Happy 74th Birthday Scottish singer/songwriter Dan McCafferty born 14t October 1946 in Dunfermline.
This gritty vocalist gained early experience as a member of the Shadettes, a mid-60s beat group based in Dunfermline, Scotland. By 1968, the act had evolved into Nazareth, which grew from provincial origins into a leading international attraction. McCafferty’s throaty rasp was an integral part of the bands best-known hits, notably ‘Broken Down Angel’ and ‘This Flight Tonight’ (both 1973), but he undertook a concurrent solo project in 1975, while touring he drew on several of the artist’ his favourite songs, including Chris Farlowe's ‘Out Of Time’, which peaked just outside the top 40.
The singer then resumed his commitment to Nazareth for a while , but re-embarked on an independent career in 1987 with Into The Ring, again with little success, returning to the group until August 2013 when Nazareth announced McCafferty's retirement from touring with the band due to health issues. In an interview he later 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 still does the occasional solo gigs and seen in his native Dunfermline at a Festival in Pittencrieff Park. a couple of years ago, he also released a new album called Last Testament in 2019. The song I have picked is from the new album and is called Home Is Where The Heart Is, his rasping distinctive voice is still there, and the video was shot on location in Fife featuring regulars in The Bruce Arms in Limekilns, Dunfermline, the song has a great Scottish feeling to it!
