Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorManny Charlton, founding guitarist of the hard rock band Nazareth and producer of Guns N’ Roses early demos, has died, according to a post from his grandson.
No cause of death was cited; he was 80.He was Nazareth’s guitarist, producer and songwriter from the band’s formation until 1990, performing on the band’s most successful albums, notably 1973’s “Razamanaz” and 1975’s “Hair of the Dog,” which went platinum and featured the group’s biggest hit, a dramatic cover of “Love Hurts,” originally made famous by the Everly Brothers, that reaced the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.In 1986, Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose reportedly wanted “the guy who produced Nazareth’s ‘Hair of the Dog’” to produce the band’s debut full-length.
Charlton ended up recording some 25 songs with the band at Los Angeles’ legendary Sound City studio — all of which have been bootlegged and some of which were officially released as B-sides or bonus tracks — but bowed out of producing the album due to commitments with Nazareth.
The album, which was ultimately recorded with producer Mike Clink, sold an estimated 30 million copies globally and became the biggest-selling debut album of all time.
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