Peter Green (musician)

This article is about the British blues guitarist. For other people, see Peter Green.
Not to be confused with Peter Greene.

Peter Green
Green in 1970
Green in 1970
Background information
Birth namePeter Allen Greenbaum
Born(1946-10-29)29 October 1946
Bethnal Green, London, England
Died25 July 2020(2020-07-25) (aged 73)
Canvey Island, Essex, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • harmonica
Years active1961–2020
Labels
Formerly of

Peter Allen Greenbaum (29 October 1946 – 25 July 2020),[1][2] known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist.[3] Green founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 after a stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and quickly established the new band as a popular live act in addition to a successful recording act, before departing in 1970. Green's songs, such as "Albatross", "Black Magic Woman", "Oh Well", "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" and "Man of the World", appeared on singles charts, and several have been adapted by a variety of musicians.

Green was a major figure in the "second great epoch"[4] of the British blues movement. Eric Clapton praised his guitar playing, and B.B. King commented, "He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats."[5][6][7] His trademark sound included string bending, vibrato, emotionally expressive tone, and economy of style.[4][8]

In June 1996, Green was voted the third-best guitarist of all time in Mojo magazine.[9][10] In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked him at number 58 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[11] Green's tone on the instrumental "The Supernatural" was rated as one of the 50 greatest of all time by Guitar Player in 2004.[12]

  1. ^ "Peter Green". Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  2. ^ Pareles, Jon (26 July 2020). "Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac's Founder, Is Dead at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ Dantzig, Jol (16 August 2011). "The Secret of Peter Green's Tone". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b Marshall, Wolf (September 2007). "Peter Green: The Blues of Greeny". Vintage Guitar. 21 (11): 96–100.
  5. ^ "Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, The Band, The Music, The Legacy". Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  6. ^ "15 Iconic Les Paul Players". Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  7. ^ Robinson, Rich. "Guitar World: 30 on 30: The Greatest Guitarists Picked by the Greatest Guitarists". www.guitarworld.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Thirty Great Guitarists – Including Steve Vai, David Gilmour and Eddie Van Halen – Pick the Greatest Guitarists of All Time". www.guitarworld.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  9. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Mojo (31). June 1996.
  10. ^ "Mojo – 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  11. ^ "58: Peter Green". The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Rolling Stone. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. ^ Blackett, Matt (October 2004). "The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time". Guitar Player. 38 (10): 44–66.