Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton dead at 80

Manny Charlton, a founding member of the Scottish rock ‘n’ roll band Nazareth who played guitar on hits such as “Love Hurts” and “Hair of the Dog,” has died, his grandson said on social media. He was 80.

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Charlton’s grandson, James Charlton, announced the news in a Facebook post. No cause of death was given, Variety reported.

Manny Charlton also produced Guns N’ Roses’ early demos, the entertainment news outlet reported.

He was Nazareth’s guitarist, producer and co-songwriter from the 1968 band’s formation in Dunfermline, Scotland, until 1990, according to Variety. He teamed with singer Dan McCafferty, bass player Pete Agnew and drummer Darrell Sweet, Deadline reported.

The band’s third album, “Razamanaz,” reached No. 11 in the United Kingdom and had two top-10 singles, “Broken Down Angel” and “Bad Bad Boy,” according to Deadline.

Nazareth’s 1975 album, “Hair of the Dog,” went platinum in the U.S. and featured the band’s biggest hit, “Love Hurts,” Variety reported. The album peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard album charts, while “Love Hurts,” a cover of an Everly Brothers song in 1960, rose to No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“Love Hurts” went gold in 1976, and “Hair of the Dog” was certified platinum, according to Deadline.

The band also had a minor hit in 1980 with “Holiday.”

In 1986, Charlton recorded 25 songs with Guns N’ Roses, but bowed out of producing the album because of his commitments with Nazareth, Variety reported.

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