism but otherwise doing fine. What IS known is that he was still making music, having released Life Goes On in August of 2009. In November of 2010, Rafferty was taken to a hospital where he was placed on life support due to liver failure. He was later taken off support and subsequently passed away on January 4, 2011. He was 63.