[1] A few years later, Rafferty was introduced to classical guitar with formal instruction from Dennis Cinelli and Pat O'Brien.

He worked with Bob Cranshaw, Lou Donaldson, Virgil Jones, Gloria Lynn, Frank Wess, Buster Williams, and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band directed by Jimmy Owens.

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.

He met Alvin Queen, who used him as a sideman in his quintet with alto saxophonist Jesse Davis and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli.

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, hip hop, funk, jazz, and R&B.

His cover versions of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" received more than one million views.

At the suggestion of a YouTube fan, Rafferty went to the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in 2008 to meet like-minded fingerstyle guitarists.

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

Included on the bill were over a dozen jazz guitarists, including Jimmy Bruno, Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Johnny Smith, Remo Palmier, John Abercrombie, Herb Ellis, Ron Affif, Al Gafa, Joe Diorio, Mark Elf, Gene Bertoncini, and Vic Juris.