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How the iconic saxophone solo from Gerry Rafferty鈥檚 Baker Street came into being 鈥� and who really played it on the record

5 September 2018

Gerry Rafferty’s legendary 1978 song Baker Street 馃帶 might contain the best saxophone solo of all time. The track was a hit in the UK, US and pretty much all around the record-buying world at the time. It even won its writer a coveted Ivor Novello award.

In 大象传媒 Radio Scotland’s Classic Scottish Albums podcast, the late singer-songwriter, producer Hugh Murphy and journalist Lorraine Wilson discussed the track and the origins of its catchy sax riff.

Billy Connolly was a friend and great admirer of his work. The two played together in the Glasgow folk band The Humblebums.

Paisley-born Rafferty is also remembered for the hit Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealer’s Wheel 馃帶, which first topped the charts in 1973 but was later rediscovered when Quentin Tarantino chose it for an infamous scene in his break-out 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.

Did Bob Holness play the saxophone on Baker Street?

Bob Holness was best known to most people as the presenter of the much-loved cult gameshow Blockbusters, but a rumour spread around the time of Baker Street’s 1978 release that the famous presenter contributed the hit record’s memorable sax solo.

The real saxophonist, however – responsible for one of the greatest riffs in rock history – was actually Raphael Ravenscroft.

This fact hasn’t prevented the rumour from sticking around to this day.

Everything you always wanted to know about sax

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