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Manny Charlton | |
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 Charlton in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Manuel Charlton |
| Born | (1941-07-25)25 July 1941 La Línea,Cádiz, Spain |
| Origin | Dunfermline,Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 5 July 2022(2022-07-05) (aged 80) Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1958–2022 |
| Formerly of | Nazareth |
| Website | mannycharltonband.com |
Manuel Charlton (25 July 1941 – 5 July 2022) was a Spanish-born Scottish musician and record producer, best known as a founding member of the influential Scottishhard rock bandNazareth; he was the band's lead guitarist from 1968 to 1990. He also produced a string of successful Nazareth albums in the 1970s, includingHair of the Dog.
Charlton was born inLa Línea on 25 July 1941. His family emigrated from Spain to Scotland and settled inDunfermline when he was two. Prior to joining Nazareth, he played in a few bands, most notably the Mark 5 and later the Red Hawks, until joining the local semi-pro Dunfermline band The Shadettes. In 1968, the band changed their name toNazareth, inspired by the opening lyric from "The Weight", a song byThe Band.
Charlton played a huge part in Nazareth's worldwide success. Hisbluesy style of playing, combined withDan McCafferty's vocals, first came to the attention of wider rock audiences when Nazareth toured in 1971 as the opening act forDeep Purple. But by 1973, they were headlining their own shows.[1] Charlton was also the band'sproducer for many years, succeeding Deep Purple'sRoger Glover, after the band decided they wanted to move in a new direction for theHair of the Dog album.Hair of the Dog attainedplatinum sales in theUnited States and has to date sold in excess of two million copies. It is the band's most well known album, and contains their biggest hit "Love Hurts" which reached No. 8 in the United States.
Charlton also produced the self-titledDan McCafferty debutLP in 1975, with a single "Out of Time" (1975) reaching # 41 in the UK chart. He would go on to produce a string of successful Nazareth albums, up to and including No Mean City (1979).
Axl Rose ofGuns N' Roses initially wanted "the guy who produced Nazareth's Hair of the Dog"[2] to produce what would become the band's breakthrough album. Charlton got the request fromGeffen Records and produced several recordings atSound City Studios (Los Angeles) in June 1986. At the end of the session they had 25 songs on tape, including "Paradise City", "Rocket Queen", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Nightrain", two versions of "Move to the City", "November Rain", "Shadow of your Love" (takes one and two), and "Reckless Life". After this initial work, he rejoined Nazareth in Europe, and Guns N' Roses hiredMike Clink to produce the album. Charlton's productions are included as bonuses on the 2018 reissue ofAppetite for Destruction.
After leaving Nazareth in 1990, Charlton played somesoloshows on theScottishclub circuit, and released his first solo albumDrool in 1997, on the Red Steelrecord label with Neil Miller on vocals. The following year, he relocated toTexas, where he formed theManny Charlton Band (MCB). The new band released a pair of albums –Stonkin andKlone This – before disbanding in 2003.
In 1995, Charlton sent toid Software, creator ofDoom, a cassette tape featuring an untitled song thatJohn Romero would later title "Blood on the Walls". The liner said, "For all the guys and gals at I.D. (sic) who came up with the coolest game this side ofhell, kick some demon butt to this!!" It also said "distribute asshareware", in keeping with the old days of PC gaming in which one could get the first third or fourth of the game for free or a reduced price, and buy the full game later.[citation needed] Romero would later find this tape and record it tomp3, providing it for free on his website. The song is actually titled "Doom" from Charlton's albumDrool.
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In 2004, Charlton releasedSay The Word on the Scottish label River Records. 2005 saw the release ofSharp, which is on the whole acovers album, includingTim Hardin's "Hang On To A Dream" andBob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm". Later that same year, Charlton completed the follow-up toSharp, titledSharp Re-Loaded.
In early 2006, Charlton joined the Swedish rock band, From Behind, who released their debut album titledGame Over, and toured in support of the album aroundEurope before disbanding in late 2007. The lead singer of the band wasNicky Moore, former member ofSamson. Charlton then released a solo albumAmericana Deluxe, covering songs such asFleetwood Mac's "Tusk".
In March 2013, Charlton releasedHellacious[3] co-produced by Gary Bryant (GB Records). This recording was made in California and featuredTim Bogert,Walfredo Reyes, Jr.,Steven Adler,Vivian Campbell, and Robin DeLorenzo.
In 2014, Charlton's solo albumsSharp andSharp Re-Loaded were issued as a double CD. Neil Jefferies ofClassic Rock commended Charlton's production work, writing: "Among three Dylan songs tackled, 'All Along The Watchtower' is simply stunning, sidestepping both the original andHendrix’s seminal version with quasi-reggae tones that cement Charlton’s reputation as a truly gifted arranger." In 2018, Atom Records releasedCréme De La Créme, an album celebrating the 'Best Of' Charlton's solo career.
Charlton was married to a woman named Isabel, whom he later divorced.[4] They had a son and daughter together, Tony and Vicky. In 1997, he moved toTexas, where he married his second wife Julie. He relocated again toCórdoba (Spain) in 2015.
During a visit back to Texas, Charlton died on 5 July 2022 at the age of 80.[4][5][6] His son had died six months earlier.[7]
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