Prior to joining Nazareth, Charlton played in a few bands, most notably the Mark 5 and later the Red Hawks until joining the local semi pro Dunfermline band "The Shadettes". In 1968, the band changed their name to Nazareth, inspired by the opening lyric from "The Weight", a classic song by The Band.
Charlton played a huge part in Nazareth's worldwide success. His direct, fluid and bluesy style of playing sparked a great chemistry with the raw power of Dan McCafferty's vocals. Charlton also became the band's producer for many years, after the band decided they wanted to move in a new direction for the Hair Of The Dog album, succeeding Roger Glover. Hair Of The Dog attained platinum in the U.S. and has to date sold in excess of two million copies. It is the band's most well known album, it contains their biggest ever hit "Love Hurts" which reached No.8 in the U.S., and also holds the record for the number of weeks spent on the Norwegian chart.
Charlton also produced the self-titled Dan McCafferty debut LP around this time.
After leaving Nazareth in 1990, Charlton played some solo shows on the Scottish club circuit, and released his first solo album Drool in 1997, on the Red Steel label with Neil Miller on vocals. The following year, he relocated to Texas, where he formed the Manny Charlton Band (MCB). The new outfit released a pair of albums — Stonkin and Klone This — before disbanding in 2003. Charlton then focused on solo material again, releasing Say The Word on the Scottish label River Records in 2004.
2005 saw the release of Sharp, which is on the whole a covers album, including Tim Hardin's "Hang On To A Dream" and Bob Dylan's "Shelter From The Storm". Later that year, Charlton completed the follow up to Sharp, the aptly named Sharp Re-Loaded.
In early 2006, Charlton joined the Swedish rock band, From Behind who also feature the ex-Samson frontman Nicky Moore on vocals. From Behind released their debut album titled Game Over, and toured around Europe before disbanding in late 2007. Charlton then released a solo album Americana Deluxe, covering songs such as Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk".
In March 2013, Charlton released Hellacious co-produced by Gary Bryant (GB Records). This recording was made in California and featured Tim Bogert, Walfredo Reyes, Jr., Steven Adler, Vivian Campbell, and Robin DeLorenzo.
In 2014, Charlton's solo albums Sharp and Sharp Re-Loaded were issued as a double CD. Neil Jefferies of Classic Rock commended Charlton's production work, writing: "Among three Dylan songs tackled, All Along The Watchtower is simply stunning, sidestepping both the original and Hendrix’s seminal version with quasi-reggae tones that cement Charlton’s reputation as a truly gifted arranger." In 2018, Atom Records released Créme De La Créme, an album celebrating the 'Best Of' Manny Charlton's solo career.
Lady Luck
Manny Charlton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said to love me she was born
But that was Friday payday
By Sunday she was gone
So I drove on down to texas
Where I did not do to well
I fell hard for this woman child
Turned out she came from...well
Lady luck help me hold on
To one that I love
Well I had no luck with women
Thought I'd try my hand at cards
So I headed for nevada
Gonna really take them on
But the way the hands were fallin'
And the way the money goes
You could say it's getting colder
You could say I nearly froze
Lady luck help me hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
To one that I love
So I started playing guitar
In a southern boogie band
And the ladies I was meeting
Make you want to buy the farm
Gettin' tired of saving souvenirs
Don't remind me where they're from
And the nights come on like magic
In the morning it's all gone
Lady luck help me hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
To one that I love
Lady luck help me hold on
To one that I love
Lady luck help me hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
To one that I love
Lady luck help me hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
(mccafferty, agnew, charlton, sweet)
Copyright 1989 m.a.c.s. music
Manny Charlton's "Lady Luck" tells the story of a man who is seeking love but constantly facing disappointment in his relationships. The song begins with him meeting a woman in New Orleans who he believes loves him, but she disappears after payday. He then travels to Texas where he falls for another woman who turns out to be from a different background than him, leading to the end of the relationship. The chorus of the song asks Lady Luck to help him hold on to the one he loves.
The singer then decides to try his luck at cards in Nevada but experiences more disappointment. He then turns to guitar and joins a southern boogie band where he meets women who make him want to settle down, but he still struggles to hold on to relationships. The song closes with the chorus repeating the plea for Lady Luck’s help in holding on to love.
The repeated use of "Lady Luck" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's belief that his relationships depend on luck rather than his actions. Manny Charlton's lyrics capture the despair and frustration of someone who is struggling to find lasting love, reflecting the complexities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a woman in new orleans
There was a woman in New Orleans
Said to love me she was born
She said she was born to love me
But that was Friday payday
But that was on Friday, the payday
By Sunday she was gone
By Sunday, she had left
So I drove on down to texas
So I drove down to Texas
Where I did not do to well
But I didn't have much luck there
I fell hard for this woman child
I fell hard for this young woman
Turned out she came from...well
Turns out she came from... well, I don't know where
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
To one that I love
To hold on to the one I love
Well I had no luck with women
I wasn't having any luck with women
Thought I'd try my hand at cards
So I decided to try my luck at cards
So I headed for nevada
I went to Nevada
Gonna really take them on
Planning to win big
But the way the hands were fallin'
But the cards weren't in my favor
And the way the money goes
And I was losing a lot of money
You could say it's getting colder
Things were getting worse
You could say I nearly froze
I was almost out of money
So I started playing guitar
Then I decided to start playing guitar
In a southern boogie band
And joined a band that played Southern boogie music
And the ladies I was meeting
I was meeting a lot of women
Make you want to buy the farm
They were so charming that I wanted to settle down with them
Gettin' tired of saving souvenirs
But I was getting tired of only having souvenirs as memories
Don't remind me where they're from
I don't want to remember where they were from
And the nights come on like magic
The nights felt magical
In the morning it's all gone
But in the morning, it was all gone
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
To one that I love
To hold on to the one I love
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
To one that I love
To hold on to the one I love
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
Lady luck help me hold on
I need Lady Luck's help to hold on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Helena Salazar
MANNY OS MELHORES MOMENTOS FOI COM VOCÊ GUERREIRO TE AMO!! VALEU MEU ANJO!!! ************
MrOctagon20
Brilliant stuff manny and a great vocalist too.
Батый Петрович
ВОТ ЭТО МОЩ Я ПОНИМАЮ ПРОСТО МАСТЕР КЛАСС ОТ МЭНИ ЧАРЛЬТОНА. НАЗАРЕТ СУПЕР. 👍
vintagegirl1961
Rest peacefully Manny Charlton ✝
Chuckie In Montana
Yes a lost jewel, cuz we luv MANNY!!!
Dr. Giggles
R.I.P. Manuel. My favourite thing is the solo of Free Wheeler. I named my son after him
Александр Балаба
Шедевр Мони самый писец гений !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul Buxton
Thanks Manny 🙏🇬🇧🎼
I don't really care
R.I.P Manny
Christian Petzold
Sounds a lot like Rocky mountain way.