Musician. Best remembered as the co-founder, lead singer and frontman for the Scottish hard rock-heavy metal band, Nazareth. Born William Daniel McCafferty in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Dan had an interest in rock n' roll being influenced by artists like: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding & Little Richard. He formed a local band called The Shadettes with Darrell Sweet (drums), Manny Charlton (guitar) & Pete Agnew (bass) in 1961. By 1968, the band changed their name to Nazareth as a reference to The Band's song, "The Weight," which in turn, references Nazareth, Pennsylvania in the song lyrics. Their musical inspirations were The Rolling Stones & The Beatles. Moving to London, England in 1970, they released their self-titled debut album in 1971. Opening on tours for bands like Deep Purple brought them further attention among rock audiences. Nazareth broke into the mainstream with the release of their sixth album, "Hair of the Dog" (1975). The album was a Top 20 hit in various countries and their cover of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts" went to become a Top 40 pop hit in numerous countries. The title song was also acclaimed, appearing in many TV shows, movies and video games as did their cover of "Love Hurts." During the 1980s and 1990s, Nazareth went through various lineup changes. Darrell Sweet died in 1999 while on tour with Nazareth in Indiana. Pete Agnew's son Lee replaced Sweet on the drums. McCafferty continued touring with Nazareth until the early 2010s when he retired from music in 2013 after being a member of Nazareth for 45 years. He died at his home in Scotland. He was 76.
Musician. Best remembered as the co-founder, lead singer and frontman for the Scottish hard rock-heavy metal band, Nazareth. Born William Daniel McCafferty in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Dan had an interest in rock n' roll being influenced by artists like: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding & Little Richard. He formed a local band called The Shadettes with Darrell Sweet (drums), Manny Charlton (guitar) & Pete Agnew (bass) in 1961. By 1968, the band changed their name to Nazareth as a reference to The Band's song, "The Weight," which in turn, references Nazareth, Pennsylvania in the song lyrics. Their musical inspirations were The Rolling Stones & The Beatles. Moving to London, England in 1970, they released their self-titled debut album in 1971. Opening on tours for bands like Deep Purple brought them further attention among rock audiences. Nazareth broke into the mainstream with the release of their sixth album, "Hair of the Dog" (1975). The album was a Top 20 hit in various countries and their cover of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts" went to become a Top 40 pop hit in numerous countries. The title song was also acclaimed, appearing in many TV shows, movies and video games as did their cover of "Love Hurts." During the 1980s and 1990s, Nazareth went through various lineup changes. Darrell Sweet died in 1999 while on tour with Nazareth in Indiana. Pete Agnew's son Lee replaced Sweet on the drums. McCafferty continued touring with Nazareth until the early 2010s when he retired from music in 2013 after being a member of Nazareth for 45 years. He died at his home in Scotland. He was 76.
Bio by: J. Wilson
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