I was driving in the car with my seven year old yesterday when "Right Down the Line" by Gerry Rafferty came on the radio. For once "Spin 1038" was not playing (songs released in the 1970s do not feature on that station!)
My son told me that he really liked the song so I played it and then Baker Street for him when we got home (on Grooveshark).
Having heard the two of them, he proclaimed Rafferty to be a genius - compared him to Michael Jackson no less.
I was delighted with his musical taste.
Back in 1978 (when I was sixteen) I bought my first "single" and it was Baker Street. What a fantastic song. Rafferty was a brilliant singer, songwriter, producer, musician.
I had heard that he passed away last year but on reading up on his yesterday I was saddened to hear that struggles with alcohol seem to have been a problem during his life and presumably a contributing factor to his untimely death.
Still his songs are a fantastic legacy, and Baker Street is his crowning glory. Apparently it was still making him £80,000 per annum over 30 years after its initial release. Wherever he is now, he can be very proud.
Here is part one of a documentary made about him by BBC Scotland after his death: