In the old country
Fiddle and a fife
Songs about love, songs about life
- 'Old Country, Country'

The Raphaels were a tragically short-lived band that existed only for a handful of years at the turn of the 21st Century. After releasing a solitary album, the death of one of the band's key members ended their brief career, leaving the remaining members to return to their solo work.

The Band

The story of The Raphaels began in 1997, when Stuart Adamson decided to take a break from Big Country, the band that he had fronted since 1983. With a troubled personal life, including a recent divorce, Adamson decided to explore his long-standing interest in country music by visiting Nashville, Tennessee, with his manager. On the advice of their contacts in the business, Adamson was put in touch with another singer-songwriter, Marcus Hummon. The two hit it off and, in 1998, formed a band called Blue Heeler. By this time, Adamson had moved to Nashville and immersed himself in the local music, co-writing songs with Hummon and with artistes such as Christie Sutherland and Jerry Boonstra. Adamson and Hummon recruited other members for their band from friends (including Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki) and a host of highly regarded session musicians such as multi-instrumentalist¹ John Mock.

Over the next two years, the band changed their name from 'Blue Heeler' to 'The Raphaels' and, after playing a series of local gigs, Adamson and Hummon decided it was time to commit some of their new work to record. The result was the album 'Supernatural', released early in 2001, and followed up with a short tour of the UK and a couple of radio appearances for Adamson.

Burn my body, baby, for it wasn't any use
I won't run from the flames; don't have trouble with the truth
And throw my ashes to the four winds
I will rise up again and rain on you from time to time
- 'My Only Crime'

The life of The Raphaels came to an abrupt end in December, 2001, when Adamson, dogged by marital problems and battling alcoholism, fled to Hawaii where he committed suicide. With their gentle blend of country, folk and Celtic influences, The Raphaels were unlikely ever to set the music world alight, but with two highly talented singer-songwriters at their core, the quality of the music they might have produced can now, sadly, only be guessed.

Stuart Adamson

You could smell the sea on his working clothes
I'd take his rough hand and I wouldn't let go
'Son, if ships don't sail, then our table's bare
And I'm not alone out there'
- 'Learning to Row'

Although he was born in Manchester, England, Adamson's parents soon moved to Dunfermline, Scotland, and the young Stuart grew up as a Scot. His father worked as an engineer on the fishing vessels that would sail from Scotland across the Atlantic in search of cod, and images of boats and the sea are never far from the lyrics of Adamson's songs.

Having been inspired by Led Zeppelin to take up the guitar, he formed punk band The Skids in 1977, and had a number of hits, most notably 'Into The Valley'. In 1980, Adamson left the band after a nervous breakdown. Recovering, he got together with guitarist Bruce Watson to form Big Country, and enjoyed considerable chart success with their first album - The Crossing - and its accompanying singles. Big Country recorded and toured almost constantly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, Stuart disappeared for nearly two weeks, before making contact with friends and family to reassure them of his safety. Shortly after releasing Supernatural with The Raphaels in 2001, Stuart went missing once more. Sadly, he was found a month later in Hawaii, having hanged himself in a hotel room.

Marcus Hummon

Half a mil', smoke in the hills
It used to be Grandpa's rusty still
And the almighty dollar making the world go around
- 'Mexican Trout'

Hummon is perhaps better known in the country music world as a Grammy-nominated songwriter, having written hits for Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Hal Ketchum and the Dixie Chicks. He is also a talented musician, playing the guitar, mandolin, harmonica and keyboards, and can often be heard playing as a session musician on tracks that he has written for other artistes. Hummon has also released four solo albums, and has written three stage musicals, the lyrics for a television cartoon series and a book of poetry.

Supernatural

Go with you any way the wind blows
Straight through the fire into the unknown
Follow the feelings 'cause I know
It's supernatural
- 'Supernatural'

The Raphaels' one album was released in 2001 and contains 13 tracks written or co-written by Adamson and Hummon. The duo also share vocals and backing vocals on the majority of the songs. Instrumentally, Hummon plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, mandolin and keyboards, while Adamson plays acoustic and electric guitars.

The album opens with a pair of love songs. The title track, 'Supernatural', is sung by Hummon and focuses on the mysteries of love and devotion. This is followed by Adamson's 'Simple Man', telling of the benefits of having someone around when you're a simple man trying to lead a complicated life. The third song is Adamson's haunting 'Private Battlefield', written with Hummon and describing the emotional helplessness that accompanies the breakdown of a relationship.

The fourth song on the album - 'Old Country, Country' - sees a change of tone, with Hummon relating the story of an American musician's journey to Wales to trace the lives and music of his ancestors. The next two songs see Adamson returning to the fore, with the sad but optimistic 'Learning to Row', which pays tribute to his father and deals with the process of moving on when loved ones are lost. This is followed by the South American-inspired 'Shattered Cross'. Superficially about how to survive in a Western (don't trust men in black, women in red or guys named 'Doc'), the song deals with the excuses people make when their lives take a turn for the worse.

I told her that I loved her long, tan legs
She just smiled and said, 'Bien sûr'
...and offered me a cigarette
- 'Toujours Aimez'

In the wry, bittersweet 'Toujours Aimez'², Hummon sings of the pitfalls involved in a one-night stand with someone when you don't speak their language and they don't appear to speak yours. The wistfulness of 'Toujours Aimez' leads the listener gently into the most poignant song on the album. Again dealing with the subject of failing relationships, Adamson's plaintive voice rues that 'My Only Crime' was 'losing the line between your heart and mine'. It is followed by Hummon's exhortation to the poor, the downtrodden and the persecuted to 'Stand Up'.

And as I stare into her eyes
And press her in my arms
I look over her shoulder
And there my demons are
- 'Too Many Ghosts'

'Too Many Ghosts' finds Adamson in slightly more optimistic mood, trying to leave his past behind and start again, but accepting that he can never completely escape. Another Hummon composition - 'Blue Rose' - follows, telling a cautionary tale of a relationship that was doomed from the start: he starts off vague and unsure while she is looking for signs of commitment; by the time he realises he's in love, she has left him for someone else.

The penultimate song, 'Mexican Trout', appears at first glance to be about growing up in the backwoods of the USA, with its talk of fly-fishing, hickory chips and 'grandpa's rusty still'. It's only when helicopters, Feds and 'corporate hillbillies' make an entrance that you realise that there's something nasty in the backwoods...

The album ends with the Hummon composition 'Life is a Church', featuring guest vocals from Grammy-nominated country singer Russ Taff. The song is an autobiographical journey starting with memories of standing on the beach as a ten-year old, and ending holding hands with his own son at a funeral.

As predicted by record producer Paul Worley, who first suggested a Hummon-Adamson collaboration, Supernatural is the perfect blend of Hummon's country background and Adamson's Celtic-influenced folk-rock to produce an album that is most definitely a 'grower' and, to the ears of at least one researcher, gets better with each listen.