Joe Egan | |
|---|---|
 Egan (left) in 1973, with Gerry Rafferty | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Egan |
| Born | 18 October 1946 Paisley, Scotland |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1970s–90s |
Joseph Egan (born 18 October 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter.
Egan was born into an Irish Catholic family in Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Along with former St Mirin's Academy schoolmate Gerry Rafferty, he played in various smaller British bands, such as The Sensors and The Maverix, and worked as a session musician.
In 1972, Egan and Rafferty founded the folk/rock band Stealers Wheel.[1] 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.[citation needed]
Egan and Rafferty were contractually obliged not to release any recordings for three years; eventually Egan recorded a solo debut album, Out of Nowhere, in 1979. He registered a minor hit with his first single release "Back on the Road", and that same year released a second single titled "Out Of Nowhere".[citation needed]
1981 saw the release of his second album, Map, which was not a critical or commercial success, and subsequently no singles were released in support of it. After this he did not release any new recordings and left the music industry, though he did briefly reunite with Rafferty to perform vocals on some tracks on the latter's 1992 album On a Wing and a Prayer.
As of 2005, Egan lived in Renfrewshire and ran a publishing company from home.
