Stealers Wheel

Although remembered today primarily for one or two songs, in its own time Stealers Wheel looked like Britain's answer to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Only the chronic instability of their lineup stood in their way. Led by Gerry Rafferty's and Joe Egan's voices, their Jerry Leiber- and Mike Stoller-produced eponymous 1972 debut was a critical and commercial success, yielding the hit "Stuck in the Middle with You" (it hit Top Ten in America and the U.K.). "Star," from their second album Ferguslie Park, reached the Top 30 before 1975's Right or Wrong proved to be the band's final release. Rafferty and Egan both went on to make records that refer in lyrics to the troubled history of Stealers Wheel, emphasizing their acrimonious history. "Stuck in the Middle with You" remained a popular '70s oldie, revived on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's movie Reservoir Dogs by the Jeff Healey Band.