“Stuck In The Middle With You” singer Joe Egan dies at the age of 77

Martha captioned the post: “Very sad news that the other half of Stealers Wheel, Joe Egan, passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon surrounded by his nearest and dearest. I will always remember him as a sweet and gentle soul. May he rest in peace.”

The band was best known for their hit “Stuck In The Middle With You,” which was released as their debut single in 1973. Although it initially failed to chart, it experienced an unlikely cultural renaissance two decades later when Quentin Tarantino used the song in a key scene in his classic film. Reservoir Dogs.

Rafferty left the band briefly but returned after the success of their breakthrough single and Stealers Wheel recorded two more albums before leaving the band in 1975 after failing to match the success of their debut.

After the band broke up, their careers went in two different directions. Rafferty had further success with “Baker Street” and launched a highly acclaimed solo career, but Egan’s path was less paved with gold.

Egan released two solo albums, 1979 Out of nowhere and 1981 Mapbut neither record made him a star, he disappeared from the limelight and said goodbye to the music business. According to the band’s website, Egan ran a publishing company after leaving the industry. Although Stealers Wheel reunited in 2008, neither Egan nor Rafferty were involved.

However, the duo remained close friends until the end. During a 2013 interview with the local newspaper Paisley Daily ExpressEgan expressed his devastation at the loss of his former songwriting partner and revealed that despite living at opposite ends of the UK, they have remained in regular contact.

“Gerry’s death has already left a big gap in my life. We have been in contact with each other for so long and have recently spoken to each other regularly on the phone,” he recalls.

Egan continued: “Like everyone else, I suppose we had our arguments because we spent so much time getting on each other’s nerves. But we kept in touch until recently. In fact, I was sitting at home in Paisley with a drink in my hand and Gerry down south was the same. We would talk on the phone for hours, reminiscing about the old days.”

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