12 Facts About Raphael Ravenscroft

Raphael Ravenscroft was a British musician, composer and author.

Raphael Ravenscroft is best known for playing the saxophone riff on Gerry Rafferty's song "Baker Street".

Raphael Ravenscroft spent much of his childhood in Dumfries, where his father lived.

Raphael Ravenscroft's contribution included the sax riff on the best-known song from the album and of Rafferty's career, "Baker Street".

The distinctive wailing, bluesy sound of the sax riff was a result of the alto saxophone Raphael Ravenscroft was using being tuned slightly flat, and in a radio interview in 2011, he said that listening to his performance on the song annoyed him.

Raphael Ravenscroft stated that the decision to use the riff, which he said was based on "an old blues riff", was his, but earlier demo recordings for "Baker Street" contain a similar riff played by Rafferty on guitar and recorded before Raphael Ravenscroft became involved.

Raphael Ravenscroft mostly refused to play "Baker Street" during interviews, and the last time he played "Baker Street" was in the summer of 2014, when he organised a charity gala concert in Exeter, where he was living, for a city schoolgirl who had died in a fall.

On September 19,1982 Raphael Ravenscroft released the album Lifeline of which in 1983 from that album he released the track "Maxine" which gained airplay, but performed poorly on the charts.

In 2010, Raphael Ravenscroft played on albums and on sessions with Duffy, Mary Hopkin and Jamie Hartman.

Raphael Ravenscroft wrote several books on saxophone technique, including The Complete Saxophone Player.

Raphael Ravenscroft married and divorced twice, and separated from his third wife in 2009.

Raphael Ravenscroft died on 19 October 2014 at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, aged 60, of a suspected heart attack.