Manny Charlton

Manny Charlton – born Manuel Charlton in La Linia, Andalusia, Spain on July 25, 1941 – was best known as the guitarist of Scottish hard rock group Nazareth. Although born in Spain, he grew up in Dunfermline, Scotland, where he learned to play the guitar and performed in several local groups in the 1960s including The Mark Five and The Red Hawks before joining The Shadettes, who would later rename themselves Nazareth in 1968. The group’s mix of blues and rock, and the unique vocal stylings of Dan McCafferty paved the way to international sucess with albums such as Razamanaz (1973), Loud 'n' Proud (1973), Rampant (1974) and the enormously popular Hair of the Dog (1975), which included the massive hit single “Love Hurts.” More hit albums followed including Close Enough to Rock 'n' Roll (1976) and Play 'n' the Game (1976), which were even more popular in the United States than in their home country. Producer of Dan McCafferty's first solo album (1975), Manny Charlton was asked to produce early recordings / demos for Guns 'n' Roses’ album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), but the songs remained unreleased until a deluxe version of the CD was released decades later. He returned to Nazareth but left the band for good in 1990. He pursued a solo career, performing in clubs and finally released his debut solo album, Drool, in 1997. That album was followed by one more album - Bravado (2000) - before he relocated to Texas where he formed his own group, the Manny Charlton Band. He returned to recording with the albums Stonkin’ (2002) and Klone This (2003) before returning to his solo career with albums such as Say the Word (2004), Sharp (2004), Sharp Re-Loaded (2005), Game Over (2006), American Deluxe (2007), and Then There’s This (2008). His 2013 album Hellacious was credited – again- to the Manny Charlton Band and featured musical assistance from Tim Bogert. Throughout his career, he collaborated with other artists including Streetheart, Marseille, the Fluffy Jackets, and Salem. In 2016, Manny Charlton returned with the album Solo, which proved to be his last full album of new recordings. Manny Charlton died on July 5, 2022, at the age of 80.

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