The news that Dan has died hits hard. A friend of over fifty years, we shared many a tour and much studio time. With his mischievous smile and, endowed with a unique voice of grit and whisky, he came across as a tough character, which belied his gentle heart. He will be missed by his family, friends, and fans. His indelible contribution as Nazareth’s lead singer will live on.
Very sad to hear that Nazareth’s guitarist, Manny Charlton, has died.
I last met him about five years ago in Spain after losing touch for many years, and it was a lovely reunion. Nazareth played a huge part in my life in the 70’s. My thoughts go to his family and friends. He shall be missed.
RG
I’m saddened by the news that Ran Fenwick has died. Although we’d lost touch years ago, Ray was a large part of my life in the 70’s. I was lucky enough to discover the band Fancy when planning the The Butterfly Ball in ’73. The three members of Fancy, Ray on guitar, Mo Foster on bass and drummer Les Binks, were master session musicians and became the reliable back-bone of the album.
It’s been a strange year. A year of life and death, despair and hope, all together and poles apart. Joy and sorrow. I never worried about the future, but that resolve has been tested a few times this year – and last. But human instincts take over and we learn to take strength from what we’ve got and ignore those yearnings for what we lack.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of John Lawton. I met him in 1975 when he sang on The Butterfly Ball concert at the Albert Hall. Ronnie Dio was unavailable for the live show and John bravely stepped to save the day. As one can imagine, replacing Ronnie was a huge challenge, but John was more than capable. As an adjunct to the album, he recorded Little Chalk Blue before the concert.