Dan McCafferty

William Daniel McCafferty (14 October 1946 – 8 November 2022) was a Scottish^[2] vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth from its founding in 1968 to his retirement from touring with the band in 2013.^[3][4]

Dan McCafferty
McCafferty in 2010
Background information
Birth name	William Daniel McCafferty^[1]
Born	(1946-10-14)14 October 1946 Dunfermline, Scotland
Died	8 November 2022(2022-11-08) (aged 76)
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, bagpipes, talkbox
Years active	1961–2022

Life and career

Nazareth and solo career

Under the influence of artists such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Otis Redding, he became one of the founding members of Nazareth in 1968.^[5] He appeared on all of Nazareth's albums up to 2014 and toured with them for 45 years.^[6] He co-wrote some of the big Nazareth hits, including "Broken Down Angel", and "Bad Bad Boy". He released three solo albums. In September 1975, his first solo single, a cover of The Rolling Stones 1966 song "Out of Time" peaked at number 41 in the UK.^[7][8]

Retirement from touring with Nazareth

On 29 August 2013, Nazareth announced McCafferty's retirement from touring with the band due to health issues.^[9][10] He elaborated on the specifics of the health issues and the state of his situation in an interview with the UK music magazine, Classic Rock. He stated that he had not suffered a stroke as had been reported in the press. He said that his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has "worsened in recent years" had made him leave the stage in Switzerland in late August 2013 after only three songs, indicating that, "You don’t know when it's going to come on, but suddenly you can't breathe." Commenting about his most recent episode, at the Swiss festival, McCafferty maintained, "if you can't do the job you shouldn't be there — Nazareth's too big for that." McCafferty also revealed that another health problem was responsible for his onstage collapse at a concert in Canada in July 2013 – a burst stomach ulcer.^[11] He stated reflecting back on the incident, "I thought I'd be fine, but you lose so much blood when that happens." In addition McCafferty said that he expected Nazareth to continue on without him. "I really hope they get someone else," he declared. "I'm sure they will."^{[citation needed]}

Although McCafferty retired from performing, Nazareth fans can still hear his voice on their 2014 album Rock 'n' Roll Telephone. The singer also revealed that he could record more new music, either with Nazareth or as a solo artist. He clarified: "To go into a studio and sing isn't like doing a gig. I could always make another record, but getting up to do an hour and three-quarters, and get people to pay money to come and see me — I can't do that." McCafferty expressed his appreciation to his fans near the end of the interview by saying: "Let everyone know I appreciate they've been there for all these years."^[4][12]

Semi-retired works

He continued to sing live around the world and record on occasion.^{[13][14][15][16]} On 21 June 2019, he released a new music video titled "Tell Me". It was from the solo album Last Testament, released on 18 October 2019,^[17] McCafferty's first solo album since 1987's Into The Ring. McCafferty continued to work occasionally until his death.

Personal life and death

McCafferty was born in Dunfermline, Fife.^[2][18] McCafferty was married and had two children.^[19]

McCafferty suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and died on 8 November 2022, at the age of 76.^{[20][21][22][23]} Tributes were paid by rock musicians Brian Johnson and Axl Rose, both of whom mentioned him as an influence on their own singing.^[24][25]

Discography

Nazareth

Main article: Nazareth discography

Solo discography

Albums

• Dan McCafferty (1975)
• Into the Ring (1987)
• Last Testament (2019)
• No Turning Back (2023)

Singles

• "Out of Time" (1975) # 41 UK
• "Watcha Gonna Do About It" (1975)
• "The Honky Tonk Downstairs" (1976)
• "Stay With Me Baby" (1978)
• "Starry Eyes" (1987)^[26]
• "Tell Me" (2019)

References

1. Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Touchstone Books. 8 November 2001. p. 681. ISBN 9780743201209.
2. "Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty dies aged 76". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
3. "Dan McCafferty Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. 14 October 1946. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
4. "Nazareth's Dan McCafferty Says He Could Continue Recording". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
5. "Nazareth – Still Loud 'N' Proud…". Rockureview.com. 26 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
6. . Rockureview.com. 26 August 2010. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
7. "The Chart Time Machine | Dan McCafferty Discography". The Chart Time Machine. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
8. "Dan McCafferty Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
9. . Vintagevinylnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
10. . Nazarethdirect.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
11. "Concert cancelled after front man collapses". Cranbrooktownsman.com. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
12. . Classichitsandoldies.com. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
13. "Dan McCafferty-2015-Love Hurts (with Luigi Sferrazza orchestra)". YouTube. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
14. "Dan McCafferty – Animals 2015 Live Kiev". YouTube. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
15. "Dan McCafferty, Graham Bonnet and John Lawton to Sochi". YouTube. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
16. "Dan McCafferty: на фестивале Белые ночи Питер". YouTube. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
17. . Ear-music.net. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
18. . 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
19. . Kkdowning.net. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
20. Talseth, Thomas (8 November 2022). "Nazareth-vokalist Dan McCafferty er død". VG. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
21. "Former Nazareth Frontman Dan McCafferty Dead At 76". Stereogum.com. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
22. Pedersen, Erik (9 November 2022). "Dan McCafferty Dies: Nazareth Co-Founder Who Sang Lead On 'Love Hurts' Was 76". Deadline.
23. "Dan McCafferty obituary". theguardian.com. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
24. "Brian Johnson pays tribute to Nazareth's Dan McCafferty: "I wanted to sing like him"". Louder Sound. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
25. "Axl Rose pays tribute to late Nazareth singer Dan McCafferty: "a tough pill to swallow"". Louder Sound. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
26. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 337. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

• Dan McCafferty discography at Discogs
• Dan McCafferty at IMDb