Walter Egan is celebrating a milestone birthday with more than five decades of music behind him.
Born on July 12, 1948, the singer-songwriter turns 78 after building a career that has taken him from surf rock and country rock to one of the most recognizable soft-rock hits of the late 1970s.
Egan began playing music as a teenager and formed the surf-rock group The Malibooz with guitarist John Zambetti. He later performed with Sageworth and Drums while studying at Georgetown University before moving to Los Angeles in 1974 to pursue music professionally.
There, Egan eventually received an offer to record as a solo artist. He released his debut album, Fundamental Roll, in 1977 and began his close working relationship with Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
That connection continued the following year on Egan's second album, Not Shy. Its tracklist included "Magnet and Steel," which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Buckingham helped produce the track, while both he and Nicks contributed background vocals.
Nicks also inspired the song. Egan explained that he did not realize at the time how important it would become, but believed the honesty behind it helped listeners connect with the recording.
"I think there's a sincerity in the lyric and in the song itself," he told Highwire Daze. He added that having Nicks sing on a song written about her created "some kind of magic circuit."
Although "Magnet and Steel" became a major hit, Egan's career was defined by much more than one song. His other releases included "Only the Lucky" and "Hot Summer Nights," while Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris recorded his song "Hearts on Fire" for Parsons' 1974 album Grievous Angel.
Egan also spent several years as a member of Burrito Deluxe, a country-rock group connected to the legacy of the Flying Burrito Brothers. He later continued with The Burritos, appearing on the band's 2011 album Sound As Ever.
He continued releasing solo music throughout the following decades, including Fascination in 2021 and Pluck! in 2023. His catalog has also remained visible through movies and television, with "Magnet and Steel" appearing in films including Boogie Nights and This Is 40.
Egan remains active in music today. He is performing throughout 2026 as part of the Yacht Rock the Dock concert series, where he joins artists including John Ford Coley, Peter Beckett and Elliot Lurie backed by Ambrosia.
His early career has also received renewed attention with The Album Collection 1977–1980, a four-disc set released in June that brings together his first four Columbia albums. Egan has also completed a memoir titled Magnetude: My Secrets to Reveal and is searching for a publisher.
As Egan turns 78, "Magnet and Steel" remains a soft-rock favorite, but his work as a songwriter, solo artist and band member has given him a career that is remembered for far more than his biggest hit.
Related: '90s Rock Band Reimagines Classic Song After 56 Years
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