Nazareth - Backroom Boys (Demo Version) 1983

The Great Billy Rankin on vocals

Manny Charlton
Dan McCafferty
Pete Agnew
Darrell Sweet
Billy Rankin
Jimmy Murrison
Lee Agnew
John Locke

Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band formed in Dunfermline that has kicked some serious ass for more than 50 years! Forming in 1968 and had several hits in Canada, the United Kingdom, and a number of other European countries in the early 1970s. The breadth of their popularity expanded internationally, including in the USA, with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog, which featured their hits Hair of the Dog and a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts. Nazareth have continued to record and tour for more than fifty years.
Nazareth formed in December 1968 in Dunfermline, Scotland, from the remaining members of semi-professional local group The Shadettes (formed in 1961) by vocalist Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. They were inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Nazareth took their name from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which is cited in the first line of The Band's classic song The Weight ("I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead...").
The band moved to London, England in 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971. After getting some attention with their second album the unique sounding Exercises, released in 1972, Nazareth supported Deep Purple on tour. Roger Glover produced Razamanaz, in early 1973. This collection spawned two UK Top Ten hits, Broken Down Angel and Bad Bad Boy. Let’s not forget how great The Vigilante Man is with Manny Charlton’s slide guitar. This was followed by Loud 'N' Proud in late 1973, which contained another hit single with a cover of Joni Mitchell's song This Flight Tonight. Child in the Sun is a beautiful song off that album as well. Then came another album Rampant, in 1974, that was equally successful although its only single, Shanghai'd in Shanghai, narrowly missed the British Top 40. Who gives a crap about the top 40. Rampant is a masterpiece of an album. Loved and Lost is a brilliant song!
Hair of the Dog was released in April 1975 and was produced by Manny Charlton, ending Roger Glover's official association with the band. They remained close friends as both bands toured together many times. The title track of that album (popularly, though incorrectly, known as Son of a Bitch due to its hook lyric) became a staple of 1970s rock radio. The American version of the album included a song originally recorded by The Everly Brothers, the melodic Boudleaux Bryant-penned ballad Love Hurts, that was released as a hit single in the UK and in the US, where it went platinum. The song Guilty was included on the European version of Hair of the Dag.Love Hurts became the band's only US Top Ten hit and was also a top 10 hit in nine other countries, reaching number 1 in six of them. The song was on the Norwegian chart for 60 weeks.
In 1979, second guitarist Zal Cleminson was added to the line-up, remaining for two albums, No Mean City and Malice in Wonderland, and contributing numerous compositions. No Mean City is considered on of Nazareth’s heaviest albums making it popular with the hard-core fans. Malice in Wonderland contained the single Holiday. In 1981, they contributed the song Crazy (A Suitable Case for Treatment) to the soundtrack to the film, Heavy Metal.
Various Nazareth line-ups continued to make studio albums and tour throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They remained popular in Europe, particularly Germany, where Dream On became a hit single. In 1991, Billy Rankin returned to replace Manny Charlton on the No Jive album, remaining with the band until 1994.
A tribute came in 1993 when Guns N' Roses covered Nazareth's Hair of the Dog on "The Spaghetti Incident?", consolation after they turned down Axl Rose's request for the group to play at his wedding. Rankin departed again in 1994, but with Jimmy Murrison and keyboard player Ronnie Leahy, Nazareth maintained a live following in Europe and the US.
Nazareth continued touring after Rankin's departure, with Jimmy Murrison and keyboard player Ronnie Leahy. While on tour in 1999, original drummer Darrell Sweet died at age 51 of a heart attack. He was replaced by bassist Pete Agnew's son Lee for later editions of the band.
On 4 August 2006, John Locke, the former keyboardist of the band, died from cancer at the age of 62.
In February 2008, The Newz was released on the Hamburg-based label, Edel Entertainment. The Gathering is a monster song off that album and should be heard by everyone who’s paying attention. The release of the album coincided with Nazareth's fortieth anniversary tour, which started on 25 January in Sweden and visited most of Europe, finished on 4 November 2008 in Norway. Dying Breed is a vocal masterpiece by the great Dan McCafferty (Check it out if you can) A follow up album, Big Dogz, was released on 15 April 2011. Big Dogz is one of Nazareth greatest albums of all time!
Nazareth announced McCafferty's retirement from the band due to ill health on 28 August 2013, leaving Pete Agnew as the last remaining original member of the band. On 22 February 2014, it was announced that Scottish singer Linton Osborne was chosen as McCafferty's replacement, with the former singer's blessing. Linton Osborne is a really cool bloke!
On 13 February 2015, the band announced that Carl Sentance, formerly of Persian Risk, Geezer Butler Band, and Krokus, was their new lead vocalist.
In October 2018, the album Tattooed on My Brain, was released via Frontiers Records. 'The 50th Anniversary Tour' followed, spanning 2018 and 2019, along with German hard rock band Formosa as support. Original guitarist Manny Charlton passed away on 5 July 2022, aged 80.
On 8 November 2022, Dan McCafferty died at the age of 76, thus leaving bassist Pete Agnew as the last surviving original member.
Nazareth
Exercises
Razamanaz
Loud 'n' Proud
Rampant
Hair of the Dog
Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll
Play 'n' the Game
Expect No Mercy
No Mean City
Malice in Wonderland
The Fool Circle
2XS
Sound Elixir
The Catch
Cinema
Snakes 'n' Ladders
No Jive
Move Me
Boogaloo
The Newz
Big Dogz
Rock 'n' Roll Telephone
Tattooed on My Brain
Surviving the Law