William Daniel McCafferty (14 October 1946 – 8 November 2022) was a vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

from its founding in 1968 to his retirement from touring with the band in 2013.

Biography

McCafferty was born in

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

, Fife. Under the influence of artists such as

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and

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, he became one of the founding members of Nazareth in 1968. He appeared on all of Nazareth's albums up to 2014 and toured with them for 45 years. He co-wrote some of the big Nazareth hits, including "Broken Down Angel", and "Bad Bad Boy". He released three solo albums.

Retirement from touring with Nazareth

On 29 August 2013, Nazareth announced McCafferty's retirement from touring with the band due to health issues. 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 Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

''. He stated that he had not suffered a stroke as had been reported in the press. He said that his

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

(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 The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach is ...

. 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." Although McCafferty retired from performing, Nazareth fans can still hear his voice on their 2014 album ''

Rock 'n' Roll Telephone ''Rock 'n' Roll Telephone'' is the twenty-third album by Scottish rock band Nazareth, released in June 2014 by Union Square Music. It is their last album with original singer Dan McCafferty who left the group before its release, and later died ...

''. 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." He continued to sing live around the world and record on occasion. 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, McCafferty's first solo album since 1987's ''Into The Ring''.

Personal life

McCafferty was married and had two children. He suffered from

(COPD) and died on 8 November 2022, at the age of 76.

Solo discography

Albums

* ''Dan McCafferty'' (1975) * ''Into the Ring'' (1987) * ''Last Testament'' (2019)

Singles

* " Out of Time" (1975) # 41 UK * "Watcha Gonna Do About It" (1975) * "Stay With Me Baby" (1978) * "The Honky Tonk Downstairs" (1978) * "Starry Eyes" (1987)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCafferty, Dan 1946 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Scottish male singers Scottish rock singers People from Dunfermline Nazareth (band) members Scottish tenors Blues rock musicians