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| photo: Wikimedia Commons: W.W.Thaler — H. Weber, Hildesheim |
Fleetwood Mac co-founder and guitarist Peter Green has died at the age of 73.
According to the BBC, solicitors acting on behalf of his family said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep.
"A further statement will be provided in the coming days."
Born in Bethnal Green in east London in 1946, Green began his career as a teenager playing in various UK outfits; his profile as a blues guitarist got a boost when he replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers at the age of 19.
A year later, Green brought Bluesbreakers drummer Mick Fleetwood with him to form Fleetwood Mac alongside guitarist Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning in London; a short time later, Brunning was replaced by Mayall’s bassist John McVie and the band recorded and issued their self-titled debut album in early 1968, which went Top 5 in the country.
The guitarist – who appeared on the follow-up, “Mr. Wonderful”, and 1969’s “Then Play On” – wrote a number of classic tracks and hits for the group during the early years, including “Black Magic Woman”, “Man Of The World”, “Oh Well”, "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" and the UK No.1 “Albatross.”
A month after leaving Fleetwood Mac in the spring of 1970, Green recorded his solo debut, “The End Of The Game”; after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and spending time in psychiatric hospitals in the mid-70s, he returned to issue a second record, “In The Skies”, in 1979, and a yearly series of albums up until 1984.
Green stayed active through the years in a variety of outfits; Mick Fleetwood organized an all-star tribute concert to his former bandmate in London this past February that saw appearances by Mayall, Spencer and Christine McVie, David Gilmour, Kirk Hammett, Billy Gibbons, Steven Tyler, Pete Townsend, Bill Wyman and Noel Gallagher.
The news of Green’s passing comes just days after Fleetwood Mac announced the fall release of a box set documenting the band’s early years; the package opens with 1969’s “Then Play On.”
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