Remembering the Prolific Peter Green
Over the weekend, the music world mourned the loss of the legend, Peter Green. The singer-songwriter and guitarist was famously known as the founding member of the hit band, Fleetwood Mac.
Green passed away in his sleep at the age of 73, according to a statement from his family’s solicitors, Swan Turton.
Hailed as one of the most prolific guitarists in the music scene, his solo pieces were known to be emotionally-driven, gentle and maybe even a bit melancholic. Now, while Peter Green led Fleetwood Mac for less than three years, from 1967 to 1970, he truly helped skyrocket the band to fame with his contributions. Following his departure, Green went on to became one of the world’s best-selling hitmakers in the late 1970s.
And so, to celebrate this legend, we’ve decided to look back on some of the finest moments from his career.
Photo Credits: Getty Images/ Mick Fleetwood/ Fleetwood Mac Official Instagram
1. Peter Green’s songs, ‘Albatross’, ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Oh Well’ and more, have created a significant mark on the music landscape. These very tunes have also been adapted by countless other artists. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
2. Many rock guitarists have drawn influence from Green, including Gary Moore, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, and a string of other big names. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)
3. B.B. King once sang high praises of Peter Green and his skills as a guitarist. He confessed, “He [Green] has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” (Photo by John Shenton/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
4. In his early years, Green had the opportunity to fill in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for four gigs. When a producer asked Mayall where Clapton was, he simply responded with, “Don’t worry, we got someone better.” (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
5. Rolling Stone has ranked Peter Green at number 58 in its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
6. Green was often praised for the emotional intensity he brought to the table with his songs. Unconcerned with showing off how fast he could play, his soulful runs remain unique to him.
7. While tossing around names, ‘Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer,’ remained on the table for a while, before the band settled on just, ‘Fleetwood Mac’.
8. With his departure from the band and Stevie Nicks’ entrance, she admitted, “I’ve cried myself to sleep many a night listening to early Fleetwood Mac and going, ‘What happened to this guy?”
9. If it hasn’t hit you yet, Mr. Green’s worst nightmare was a quick player and a show off. As he once so articulately said, “Good luck to the Snoggley Blues Band who are growing very popular now in the white blues world with a rhythm guitarist who can play 7,541 notes a minute.”
10. Speaking of Green, Mick Fleetwood admitted, “He also has really little or no ego at all, which is unbelievable. You want to go, ‘Do you realize what you did?’ ‘No, no. Yeah, I suppose so.’ He has no ego about what he did.”
By: Nina Karun
