![]() ![]() After his first couple of albums, Jeff Healey became a well-known blues guitarist. While he was playing at a blues club called Albert’s Hall, Healey was discovered by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert Collins. Below is a photo of the Jeff Healey Band. The group began performing in clubs in Toronto. He was self-taught, and developed a unique style where he played the guitar while it was sitting on his lap.Īt age 16, Healey had formed a trio with bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen. Healey began playing the guitar at a very young age. Healey lost his sight and his eyes had to be surgically removed. Healey was adopted as a baby, and as an infant he suffered from retinoblastoma, a cancer that attacked his eyes. He was born in Toronto, Canada in March 1966. ![]() Jeff Healey was a Canadian guitarist and songwriter who achieved renown in both blues and jazz. The Jeff Healey Band and Stuck In The Middle With You: We deeply miss Gerry Rafferty, who passed away far too soon. His condition improved sufficiently that he was taken off life support and released from the hospital. In November 2010, Gerry Rafferty was admitted to Royal Bournemouth Hospital, suffering from multiple organ failure. In 2004, Rafferty announced that he would issue a free download on his Website every few weeks however, only a couple of downloads ever appeared on this site. Rafferty’s situation was exacerbated by the fact that he suffered from depression, and in addition he had significant issues with alcoholism.Īfter his best friend, producer Hugh Murphy passed away in 1998, Rafferty continued to become more and more solitary. ![]() In addition, he hated appearing on talk shows and giving interviews to the press, so he avoided them as much as possible. For example, he refused to play concert tours in the U.S., a move that limited his commercial exposure. Rafferty was always uncomfortable with fame and took considerable steps to avoid the limelight. That song shot into the top 10 on the pop charts, and its haunting saxophone solo has made it a classic. He hit it big with the song Baker Street from his 1978 album, City to City. Gerry Rafferty also embarked on a solo career however, he found considerable success. After that, Egan issued a couple of albums, but left the music industry when he was unable to generate any lasting success. Stealers Wheel then disbanded in 1975 but Egan and Rafferty briefly re-joined forces in 2008.įrom 1975 to 1978, both Rafferty and Egan were unable to release records because of legal issues related to the breakup of Stealers Wheel. In performances like the TOTP appearance in 1973, Egan and Rafferty would assemble a group of studio musicians to join them. Unfortunately, Gerry Rafferty had already left the band by the time their album was released in 1972, but he was persuaded to return when both the single and the album became smash hits. I will spare you video of that scene, which features Michael Madsen torturing a policeman while that song plays in the background. The song gained notoriety in 1992 when it was part of an infamous scene in Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 debut film Reservoir Dogs. By the way, until acquiring the lyrics for this post, for almost 50 years I had mis-heard the line “and your friends, they all come crawlin’” as “and your friendly uncle Colin.” Apparently another misheard lyric is “Crowns to the left of me, smokers to the right” instead of “clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.” ![]() Stuck In The Middle With You has proved a very popular song. The sound is reminiscent of a Bob Dylan folk-rock song, and apparently people still mistake it for a Dylan tune. That song, produced by the great American producer-songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, reached #6 on the Billboard pop charts and #2 in Canada. Stuck In The Middle With You was the one big hit for Stealers Wheel. This took place on the BBC show Top of the Pops in May 1973. So here is Stealers Wheel in a live performance of Stuck In The Middle With You. Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,Ĭlowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,Īnd you’re proud that you’re a self-made man, It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face, I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,Īnd I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,Īnd I’m wondering what it is I should do, I got the feeling that something ain’t right, Well I don’t know why I came here tonight, The lyrics were meant to be a parody of a music industry party, full of ‘jokers and clowns.’ The song Stuck In The Middle With You was co-written by Rafferty and Egan and appeared on their 1972 eponymous debut album. The Scottish folk-rock group Stealers Wheel in 1973. ![]()
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