Nazareth’s Manny Charlton, who produced Guns ‘N Roses, dies aged 80

Manny Charlton, a founding member of the Scottish rock band Nazareth, has died.

News of the guitarist’s death at the age of 80 was was confirmed by his grandson, Jamie Charlton, who shared a photo on social media with the caption “RIP Grandad.”

Outside of his work in Nazareth, Charlton will be remembered for his work with Guns ‘N Roses. In the mid-’80s GNR frontman Axl Rose famously asked that Charlton produce the band’s debut album, ‘Appetite For Destruction‘.

Charlton produced 25 tracks at Sound City in LA but a scheduling conflict ultimately called time on his work, and Mike Clink produced the album. However, Charlton’s demos were later included on the 2018 reissue of ‘Appetite For Destruction’.

The musician and record producer Charlton was born in Andalusia, southern Spain in july 1940 before relocating to Dunfermline, Scotland later that decade.

He co-founded Nazareth in 1968. In 1971 the band played with Deep Purple on tour and began headlining their own shows a couple of years later.

Charlton also acted as the band’s producer, stepping in for Deep Purple’s Roger Glover on 1975’s ‘Hair Of The Dog’, which featured the ballad ‘Love Hurts’ (first recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960) and became Nazareth’s most renowned album. It went on to sell two million copies.

In 1990 Charlton left Nazareth after completing the band’s 17th studio album ‘Snakes ‘N’ Ladders’ (1989).

He went on to release solo albums including 2014’s ‘Hellacious’ and his final project, a best-of compilation record, ‘Creme De La Creme’ (2018).

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