WHEN ERIC Clapton played guitar on John Mayall’s 1966 album Blues Breakers, graffiti appeared around London stating ‘Clapton is God’.
By 1967 Clapton was a member of Cream and Mayall needed a guitarist for his band. Always keen to nurture new talent, he turned to a young man called Peter Green to play lead on Mayall’s next album A Hard Road. After the album was released, the graffiti on London walls started to read ‘Green is better than God’.
Peter and fellow Bluesbreaker John McVie were soon off to form their own band. Teaming up with drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, Peter suggested the name of Fleetwood Mac, so impressed was he with the rhythm section.
Fleetwood Mac began life as a no nonsense, hard rocking, blues band, strongly influenced by BB King and Elmore James, but bringing a tough and raw slant to the music that gave it a strong British character.
Peter was lead vocalist and guitarist and his graceful, melodic, often haunting, style of soloing was heard to great effect on such classic songs as ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ and the gritty ‘Black Magic Woman’. No less a guitarist than BB King said of Peter’s style: “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.”
Broadening their sound towards the end of the 1960s Fleetwood Mac enjoyed a number one with the majestic, atmospheric instrumental ‘Albatross’, and laid the grounds for heavy metal with the thunderous ‘The Green Manalishi’ (covered later by Judas Priest ) and the mighty ‘Oh Well’ (later Dave Fanning’s radio show theme tune ).
However those latter two tracks, as well as hit single ‘Man Of The World’ revealed Peter’s growing disenchantment with fame and success. His intake of LSD also caused many problems and his health suffered. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and he spent time in psychiatric hospitals.
Peter dropped out of full time music for the 1970s and 1980s, only occasionally returning to guest on Fleetwood Mac and Mick Fleetwood albums, as well as the occasional solo release.
It was not until the mid-1990s that Peter returned to full time music making and live performance, when he began touring as the Peter Green Splinter Group, with whom he released nine albums.
In 2009 he launched his next project Peter Green and Friends, and the band has enjoyed tours around the globe. As part of their current tour, Peter and his band will play the Town Hall Theatre on Tuesday May 18 at 8pm.
This is a chance to see a real rock and blues legend. Don’t miss him!
Tickets are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777.
