Exclusive interview with Manny Charlton (Nazareth), Part 1
16. August 2019: Something from Nothing CD + DVD available from Amazon
Manny Charlton reminisces about his hometown, how he learned to play guitar and how he ended up with the Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty guitar which he became synonymous with in the Nazareth heyday. The episode is available on the new Fluffy Jackets documentary DVD Something from Nothing.
Manny Charlton (former Nazareth guitarist) backstage in Scotland, talking about his life and career in music. The video episode is available in The Fluffy Jackets' new album and documentary "Something from Nothing", released via Cargo Records, 2019.
The interview was filmed in the Scottish town of Dunfermline where Manny Charlton spent his formative years and where he and his Nazareth band mates (Darrell Sweet, Pete Agnew and Dan McCafferty) made their first forays into music. At the time this interview was filmed in 2017, Manny Charlton was preparing for his homecoming concert in Dunfermline. It had been 35 years since the last time Manny had played there.
"It brings back lots of memories" says Manny Charlton: "It is really familiar, but it is different because obviously things have changed over the years".
Manny Charlton talks about his guitar influences in the 1960's: Eric Clapton (left) and Peter Green (right).
Talking about his early guitar influences when Nazareth started out, Manny comments: "It was around the early sixties just after the Beatles, and Britain went into a sort of Blues phase where blues was very popular. There were bands such as John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and Alexis Korner. These bands had people like Eric Clapton and Peter Green playing for them". He continues: "I was a music fan, so I was buying the Melody Maker magazine to find out what was going on. Everything was happening in London, and we were 400 miles north, in the sticks".
Manny Charlton (right) with his guitar technicians past and present: Liam Creedon (left) and Tam Sinclair (centre) - appearing in the Fluffy Jackets documentary 'Something from Nothing' 2019, available via Cargo Records.
Asked how he learned to play guitar, Manny Charlton says: "Listening to records. Hit and miss. Trial and error. Eventually, I got a book with chords in it because I was mainly interested in playing the chords for the songs. You are talking the standards of the day, The Platters, Elvis and the first generation of rock from the early 1950s. Then I got into playing instrumentals like Hank Marvin with The Shadows. So, my guitar style started to evolve from a rhythm point of view. Eventually I ended up in my own band and we started playing songs from the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the early blues".
The extensive two-part Manny Charlton interview is available on the Fluffy Jackets' DVD documentary Something from Nothing which also include a new 9-track CD album.
The Fluffy Jackets feat. Manny Charlton - Something from Nothing
The nine new tracks on Something from Nothing are “all killer, no filler”, as the saying goes. Five originals and four covers make up this album, showcasing a tribute to Glen Campbell’s “Better Place” (featuring Alison Cooper) and a brand new single “Give me Something”. The accompanying documentary highlights The Fluffy Jackets history along with exclusive interviews, live performances and four new music videos. Something from Nothing is available as a limited-edition Digipack (CD & DVD release) via Cargo Records. The album will also be available on all digital outlets including iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube, Google Play Music and Amazon.
The track listing is as follows:
Disc 1: The Album (CD):
Better place (duet with Alison Cooper)
Give me something
Everything must change
John the revelator
Welcome to the shoot-them-up
Tongues wag
Wrong before
Heaven only knows
44 blues
Disc 2: The Documentary (DVD):
“Something from Nothing” movie trailer
The start of The Fluffy Jackets
Hey Porter (music video)
The first releases: “2007 EP” & “Fighting Demons”
Creating “Something from Nothing” at Madmento Studio, Spain.
Everything must change (music video: Alternate Radio Edit)
Manny’s Dobro used on 'Vicky' & 'Give me Something'
Give me something (music video: Alternate Radio Edit)
Better Place: Credits (music video feat. Alison Cooper)
Digital Release with Bonus tracks
The iTunes release include two bonus tracks: a cover of Johnny Cash's "Hey Porter" and a radio edit of "Everything Must Change".
About: The Fluffy Jackets first appeared on the London scene with a self-titled EP in 2007, but it was not until 2014 that they made a dent in the charts with the debut album «Fighting Demons». Recorded at the legendary Sun Studio by multiple Grammy Award winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang, the outing won the Blues Hour’s «Best Studio Album of the Year» award and also earned the band their first international hit in «Why Don’t You Smile». The slow blues was made particularly memorable for featuring a sizzling guitar solo from Nazareth guitar legend Manny Charlton, backed up by bassist Neil Murray (Whitesnake) and Jerry Lee Lewis‘ drummer Rob Hall (The Killer Band). The band has just completed the anticipated follow-up. Released by Cargo Records UK, “Something from Nothing” will be available as a limited Digipack consisting of a nine track CD album and a two-hour DVD documentary film.
Manny Charlton (former Nazareth guitarist) backstage in Scotland, talking about his life and career in music. The video episode is available in The Fluffy Jackets' new album and documentary "Something from Nothing", released via Cargo Records, 2019. 
