Legendary folk-rock singer of the 70s dies at the age of 77

July 8, 2024

Scottish singer-songwriter Joe Egan, the creative partner of Gerry Rafferty and one of the two band members of the folk-rock band Stealers Wheel, died on Saturday. He was 77 years old.

The cause of death was not disclosed, but Gafferty confirmed the news and posted a tribute to Egan on his official Facebook account, which is run by Gafferty’s daughter Martha.

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

Egan was born on October 18, 1946, in Paisley, Scotland. He and Rafferty – who is also from Paisley – formed Stealers Wheel in 1972. However, Rafferty left the band when the band’s eponymous album was released.

Egan co-wrote the band’s best known song, “Stuck in the Middle With You,” which was a top 10 hit in the U.S. and U.K. in 1973 and peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was used in the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.

The success inspired Rafferty to briefly return to the band. However, Stealers Wheel failed to achieve commercial success following the song’s success and the band split after releasing two more albums. Although the band had a reunion in 2008, Egan and Rafferty – who died in 2011 – did not attend, but other members did.

Egan released two solo albums – Out of Nowhere (1979) and Map two years later – and retired from the music industry entirely in the 1990s, reportedly starting to run a publishing company from his home in Paisley.

Egan previously spoke to the Paisley Daily Express in 2011 about how he originally wanted to be a footballer but turned to music when he realised he was better at it. He also spoke at length about his relationship with Rafferty after his death.

“We’ve lived together for so long and have been speaking on the phone regularly recently. Gerry was about six months older than me and a year older at school,” Egan told the Paisley Daily Express. “I’ve always been interested in music, like Gerry, but I was also very keen on football and hoped to make it as a player at some point.”

“But when I realised I thought I was better than I was, I threw myself headfirst into my music. That’s when Gerry and I first came together,” Egan continued. “We formed Stealers Wheel with Rab Noakes and an American called Roger Brown, but the line-up changed over time and in the end it was just Gerry and I who recorded the last two albums.”