“I’m still wondering who’s going to give me a gold watch, ” laughed Manny Charlton, over surviving and thriving through five decades of rock’n’roll.
“I’m still wondering who’s going to give me a gold watch, ” laughed Manny Charlton, over surviving and thriving through five decades of rock’n’roll.
As one of the founding members of Nazareth and lead guitarist from 1968-1990, Charlton reigned supreme with the Scottish rock mavericks, who reached platinum in the U.S. with their Hair of the Dog album (1975) and experienced considerable success in Canada.
Twenty-three years since his Nazareth departure, Charlton continues his musical odyssey through production, performance and his 2012 indie release, Hellacious.
The Manny Charlton Band will be performing at the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino Nov. 30 for a 9 p.m. show, a mini tour that includes two additional performances in Calgary.
Fans can expect to hear Nazareth classics, rounded out by Charlton originals.
Spanish-born and Scottish-raised, Charlton has been based out of Dallas, Texas since 1998. At 72, he continues to haul his Gibson Les Paul to the stage like the workhorse it is, delving into hard rock selects with his bluesy style from eras past and present.
The departure from Nazareth was nothing short of a game changer for the guitarist.
“We weren’t really seeing eye to eye on our musical direction. It got kind of old and I thought it was time to get out and do some solo stuff and do some producing, ” he explained, adding that the seventies were undisputedly the peak era for Nazareth.
“We were really popular and successful, packin’ ‘em out in the stadiums…we had the whole machine behind us, ” he said.
Credited as a major player in Nazareth’s early success, Charlton took over the production reigns from the band’s mentor and early producer, Roger Glover of Deep Purple, in time for the 1975 release of Hair of the Dog, which included the title track, the anthemic “Love Hurts ”.
He produced some five albums with the band before choosing to relinquish this creative duty to the band’s record label.
The eighties were filled with ups and downs for the hard rockers, with the band still reeling from the 1976 loss of their manager, Bill Fehilly, in a plane crash. The group expanded to a five-piece with the addition of a second lead guitarist, Zal Cleminson, during the late 70s and early 80s.
Eventually, life on the road got tough and Charlton made the decision to switch gears.
“I miss some of those times, but I think there’s more to life than just being on the road. Eventually you have to come to the realization that you’re depriving (your kids) of yourself, ” he said.
The nineties saw the guitarist focus on production work for other bands, as well as tour his solo show on the Scottish bar circuit; the early 2000s saw much of the same, including measurable success with Swedish rock band, From Behind.
With the Manny Charlton Band, the guitarist has been able to work freely as an artist, without the constraints generally imposed by a record label.
He still prefers to perform in power trio format.
“It’s difficult to find a guitar player that sits well with me, ” said Charlton, admitting that there’s appeal in the challenge of having no where to hide on stage when he’s the solo guitarist.
“You can go have a cup of tea with a five piece, ” he laughed. “This (power trio) keeps me awake. ”
In 2012, Charlton got together with bassist Tim Bogert (Beck, Bogert, Cactus and Vanilla Fudge) percussion specialist Walfredo Reyes Jr. (session drummer for Santana, Traffic, Steve Winwood and Lindsey Buckingham) and Robin de Lorenzo (vocals) to create Hellacious on indie GB Records, a label out of Los Angeles.
The record also featured guest appearances by Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Robert Sarzo (Quiet Riot) and Steven Adler (Guns ‘n’ Roses).
Charlton said he’s looking forward to returning to Canada after many years away to meet his rhythm section, Calgary bassist John Sinclair and drummer Dennis Davies, for his upcoming Alberta shows.
“If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. The music business has been good to me, ” he said, adding that he feels a purpose in bringing a “little bit of sunshine ” to his fans by continuing to perform.
For a digital download of Hellacious or to learn more, visit mannycharltonband.com.
