One of the best talents in town
Joe Egan is one of the most talented musicians to ever come out of Paisley.
If you are younger than me, you might not have heard of him, but you will have certainly heard of Stealer’s Wheel. It’s probably because Quentin Tarantino used their first and biggest hit, Stuck in the Middle With You, in Reservoir Dogs.
It is still played regularly on radio and TV today.
Joe is well known for founding and playing in Stealers Wheel.
He also played in various smaller British bands, such as The Sensors and The Mavericks, and worked as a session musician.
It was a while before Stealers Wheel was a thing that Joe met with former St Mirin’s Academy schoolmate Gerry Rafferty and with him, wrote Stuck in the Middle With You.
They released an album called Ferguslie Park. The artwork was designed by Ferguslie artist John Byrne, who also made designs for The Beatles. Joe was also born in Ferguslie Park.
The album includes the catchy song Star and includes Nothing’s Gonna Change My Mind and Waltz (you know it makes sense) – all Egan songs.
The Stealers Wheel era was a good time for both Joe and Gerry, with two good writers competing with each other and bringing the best out of one another.
It was after two unsuccessful singles that Stuck in the Middle With You 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.
Joe eventually recorded his solo debut album Out of Nowhere, but that wasn’t until 1979 as he and Rafferty were contractually obliged not to release any recordings for three years, when he registered a minor hit with his first single release titled Back on the Road.
That same year, Joe released a second single titled Out Of Nowhere.
The year 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.
Since then, he has not released any new recordings and has 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.
A few years ago, there was a resurgence of Joe’s music.
His album Out of Nowhere, which has proven to be a fan favourite around the world, was reissued after 37 years by Angel Air, a heritage music label.
Local record dealer Mike Dillon remembers the day it arrived at his shop, Apollo Music.
He said: “It’s great there’s been a re-issue as there’s a genuine interest in the album.
“Joe’s a terrific writer, and some of the songs he’s created are so iconic.
“A few have been used in soundtracks, including the famous Reservoir Dogs scene where Stuck in the Middle With You played.
“That song will be playing on the radio in America somewhere right now and it’s amazing someone from Paisley wrote a song of that magnitude.
“Joe is not the type to want the limelight, but to have the kind of talent he has is special.”
Joe still lives in Renfrewshire and runs a publishing company from home.
Next week, I hope to bring you news of some sort of live music happening locally.