THE SLOW, SOULFUL ROOTS

Back to artists

Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green era)

Photo: W.W. Thaler / H. Weber, Hildesheim, live in Hannover, 1970 (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

British

Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green era)

• United Kingdom• Active: 1967–1970

British Blues BoomElectric BluesBlues Rock

Before the pop reinvention with Buckingham and Nicks, this was — for three years under Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan — arguably the finest blues band Britain ever produced, scoring a UK No. 1 with the instrumental "Albatross."

Long before Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-selling pop-rock bands in history, they were, for three astonishing years, arguably the best blues band Britain ever produced — a group so respected that B.B. King reportedly said they were the only white band he'd ever call true bluesmen (Kilde: Wikipedia). The band was formed in London in July 1967 by guitarist Peter Green immediately after he left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Green wanted his old Bluesbreakers rhythm section, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, but McVie — with a steady wage from Mayall — initially turned him down. To sweeten the offer, Green and Fleetwood named the new band after him before he'd even agreed to join: Fleetwood Mac, drummer's surname plus a shortened bassist's surname, advertising a member who technically wasn't yet a member. McVie signed on within weeks anyway. Slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer, an Elmore James disciple through and through, completed the original lineup, and the band debuted on 13 August 1967 at the National Jazz and Blues Festival, billed initially as "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer" (Kilde: Wikipedia). Their self-titled debut album (February 1968, Blue Horizon) reached No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart on the strength of raw, largely original blues rather than covers — a rarity for the era. Late that year, 18-year-old guitarist Danny Kirwan joined after Green spotted him rehearsing with his own South London trio, making Fleetwood Mac a three-guitar band. The gamble paid off almost immediately: the Green/Kirwan instrumental "Albatross" (November 1968) became the band's first UK No. 1 single. Green later credited Kirwan directly: "If it wasn't for Danny, I would never have had a number one hit record" (Kilde: Wikipedia). The band's most enduring blues-era song, "Black Magic Woman," appeared on the debut album and later became a much bigger hit for Santana; "Oh Well," from the album "Then Play On" (September 1969), stayed in the band's live set for decades afterward, resurfacing even in their later, unrecognizably different pop incarnation. Christine Perfect — then a member of Chicken Shack, later Christine McVie after marrying John — guested on keyboards on the 1968 album "Mr. Wonderful" (Kilde: Wikipedia). It couldn't last. Peter Green's mental health deteriorated through 1969 amid heavy LSD use, culminating in what the band's own management described as a catastrophic "bad trip" at a commune near Munich that autumn. His final single with the band, the ominous "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)," recorded in Hollywood in April 1970, reached UK No. 10; he wanted the band to donate all future earnings to charity, an idea the others rejected, and he played his last show with them on 20 May 1970 (Kilde: Wikipedia). What followed — Jeremy Spencer's own sudden 1971 disappearance mid-tour (he'd joined a religious cult), then years of lineup changes culminating in the 1975 arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks — turned Fleetwood Mac into a completely different band with a completely different sound. But the original blues-era lineup, Green, Spencer, Kirwan, Fleetwood and McVie, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1998, honored specifically as the band that started it all (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Musical Influence

For three years, Fleetwood Mac's original lineup was widely regarded — including, reportedly, by B.B. King himself — as the most authentic white blues band Britain produced, before mutating entirely into one of pop's biggest acts; the blues-era songs ("Black Magic Woman," "Oh Well") long outlived the lineup that wrote them (Kilde: Wikipedia; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame).

Influences

Elmore JamesB.B. KingChicago electric blues

Formative experiences

•July 1967: Peter Green forms the band immediately after leaving John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•13 August 1967: Debut performance at the National Jazz and Blues Festival. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•November 1968: "Albatross" becomes the band's first UK No. 1 single. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•September 1969: "Then Play On," including "Oh Well," released. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•20 May 1970: Peter Green plays his final show with the band. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•January 1998: The original blues-era lineup inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Stories & Anecdotes

"The band was literally named after a bassist who hadn't yet agreed to join it: Green and Fleetwood called the new group "Fleetwood Mac" specifically to entice John McVie away from his steady paycheck with John Mayall. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"Peter Green publicly credited 18-year-old Danny Kirwan for the band's breakthrough: "If it wasn't for Danny, I would never have had a number one hit record." (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"Jeremy Spencer's devotion to Elmore James's slide-guitar style was so complete that much of his early recorded output is closer to direct tribute than original composition. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"Christine Perfect, later Christine McVie, guested on the 1968 album "Mr. Wonderful" years before formally joining the band's radically different pop-era lineup. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

""Oh Well" remained in the band's live setlist for decades, surviving intact through the total reinvention of the band's sound and membership in the mid-1970s. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Drummer; the band's namesake and only member to remain constant through every era.

Bassist; joined weeks after the band was named after him.

Slide guitarist, founding member; departed suddenly mid-tour in 1971.

Third guitarist, joined 1968 at age 18; co-wrote "Albatross."

Christine Perfect (later McVie)

Guested on keyboards on "Mr. Wonderful" (1968) while still a member of Chicken Shack.

Watch & Listen

Featured

FLEETWOOD MAC 1968 (French TV), with Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan

DoctorSDX

Fleetwood Mac w/ Peter Green — Rattlesnake Shake [Live in Boston]

Fleetwood Mac w/ Peter Green — Rattlesnake Shake [Live in Boston]

Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac) — Dust My Broom (Live, Amsterdam 1969)

Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac) — Dust My Broom (Live, Amsterdam 1969)

Peter Green - Albatross (Fleetwood Mac)

Peter Green - Albatross (Fleetwood Mac)

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

Year	Title	Producer	Studio	Label	Chart	Sales	Musicians	YouTube	Notes
1968	Fleetwood Mac (debut)	Mike Vernon	—	Blue Horizon	—	—	Peter Green (Guitar, vocals), Jeremy Spencer (Slide guitar), John McVie (Bass), Mick Fleetwood (Drums)		Reached No. 4 UK; largely original blues material rather than covers, unusual for the era. Includes "Black Magic Woman."
1968	Mr. Wonderful	Mike Vernon	—	Blue Horizon	—	—	Christine Perfect (Keyboards (guest))		Recorded live-in-studio with a horn section; Christine Perfect guests on keyboards.
1968	"Albatross" (single)	Mike Vernon	—	Blue Horizon	—	—	Danny Kirwan (Guitar)		Instrumental co-credited to Green and 18-year-old new guitarist Danny Kirwan; the band's first UK No. 1.
1969	Then Play On	—	—	Reprise	—	—	Danny Kirwan (Guitar)		First album as a five-piece with Danny Kirwan; includes "Oh Well."
1970	"The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (single)	—	—	Reprise	—	—	—		Recorded in Hollywood, April 1970; Peter Green's final recording with the band before his departure.

Famous songs

01Albatross

02Black Magic Woman

03Oh Well

04The Green Manalishi

External links

YouTube Music Wikipedia

Booking / Contact

Booking agency

Not publicly available

Agent/management

Not publicly available

Booking email

Not publicly available

Booking phone

Not publicly available

Booking URL

Not publicly available

This entry covers the historical Peter Green-era lineup (1967–1970), which ended when Green left the band. Fleetwood Mac itself continued in later lineups — no current booking applies to this specific historical era.

Are you the artist, or do you represent the band or booking agency? We want the booking information here to always be accurate and current. Please send us the correct details via our contact form, and we'll update the profile as soon as possible. Go to the contact form

Sources

Keep SlowBlues independent. Official merch — wear the blues.