Blues for Greeny - Gary Moore

Tribute to Peter Green - 29/10/46 to 25/07/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXDAYALaxdA

It had never before been suggested, and I had never

recognised the fact, that there is said to be an uncanny likeness between

Myself 

(complete with beer and Porcupine Tree T-shirt)

and the legendary

Peter Alan Greenbaum.

Yes, agreed we are both ugly, fat, overweight, out of condition old fogies

but it's not all good, there are 'bad points' too which we may return to later,

but we are both

 Sweet Little

Rock 'n' Rollers

It is a little cloudy now as, believe you me it was then, but my first outing with Peter was at the 

1969 Bath Blues Festival.

Then, he and bass player McVie were playing with 

John Mayall's Blues Breakers

while on the same bill was Stan Webb's - Chicken Shack

featuring Christine Perfect on keyboards and vocals and later to become not only a member of

Mac (where she sensationally still remains today) but also became the wife of McVie! 

On completion of the recording of 

he replaced none other in that band than

'Slowhand Himself'

Eric Clapton.

The statement was made on yesterday's Post that Green was the 'founder' of

Fleetwood Mac

(l to r Peter Green, Jon McVie, Jeremy Spencer, Mick Fleetwood and Danny Kirwan)

which is not quite the case, he was a co-founder, but was most certainly the 
prime mover, who with forethought 

carefully selected the name! A combination of the names of Mick and Jon he apparently

told them that he felt he would not survive the test of time, one way or another, so wanted to be sure that they would gain ownership of the brand should the predicted follow.

It did as he 'dropped out' some years later becoming a recluse, but did return to the scene

many years later forming the band

Splinter Group 

featuring the sensational drummer that was Cosy Powell.

On a personal note, during the time with Mac he was on my Top Ten List but seeing him at the

Lighthouse Theatre, Poole, Dorset

soon after he was no more than a shadow of his former self.

and Rock 'n' Roll Trivia if you will:- the black and white film that accompanies their finest hour, which was the instrumental 'Albatross' and shown on Top of the Pops was filmed at Portland Bill, Dorset my home for 10 years........

It wasn't until a 3 weeks tour of north western Europe including the 

Baltic States

in 2004, but more particularly my arrival at the best capital city (pro-rata) in the whole of

EUROPE,

that the fact was brought to my attention!

Having pushed myself, wanting to get ever ounce out of what I had come for and still going, it

was decided on an early night and an equally early return to this wonderful city in the morning.

 The city from seaward.

 Wine this time and a Walter Trout T-shirt.

Via the back-streets I had not quite made it to the 'main-drag' when the strains of

what sounded like very competently strummed

Blues Music

met my ears as the weariness just disappeared.

Not difficult to find the source I was soon standing outside of the

'Green Door'

Midnight, one more night without sleeping
Watching till the morning comes creeping
Green Door, what's that secret you're keeping?

There's an old piano
and they play it hot behind the green door
Don't know what they're doing
but they laugh a lot behind the green door
Wish they'd let me in so I could find out
what's behind the green door

Jim Lowe and of course Shakin’ Stevens

and looking up found that it was the Blues Club that is

 GUITAR SAFARI

 and with faint heart never having won fair lady

 let myself in and followed the stone staircase,

 lightly embellished with 

Rock 'n' Roll Souvenirs, to the

Beer Bar.

The place wasn't officially open yet but risked my hand ordering a beer

and with quizical looks from the staff was told

"that one's on the house sir"!

 Jason Newstead - Metallica

some say Cliff Burton, previously in the slot, was a finer base player,

which is one of Rock 'n' Roll's long standing arguments,

but there is no denying that

 JIMI HENDRIX

 was the finest lead guitarist in the

EXPERIENCE

oh, and in the World!!!!

 and talking of Slowhand, as we were, here is some of his memorobilia

 A Star is Born! or should that be Bored?

 It was the gentleman on the left who tapped my shoulder while at the bar,

and asked "can I buy you a drink"?

Now, a 'free' pint never goes amiss but as we all know there is no such animal as

FREE BEER!

Intrigued to know why, he went on to say that I was his favourite guitarist

in the world but still I didn't get it and asked who he thought I was.

No amount of persuading was going to change his mind, so why not as the

 Band took to the Stage

competently knocking out a string of Blues classics from

Howlin' Wolfe to Lightning Hopkins

Even the rowdy 

Stag Night Geordies 

joined in the 

Beer Buying Spree

 as the

 Beat Went On

 and my attention now turning to something

 a little more local - Isabel

and finally, you could not make it up, as boarding the train at

 Waterloo for Weymouth

found the guard to be one of my ex-Able Seamen, Martin Luke who had seen

me board and plonked a couple of cans of Strongbow on the table in front of me!
Further, this has happened on a couple of other occassions but none with the
magnitude of Cork - Republic of Ireland in 2010 we'll have to write that up one day?

It's like my Dear ol' Dad used to say to me, 

"a man can be born handsome, lucky or rich so in your case Son

Two out of Three Ain't Bad"!

CHEERS and here's to the NEXT RUN ASHORE!