Manny Charlton, Founding Nazareth Guitarist and Early Guns N’ Roses Producer, Dead at 80

Sad news for the rock world today, as Manny Charlton, founding guitarist for Scottish hard rockers Nazareth, has died. He was 80 years old.

The news was confirmed in a statement from bassist and vocalist Pete Agnew, who wrote the following:

“Sadly, I have to tell you that Manny Charlton died on Tuesday (5th July) in Texas.

“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 through the tough times and through the wonderfully successful years as the band became an international acclaimed outfit.

“His contribution as a musician was immeasurable.

“Not only was he a team player who loved jamming for hours at a time with the band and then sifting through the tapes for even more hours just looking to find the tiniest usable idea, he was never happier than when he was sitting in the producers [sic] chair making records and searching for that special ‘racket’ (noise) as he called it, that he was always trying to create.

“He produced several other bands and found his ‘racket’ a few times along the way, but the one he was most proud of was ‘Love Hurts,’ one of the best sounding records of all time and one of the songs on his first album as a producer.”

Charlton performed with Nazareth from 1968 to 1980, playing on their most important albums, including 1975’s Hair of the Dog, known for its muscular title track and its massive ballad “Love Hurts.”

In 1986, Charlton also produced demos by a then-unknown band named Guns N’ Roses.

He recorded some of the earliest versions of songs that would become “Paradise City,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Nightrain.”

Everyone at MetalSucks sends their heart out to Charlton’s family, friends, fans and collaborators during this time.