Adam Rafferty (born January 26, 1969) is a guitarist and composer. He is known for his arrangements of pop songs by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and for the use of

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

while playing guitar.

Career

Early life

Rafferty was born January 26, 1969, and raised in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York. His first inspiration was his father strumming a

Martin D-28 The Martin D-28 is a dreadnought-style acoustic guitar made by C. F. Martin & Company of Nazareth, Pennsylvania. History This guitar is a dreadnought design, a naval term adopted and used by many to describe its larger body dimensions, hence t ...

guitar for him. By the age of six, he was studying with

Woody Mann Haywood Lee Mann (December 30, 1952 – January 27, 2022) was an American guitarist. Biography He was born in New York, where he studied acoustic guitar with blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis from 1968–72. From 1973–78, he continued pri ...

and exploring

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. He credits Woody Mann with much of his development. A few years later, Rafferty was introduced to

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

with formal instruction from Dennis Cinelli and Pat O'Brien. In 1986, he enrolled at the

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

, majoring in

. He continued a fruitful collaboration with childhood friend and drummer, John-Christian Urich. They played together in a variety of contexts from hard rock to R&B. By the time Rafferty finished college, he switched to electric guitar.

Rap and jazz

By the mid to late 1980s, Rafferty and Urich formed the duo Raf and Cooly C, backed by a live band, with Rafferty rapping and playing guitar and Urich adding drums and beatbox. The duo created a local stir. They were picked to perform on the album, ''Bring Me Edelweiss'' by the Austrian band

Edelweiss EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signals ...

for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The album went gold in Europe, though Rafferty and Urich never made any money. In 1989, Rafferty quit Raf and Cooly C and began to explore jazz. After seeing pianist

Mike Longo Michael Josef Longo (March 19, 1937 – March 22, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Longo was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents who had a musical background. His father played bass, his mother played organ at c ...

perform at the Birdland club in New York, he took lessons from him. After graduating from college, he played in jam sessions and gigs in New York City. He worked with

Bob Cranshaw Melbourne Robert Cranshaw (December 3, 1932 – November 2, 2016) was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records to his recent involvement with the Musicians Union. He is perhaps best known for his long associa ...

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

, Virgil Jones, Gloria Lynn,

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. In addition to his extensive solo work, Wess is remembered for his time in Count Basie's band from the early 1950s into the 1960s. Critic ...

Buster Williams Charles Anthony "Buster" Williams (born April 17, 1942) is an American jazz bassist. Williams is known for his membership in pianist Herbie Hancock's early 1970s group, working with guitarist Larry Coryell from the 1980s to present, working in th ...

, and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band directed by Jimmy Owens. He also crossed paths with talents from his own generation, such as

Eric Person Eric Person (born May 2, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American alto and soprano saxophone player and leader of Meta-Four and Metamorphosis. Since coming to New York City in 1982, Person has performed and recorded with jazz masters McCoy Ty ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

, and Chris Potter. Drawn to the jazz scene in Harlem, he worked for nearly a year with organist Jimmy "Preacher" Robbins. He also worked with the Tippy Larkin Quintet. In 1993, he recorded his debut album, ''First Impressions'', with his mentor, Mike Longo, on piano, Paul West on bass, and Ray Mosca on drums. The album received a favorable review in ''Just Jazz Guitar'' magazine. Beginning in the mid 1990s, he headed his own trio, often taking them on annual tours of Europe, particularly in Austria and Germany. By the late '90s, he settled on a band featuring Danton Boller and Tomas Fujiwara. The same group appeared on his third album, ''Three Souls''. He formed an experimental jazz trio, the New York Trio Project, with bassist John Menegon and drummer Jeff Siegel. Boller introduced him to tenor saxophonist

Bennie Wallace Bennie Wallace (born November 18, 1946) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Wallace began playing in local clubs with the encouragement of East Ridge, Tennessee High School band ...

, and tours followed. He met

Alvin Queen Alvin Queen is an American-born Swiss jazz drummer born in the Bronx, New York, on August 16, 1950. At 16, he played for Ruth Brown and Don Pullen and with the Wild Bill Davis trio. He played with trombonist Benny Green and guitarist Tiny Grime ...

, who used him as a sideman in his quintet with alto saxophonist Jesse Davis and trumpeter

Joe Magnarelli Joseph Anthony Magnarelli (born January 19, 1960) is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. Early life and education Magnarelli was born in Syracuse, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Fr ...

. In 2006, he was asked to substitute on

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith (born 1940), American jaz ...

's organ trio. They performed at jazz festivals, the Jazz Standard, and Smoke in New York City.

Switching to fingerstyle

In 2007, a friend showed him a video of fingerstyle guitarist

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

. Inspired by what he saw, he began to experiment with arranging pop songs, taking an approach that enabled him to play bass lines, melody, and middle voicings simultaneously. He brought to fingerstyle guitar the music he enjoyed as a kid:

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, hip hop,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and R&B. He also used

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

, which he learned from

Run–D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

records in the 1980s and from his time as a rapper. His first album as a solo acoustic guitarist, ''Gratitude'', was recorded on his own at his home in Jackson Heights, New York. He began distributing his home performances on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. His cover versions of

's "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and ...

" and

's "

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

" received more than one million views. At the suggestion of a YouTube fan, Rafferty went to the

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

Appreciation Society in 2008 to meet like-minded fingerstyle guitarists. He was asked to be appear as a guest at a Tommy Emmanuel concert at

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

's club in New York. He performed with Emmanuel at the

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Guitar Festival, in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland in 2009, and again

's club in 2010. The association with Emmanuel allowed him to meet and play with other established acoustic musicians, such as Michael Fix and Joe Robinson.

Other work

He performed at

Merkin Concert Hall Merkin Hall is a 449-seat concert hall in Manhattan, New York City. The hall, named in honor of Hermann and Ursula Merkin, is part of the Kaufman Music Center, a complex that includes the Lucy Moses School, a community arts school, and the Spec ...

in New York City in 1996 at a tribute concert for guitarist

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...

. Included on the bill were over a dozen jazz guitarists, including

Jimmy Bruno Jimmy Bruno (born July 22, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Bruno started playing guitar at the age of 7. He began his professional career at the age of 19, touring with Buddy Rich. He played ...

Howard Alden Howard Vincent Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. Early life How ...

Jack Wilkins Jack Rivers Lewis (born June 4, 1944), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, is a jazz guitarist. Career A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday. He ...

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great Dep ...

Remo Palmier Remo Paul Palmier (March 29, 1923 – February 2, 2002) was an American jazz guitarist. Career Palmier began his career as a musician during the 1940s, and collaborated with Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Teddy Wilson. ...

, John Abercrombie,

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

Ron Affif Ronaldo Antunacci Charles Affif (December 30, 1965), known professionally as Ron Affif, is an American jazz guitarist of Lebanese and Italian origin. He is the son of boxer Charley Zivic, who was a jazz fan and encouraged his son. Career Born R ...

Al Gafa Alexander "Al" Gafa (born April 9, 1941, New York City) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Gafa worked extensively as a session musician for recordings in the mid and late 1960s in New York. In jazz he worked in that decade with Kai Winding, ...

Joe Diorio Joseph Louis Diorio (August 6, 1936 – February 2, 2022) was an American jazz guitarist. He performed with Sonny Stitt, Hal Crook, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Horace Silver, Anita O'Day, and Freddie Hubbard. In recent ye ...

, Mark Elf,

Gene Bertoncini Gene J. Bertoncini (born 6 April 1937) is an American jazz guitarist. Biography Bertoncini was born in New York City, where he was raised in a musical family. His father, Mario Bertoncini (1901–1978), played guitar and harmonica. Gene began pl ...

, and

Vic Juris Victor Edward Jurusz Jr. (September 26, 1953 – December 31, 2019), known professionally as Vic Juris, was an American jazz guitarist. Music career Juris was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but he moved with his family to Parsippany early in ...

. He has written two instructional books, ''How to Develop Virtuoso Single Line Technique for Jazz Guitar, based on “ The Virtuoso Pianist” by C.F. Hanon'' (2003) and ''How to Play Single Note Lines that Outline Chord Changes for Jazz Guitar'' (2003).

Award and honors

In 1998, he was selected for inclusion in the book, ''The Jazz Guitar: Its Evolution, Player, and Personalities Since 1900'' by Maurice J. Summerfield. His album ''I Remember Michael'' was in the top 10 Critics' Poll of '' Jazziz'' magazine in 2011.

Discography

As leader

* 1993 ''First Impressions'' (CAP) with

, Paul West, Ray Mosca * 1997 ''Blood Sweat and Bebop'' (CAP) with Mike Longo,

, Ray Mosca * 2001 ''Kush'' (CAP) with Danton Boller, Russ DiBona * 2003 ''Three Souls'' (CAP) with Danton Boller, Tomas Fujiwara * 2003 The New York Trio Project with John Menegon, Jeff Siegel * 2007 ''Gratitude'' * 2008 ''Chameleon'' * 2009 ''A Christmas Guitar Celebration'' * 2011 ''I Remember Michael''

As sideman

With New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble * 2000 ''Explosion'' * 2001 ''Aftermath'' * 2004 ''Oasis'' With others * 2006 ''Free at Last'', Jim Balagurchik * 2011 ''Two Timing'', Michael Fix

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafferty, Adam 1969 births Living people Musicians from New York (state) American acoustic guitarists American male guitarists Fingerstyle guitarists American jazz musicians Grammy Award winners Musicians from Harlem State University of New York at Purchase alumni Guitarists from New York City 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians