Dan McCafferty of Nazareth Dies Aged 76

Dan McCafferty, the lead singer of Nazareth, has died at the age of 76.

Pete Agnew of the band posed on social media, “Dan died at 12:40 today. This is the saddest announcement I ever had to make. Maryann and the family have lost a wonderful loving husband and father, I have lost my best friend, and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived.

Dan McCafferty, Manny Charlton, Pete Agnew and Darrell Sweet formed Nazareth in Scotland in 1968. The band was named after the US city of Nazareth in Pennsylvania, not the middle east city. The US one is namechecked in The Band song ‘The Weight’. (I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ half past dead).

Deep Purple’s Roger Glover produced the third Nazareth album ‘Razamanaz’. It became their first hit album reaching no 11 in the UK. ‘Love Hurts’ off the 1975 ‘Hair of the Dog’ album gave them a US Top 10 with ‘Love Hurts’ (no 8). In 193 they were given a stamp of approval by Guns N’ Roses when ‘Hair of the Dog’ was covered for ‘The Spaghetti Incident’.

McCafferty retired from the band in 2013. Manny Charlton died a few months back on 5 July 2002, Darrell Sweet died in 1999. Agnew is the only surviving original member and still tours as Nazareth.

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