Joe Egan (musician)

Joe Egan
Egan (left) in 1973, with Gerry Rafferty
Egan (left) in 1973, with Gerry Rafferty
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Egan
Born (1946-10-18) 18 October 1946 (age 77)
Paisley, Scotland
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • keyboard
  • acoustic guitar
Years active1970s–90s

Joseph Egan (born 18 October 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. He was one of the two key members of Stealers Wheel, and co-write their hit song "Stuck in the Middle with You".

Career[edit]

Egan was born into an Irish Catholic family in Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Along with former St Mirin's Academy schoolmate Gerry Rafferty,[1] he played in various smaller British bands, such as The Sensors and The Maverix,[2] and worked as a session musician.

In 1972, Egan and Rafferty founded the folk/rock band Stealers Wheel.[3] After two unsuccessful singles, their song "Stuck in the Middle With You"—co-written by the two—became a hit in 1973, and reached the Top Ten of both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Subsequently, the band had a few smaller successes, among others, with the Egan-penned song "Star", but stagnating sales figures and artistic differences finally led to the band's break-up in 1975.[4]

Egan recorded a solo debut album, Out of Nowhere, in 1979.[5] 1981 saw the release of his second album, Map,[5] which was not a critical or commercial success, and subsequently no singles were released in support of it. Egan left the music business in the 90s.

Albums[edit]

  • 1979: Out of Nowhere[5]
  • 1981: Map[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Joseph (Joe) Egan from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ Holmes, Jeff (6 January 2011). "Gerry Rafferty: Best of Buddies till the end". Daily Record. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Biography: Stealers Wheel". AMG. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Stealers Wheel Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Joe Egan discography - RYM/Sonemic". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 26 April 2024.