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Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum

29 October 1946 – 25 July 2020)

Was an English blues rock singer—songwriter and guitarist. As the
founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 1998. 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 covered by a variety of musicians.

His brother, Len,
taught him his first guitar chords
and by the age of 11 Green was teaching

himself.

By Christmas 1965 Green was playing lead
guitar in Peter Bardens’ band ‘Peter B’s
Looners’, where he met drummer Mick
Fleetwood.

In October 1965, before joining Bardens’
group, Green had the opportunity to fill in
for Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the
Bluesbreakers for four gigs. Soon afterwards, when Clapton left the Bluesbreakers and Green
became a full—time member of Mayall's band.

Embarrassed at the wealth he and the band were accruing, he became obsessed with giving away

money and on one occasion donated £12,000 to Save the Children after watching a TV news report
about the famine in Biafra. The crunch came when on a European tour in March 1970 some wealthy
German hippies took Green to their commune at a mansion outside the city, where he was plied
with drugs and spent hours playing improvised music. Shortly thereafter Green left the band.

Diagnosed as suffering from drug—induced schizophrenia, he underwent electro convulsive therapy.
In 1977, during a row over money with Clifford Davis, he made threats about using a shotgun. He
was committed for treatment at a psychiatric hospital, and spent several months at the Priory clinic
in south—west London

After leaving Fleetwood Mac, which would become one of the biggest acts in rock history, Green

spent most of the 70s in a confused state, living on a kibbutz near Tel Aviv, then back in Britain
taking such jobs as a hospital orderly and a cemetery gardener. He had no permanent home, but
often stayed with friends or family.

Recently he has been performing with his band Splinter Group. Green was inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 with Fleetwood Mac; at the ceremony he played ‘Black Magic Woman’

with a fellow—inductee, Carlos Santana

BB King said Green was “the only one who gave me the cold sweats”. John Mayall, leader of the
Bluesbreakers, said: “Peter in his prime in the 60s was just without equal.”

RIP ‘Greeny’.

Ian K McKenzie