Nazareth Guitarist Manny Charlton Passed Away at 80

Manny Charlton, founding guitarist of legendary Scottish rock band Nazareth, has passed away July 5 at the age of 80.

The news was confirmed by bassist Pete Agnew, who posted a statement on the band’s official Facebook page that read:

“There were no details available at the time of writing but I believe his death was sudden and not illness related.

“Manny was there from the very beginning of Nazareth so we all came up together though the tough times and through the wonderfully successful years as the band became an international acclaimed outfit.

“His contribution as a musician was immeasurable.”

Born in Andalusia in Southern Spain in 1941 and moved with his family to Scotland as a child. Charlton formed Nazareth in 1968 with vocalist Dan McCafferty, bassist Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. He would go on to play on every Nazareth album from the band’s self-titled debut in 1971 until 1989’s Snakes ‘N’ Ladders.

Charlton was also featured on Nazareth’s sixth LP 1974’s Hair Of The Dog, that would go on to become the band’s most successful album and sold two million copies worldwide. In 1990, he departed from the band and pursued a solo career.

After a decade, he released his first solo album, Drool, and was followed by releases under his own name or credited to the Manny Charlton Band. His last solo album, Solo, was released in 2016.

Aside from Nazareth and his solo projects, Charlton also worked with Guns N’ Roses on sessions for the album that would eventually become Appetite For Destruction. The 25 tracks they recorded together, including early versions of hit songs “Welcome To The Jungle” and “Paradise City” didn’t make the final cut, but later surfaced at the Sound City Session on the deluxe edition in 2018.

Charlton’s final time in the studio was just last year, when he recorded his rendition of Nazareth’s 1976 hit Telegram to celebrate his 80th birthday, alongside Norwegian rockers The Halloween Project, London’s The Fluffy Jackets (whose 2014 debut album Fighting Demons featured Charlton), plus former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray and TNT’s Ronni Le Tekrø.