Q&A Sessions "Jet" Martin Celmins: July 18 - 31, 2000 What was it like to talk to Peter after all these years ? I got the impression that he does not remember his early career much at all. How is he doing today? I also noticed that your book is in its second printing? What additions were made ? (Tom Kirby, Roswell, New Mexico, USA) The very first thing that struck me about Peter when I met him was his wild sense of humour. For instance-- very, very early on we talked about the so-called shotgun incident, and when he pointed out that the rifle in question wasn't very powerful and that consequently "a bullet would would have got lodged in the glass (window)" I just shook with laughter. Still do. His recall of events back then can be spot on, and he is still a walking encyclopaedia of music by what I would call obscure blues men such as harp player Big John Wrencher, guitarist Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis and countless others. You can hopefully judge for yourself how he's doing today when Splinter Group visit your country this September on the proposed tour. I would say he's never been more into his playing, and music in general than right now; what's more the band is tight-knit and more eclectic-sounding than when they were last in the USA in 1998, and fretless bass player, Pete Stroud had only just joined. The second edition of my book covers the period between 1996-98 when Peter started playing guitar again with Nigel Watson and together they formed Splinter Group. It takes you up to the very start of the line-up minus the late Cozy Powell and Spike Edney. Thanks for your interest, Tom. Do you have any plans to release a 'Hard Cover' edition of the Peter Green Biography? (Don Brown, New Westminster, B.C., Canada) I heard a couple of years ago that someone had grand plans to do a limited edition, de luxe and sumptuous hardback complete with bells on…… but grand plans is all that they amounted to. Sorry, about that, Don. Do you feel anyone benefited by Dennis Keen's nasty comments in the book about Jeremy Spencer? It seems to me that he has become everyone's favourite whipping boy if a negative aspersion is to be cast. I don't mean to make this a forum for Spencer questions, but this is an observation I've made over the years. Do you think that Peter and Jeremy will ever play on stage together as Pete mentioned in an interview. I think Pete's finest playing was during the "Mr Wonderful" years. Would you agree ? By the way, the biography was wonderful. Your literary skills impressive. It really took me back to when I was living that music. Plus provided additional insight to what was happening then and now. (Joe Panackia, Macomb, MI, USA) Hello Joe. Yours is the most difficult of all the questions submitted that I am in a position to answer but I'll try anyway. To do so may give you a better idea about how I researched the biography over a number of years. Yes, I was obviously aware that Jeremy Spencer was considered in retrospect by Dennis Keen - and others on the scene at that time - a negative influence on the creative force of Fleetwood Mac. This is something that we Mac fanatics would never have guessed back then would we? He was a terrific performer and added a whole new dimension to their live act; and his slide guitar on numbers such as 'Got To Move' recorded at the Boston Tea Party is awesome, especially when you remind yourself that you're listening to a 22-years-old white English guy. But the whole point of doing the biography was to re-write certain bits of Peter Green/Mac history (e.g. about Munich, and the so-called shotgun incident) but to re-write it with the massive benefit of hindsight and come up with "additional insight" as you neatly put it, Joe. And the subtext to the Original Fleetwood Mac Story for me has always been-- why Peter had to leave the band when, seemingly, there was so much great music still to be made by that line-up. And the more people I spoke to whilst researching the book, the more a certain scenario and consensus started to emerge: namely, that beginning with Jeremy there just wasn't enough creative energy/feedback around the band for Peter to function and express his massive talent. Very early on in our interviews, Peter pointed out that Spencer refused to learn even simple piano or guitar accompaniments for the songs he was writing and that this really pissed Peter off. Jeremy does own up to his laziness back then in his own Q&A on this site. Dennis Keen alludes to some of Jeremy's eccentric ways (to put it politely !!) and I included them because they give us a better idea of the true vibe in that band at the time. I wasn't out to embarrass Jeremy Spencer just for the sake of it - I just wish he'd been more of a team player. I honestly don't know whether a one-off reunion might ever happen; there was talk of it quite recently which came to nothing, so I suspect that it's unlikely to be on the cards. Peter's playing during the 'Mr Wonderful' years was sublime in a blues genre; my own preference, though, is for the unbelievable fluency and improvising he demonstrates in live extended versions of 'Green Manalishi' done very shortly before he left the band. I also think that the 'In The Skies' stuff such as 'Funky Chunk' and 'Proud Pinto' is very inspired and I never understood why this era tended to get overlooked by everybody over the years. Thanks for your questions, Joe, and for your comments about my book. My literary skills?!? That's putting it far too grandly, but thanks anyway. All I did was to spend three months holed up in a remote country cottage talking to a word processor because nobody around wanted to listen to what I had to say ! In all of your discussions with Peter, what was the one thing or event told by him that you found surprising ? (Tim Bucci, Springfield, Illinois, USA) Neat question, Tim, but extremely difficult to answer precisely since Peter rarely ceases to surprise me with his unique take on things. But, being a bit of a guitar freak, I know I was very surprised (and somewhat deflated too) to learn that Peter has no great sentimental feelings for the beautiful 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard which was his main guitar between 1966-70. He now remembers it as being very hard to play with a "neck like a tree-trunk". And, Peter insists, it was nowhere near as good the Les Paul Eric Clapton played in his Bluesbreaker days, and which also was the main reason Peter acquired one in the first place. Oh well. How did you manage to interview Peter during his exile, and what do you think of his comeback, and do you think he is a better musician than he was during Kolors? (Alex) Hello Alex of...the world ! Please click on my biog on this site for the answer to your first question. As for Peter's comeback, I would go along with Zoot Money's incredibly prescient assertion when I first interviewed him for the book, which was some years before Peter took up performing again. Zoot pointed out to me that it's quite possible that Peter is only halfway through his musical journey. I couldn't agree more. Any comparisons with the Kolors era are a bit iffy, I feel, because in Peter's own words he was "over-encouraged" by others back then to do that project. I thought your bio of Peter was terrific. My question is, why do you call yourself 'Jet'? Is this a homage to Jet Harris who used to play with the Shadows? I'm not sure it goes with the rest of your name, how about something more bluesy, like Jelly Roll Celmins ? Keep up the good work. (Roger Murray, London, England) You guessed absolutely right, Roger...Jet Harris was who I got it from, and never for one moment did I think that people would actually end up calling me Jet. Ten years ago, Jet Martin was meant to be one those Rip Torn, Rick O'Shea jocular things for use at blues festivals and - amazingly - it stuck. I agree with you wholeheartedly that it does not go with the rest of my real name but what can you do if people go on using it? Jelly Roll Celmins ??... listen here mate, are you implying that I have a weight problem?! Thanks for the praise about the book. Martin, I saw you playing at Dingwalls last year and you're no mean guitarist yourself. You were the introductory set before Peter came on to some acclaim. The astonishing thing is that one of the strings on your twelve-string went and you managed to play at the same level. It reminded me a bit of the string break in the 'Green-Kirwan of 'Like It This Way' on the Early Years video! My question is that with your extensive knowledge of Peter's catalogue have you ever thought of collaborating with him musically in some way. Best wishes. (David Schnutz, London, England) Glad to hear you enjoyed my support slot at Dingwalls, but also a bit surprised. How so? Well, personally, it was a nightmare gig I'd prefer to forget! My amp mysteriously went mute at sound check and so I had to use the house PA, and I'm told I sounded very muffled through that; then some dear soul - who forever shall remain nameless - replaced the broken string with completely the wrong gauge string thus rendering my main guitar untuneable and unplayable for the rest of the set; then, there was a drunk heckler in the crowd - and just to round things off, Gary Moore and Snowy White were there to witness Jet Martin's ultimate fiasco to date. Truly, I had the blues that night...the real stuff, all bottled up and fresh from a midnight encounter on the M1/M25 crossroads. I do get to sometimes practice with Peter and we do play some of the old Mac stuff, and for that in itself I regard myself as a remarkably fortunate musician. If you remember 'the Green-Kirwan string break' so vividly then you deserve to win first prize for Mac Trainspotter of this Q&A session! Congrats David, and thanks for your interest. Good day Martin. I was wondering if you could tell us about Danny Kirwan? Any changes in his lifestyle and does his son play music of any kind? (Bill Seamans, Buffalo, Minnesota, USA) Hello Bill. Good news: I met Danny's ex-wife Clare recently who kindly helped me with liner notes for a Kirwan compilation called 'Ram Jam City' which Mooncrest recently released. Danny turned 50 this May and Clare showed me photos taken of him on his birthday. I was really pleased to notice him looking a lot fitter than was the case five years ago when I interviewed him. His hair is now short and he looks stronger and more together. Best news of all, perhaps, is that he keeps a guitar in his room and plays quite often for his own pleasure. He remains a very private person who keeps himself to himself and is nicely settled in the care centre where he's been for some time now. I know that some of his many well-wishers took to the idea of Danny possibly moving to Eric Clapton's Crossroads centre in Antigua for treatment: whilst this may be a poignant notion as a modern story of the blues, in reality his family feel that he is far better off staying where he is. Obviously they know what's best and isn't it great to know that music still is there in Danny's day-to-day life. Sorry, but I don't know about his son's musical leanings. Hi Martin, as a close acquaintance of Peter's (presumably also of Stuart & Mich) can you tell me whatever happened to the Ventures tribute CD, where Peter was to record "Walk Don't Run"? Did he ever go into the studio and actually cut that track? Is it ever going to see the light of day ? Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot. Cheers. (Don Brown, New Westminster, B.C., Canada) Hello once more Don. As far as I know the 'Walk Don't Run' track never got finished. They began recording it with Cozy Powell in the producer's chair; unhappy with the mix, Peter took the tapes to Kenny Denton (sound engineer on 'The Robert Johnson Songbook' CD by Peter and Nigel Watson) for a less drum-focused mix, but then the track never got released. Around the same time, as you probably know, Peter, Nigel, Cozy, Neil and Spike recorded the instrumental 'Midnight' for the "Twang" Hank Marvin tribute. Jet, Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your book, 2nd edition, on Peter. An excellent read ! Thanks. (Matt Lafferty, Royersford, Pennsylvania, USA) Thanks to you Matt, for your kind words. I must say that I was a lot happier with the presentation of the second edition (which, incidentally, has now been reprinted with a slightly different spine). I guess it may be some time before my publishers go for a third edition, but when they do there will, I'm sure, be many good things to write about the music Peter Green has recently made ... and is yet to make. Hi again Martin ! I was wondering if you could shed some light on what Peter's attitude is towards his early career (early Fleetwood Mac, and before with Mayall, and Peter Bardens). Are there any unreleased tracks from Peter's early career? If yes, are there any plans to release them? (Tom Kirby, Roswell, New Mexico, USA) Hello Tom. Funny that you should ask this question, because recently I spent time researching further into Peter's playing during the mid-1960s. I get the impression that he learned a lot in the relatively short time he was a Looner with Peter Bardens. Jazzy chords (13ths and the like) and slick rhythm playing is what I think he picked up with that band's Booker T and Jimmy Smith-type repertoire. Also the outfit was really hard-working and so I think it taught him a lot about the discipline of being a professional musician. As a Bluesbreaker I would say the most important thing he began to learn was the craft of songwriting, plus it must have done wonders for his self-confidence that he soon managed to step into Eric Clapton's shoes but did so with a style that was his own. Early Fleetwood Mac days he now tends to talk down musically (!!), but - as I mentioned elsewhere in this Q&A - back then Peter was a blues fanatic and obsessed with progressing his music. The rest of the band (except Danny Kirwan once he joined) were into their music, for sure, but they were also young, testosterone-bound and always eager to party. This divergence of attitude was almost guaranteed to end in tears, and in a way eventually it did. No, I'm not aware of any unreleased material due out……but you never know. Thanks for another interesting question. Martin, I was that heckler at Dingwalls ! But I wasn't drunk ! (David Schnutz London England) You know, David, you really should get out more…. But then again perhaps no !! If it really was you then thank-you - says he through clenched teeth - for giving me a hard time; the blues thrive on hard times... Hi Jet. On the liner notes of 'Vaudeville Years' you talk about Mac's Kiln House early '71 US tour. Can you explain more about that obscure (and short) tour, with Peter replacing Jeremy and jamming for hours ??!! Thanks and goodbye. (Carlos Soto, Madrid, Spain) Hello Carlos. Looking back, this bit of Peter's career is significant in that he went over to America to help out his old band with the guy - Nigel Watson - who a quarter of a century later would help his old mate out by rekindling his interest in playing guitar once again. By all accounts Peter - at that point into 'Heavy Heart' Africa- focused, free-form music - was at the height of his improvisational style of guitar-playing. After that tour ended Peter and Nigel stayed on the West Coast had a great time and delved deeper into recent American history particularly Indian culture. Peter has more tribute albums in his honor (3 that I am aware of: Rattlesnake Guitar, Blues for Greeny, and Green on Blues, with another reportedly on the way ) than almost any other artist. What, in your opinion, has made Peter such an obvious heartfelt inspiration and influence on so many other artists? (Todd Blickenstaff, Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA) Your question, in my opinion, also partly contains the answer, Todd: namely, the word 'heartfelt'. Neville Marten - editor of 'Guitarist' magazine and author of an excellent blues guitar tutor called 'Giants of Blues' - dubbed Peter Green 'Feel's true master'; I couldn't agree more. As I see it, there has always been an honesty about Peter Green, the artist, which served to make him such a strong communicator through his music. His is music from the heart - as opposed to music from the record company's latest marketing model - and, as such, easily communicates with many walks of life - not just the rock music world. (No big surprise, then, that a trained classical concert violinist wrote in requesting the sheet music for 'Albatross' when it was first released.) 'Green Manalishi' turned fear - as opposed to teenage love stories - into chart material whilst, six months earlier, 'Oh Well' made a hit out of the spiritual self-seeking of early-adulthood. It was the honesty, I think, that record buyers bought into. I have to admit that at the time I didn't really understand the words of either of those songs. But the feeling of the music was clear - panic ( Manalishi) and an aggression that perhaps stems from confusion (in the case of 'Oh Well'). Add to that honesty Peter Green's natural maverick tendency - to express himself using fewer notes when all other cool dudes seemed obsessed with speed and flash, is just one of many instances of this - and here you have a musician's musician. Does that answer your rather difficult question, Todd ? I doubt it, but I did my best. Hello Martin. What was your thinking about the Time cd ? What are your felings about Bekka Bramlett, Billy Burnette and Dave Mason? And maybe a short take on each one. (Bill Seamans Buffalo, Minnesota, USA) Hello Bill. For me there was one track on 'Time' that stood out head and shoulders above the rest - 'Winds of Change'. It was new, original and, for me at least, also carried that special Fleetwood Mac vibe from the Rumours era. To my amazement I then discovered that the song was written by Kit Hain (ex-Marshall Hain 'Dancing in the City') who was in the year above me at college in Durham and already, I thought back then, she was a talented and assured singer/songwriter. I was proved right. Bekka Bramlett was very Fleetwood Mac, as was Billy Burnette. Dave Mason??? Hmmm… I'm not so sure. One of the things that has always interested me is the progression of Peter's extraordinary music from 'straight blues'(early FM) to more open rock forms (later FM )to the still wholly underrated 80s material. Over the last four years Peter has played better than during any of his previous 'comebacks' but it is hard to discern any progression: old favourites are rehashed, and 'worthy' musical ancestors revisited. That's fine by me, but the question has to be 'what next?' Personally, I'm prepared to listen to what he's doing now for ever, and to allow that the creative force does abate. But I'm not inclined to go along with Charles Shaar Murray's line that Peter's star burnt amazingly bright before burning out. Nor, I think, are you, because you've repeated the point yourself several times that Peter may only be part way through his musical journey. So the question is: What might be next? What do you think? (Andrew Popper, London, England) * and * Thank you for coming forward to answer questions! I am keen to find out if Peter has plans to write his own material in future. I know that Nigel Watson said he was adding his imprint to Destiny Road far more than is appreciated, but that's not quite the same thing. Personally, I think it'll require effort and maybe some interesting collaboration. The other query I have is over the 'sameness' of the set-lists from show to show (and tour to tour, for that matter). In FM days, many of the tracks were reworked over and again from one show to another, but is there any move at all to expand the repertoire? The occasional surprise is needed, even if it's only a fresh cover of somebody else's original! Finally,sincere appreciation for your having written about Peter at a time when few others would have bothered. (Damian, United Kingdom) * and * Many people have speculated as to the current proficiency of Peter's guitar playing at this stage in his career after a long layoff. Certainly, Peter's playing is more understated, although extremely tasteful. He tends to let Nigel take more solos during their shows and Nigel plays many of his old solos. We also wonder about the lack of songs such as "Oh Well" in the set list. Peter seems to have reinvented his style. Can he still play like the Peter of old when he wants to? If so, why doesn't he want to? (Todd Blickenstaff, Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA) I'm going to start by answering three questions in one go because they all address the same broad topic - namely, changes in Peter Green's guitar playing style; his musical tastes; and the possibility of him writing songs again in the future. My 'inquisitors' (!!) are: Andrew Popper from London, England; Damian from England; and Todd Blickenstaff from Lake Oswego Oregon USA. Hello, Andrew, Damian and Todd. So you think I can see into the future, eh ? I must stress that what follows are just my personal observations about Peter Green's musical development past, present and future. You guys are probably in as good a position to 'guesstimate' what will happen as me ! Todd hopefully will have caught Splinter Group on the current US tour, and Andrew and Damian will have seen the band on their John Mayall UK co-headliner in May. All three, I trust, will agree that there has been really good progress made both by the band and by Peter Green the performer: new numbers added to the set written by members of the band; Roger Cotton joining in on guitar for the 'unplugged' part of the set; and much more confidence in Peter's guitar playing compared to the last US tour just two years ago. My take is that they have achieved this by painstakingly honing the live material over time. Damian points out a possible downside of this approach; namely the 'sameness' of the set. True, Freddie King's 'Goin' Down' has been the band's outro since 1996 and they always play Green's signature tune 'The Stumble' plus many other mainstays. But Peter's approach as a guitarist, I think, is that he views each opportunity to perform the tune as a 'new' tune, if you see what I mean. Trying out a new ending; varying the tempo; changing a phrase here and there. Just trying to get it right. Now not all of this will be discernible to the audience, but to my ears, the 'Black Magic Woman' of today is a very different stage number to that they performed a couple of years ago. And whilst on the subject of playing the old hits, I may be wrong about this but… given the choice Peter would prefer not to have these as mainstays of a set by Splinter Group - a band which is an entirely different mix of musical attitude and experience compared to Fleetwood Mac of thirty years ago. But that's what the audience want to hear...the classic hits. And perhaps there you have what is Peter Green's dilemma: forever 'haunted' by his brilliant past but also with a keen (and eclectic) eye on the present and future. Understandably, in 1996 when Peter returned to the spotlight he was iffy about having to take solos in the old hits and for comparisons then to be made with his guitar playing prowess, now and then. So Nigel Watson had to step in and 'dep' the solos on the old hits. Now that's not a comfortable place for any musician to be in: to have to play famous solos and then for some of the audience sometimes to not like this because they're wanting to hear the man himself perform them. (Incidentally, I cover this, another dilemma for the band, in the second edition of the biography.) As for the future, I don't think Peter will ever elude his past. Imagine, for the sake of argument, he decided to try and demonstrate his long-standing taste for exotic world music by going out and doing a tour comprising a set of entirely koto, sitar, and Arabic jazz lute playing….. I bet you there would still be someone in every audience shouting for him to play 'Green Manalishi' on koto ! ( I exaggerate wildly here to make a point ). Lastly, the big question about whether he will ever write songs again is impossible to answer. Peter Green's songwriting in the past, I believe, was intuitive and done mostly when there was an idea he wanted to communicate. He didn't write songs because the manager said it's high time for another hit, mate….. Granted the man's obvious integrity, Todd, can you see that's it's entirely reasonable for him not to want to go on stage and sing the deeply personal lyrics of 'Oh Well' today in the year 2000. He is after all a musician who has moved on since 1969, and not a classical actor. Hope I've answered at least some of your points. Hello from a LONG time admirer of Peter Green's work. (His "touch" on guitar is astounding) . Can you tell me if the session Pete did for Mike Vernon's "History of the British Blues" With Stewart, Bruce, and Dunbar ("Stone Crazy") can be acquired, purchased or in any other manner in pristine form for my archives ? I have it on LP… but I have been praying for a miracle such as finding a CD, tape, MP3 etc. so the snap crackle pop filters do not have to be employed on that precious track. Any help at all will be appreciated. (Jerry Lee White, Austin, Texas, USA) As far as I'm aware, Jerry Lee, that vinyl release was a one-off for that collectable track. I seem to remember that Mike Vernon did want to include 'Stone Crazy' on his "History of Blue Horizon" CD box-set but pointed out in the liner notes that he ran into legal hassles preventing him from doing that. Hi Jet, can you tell me whatever happened to "The Maggie Bell sessions" which was to take place a few years ago (Mojo magazine). Did he ever go into the studio and cut any tracks? (Jan Bengstson, Linkoping, Sweden) No, he didn't as far as I know, Jan. Hi Jet. Thank you very much for doing this ! I'm curious as to your take on the relationship between Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood. It seems to have gone through so many changes through the years. How do you see it, "then and now"? Thanks! (Bob Goodman, Pacific Palisades, USA) Hi Bob ! Are you willing to set aside a year of your time so that I can make a start on answering this far-reaching question !! Seriously though…… back "then" Peter and Mick were obviously extremely close until their attitudes clashed over the future politics of the band. To this day, Peter maintains that he never wanted to give all the band's money away to deserving causes - he only wanted them to contribute something and not be like the stereotypical rock stars of that era who often were not wanting to look further than the end of their coke spoons at myriad problems in the world. Mick Fleetwood, during an interview for the biography, still insisted that Peter was hellbent on the band playing for no pecuniary feedback whatsoever ! I guess we'll never know how it really was. But there's no doubt - according to Mick's then wife Jenny Boyd - that at the time Peter did feel deeply let down by Mick's opposition to his idea. Some seven or eight years later, of course, it was Mick's turn to feel deeply let down when Peter at the very last minute backed out of the $1 million 3-album record deal that Mick had sorted for Peter with Warner Brothers. So, with angry ghosts like this perhaps still in the machine, what I'm saying is that their relationship always has been, and will be, very complex. As for the "now", Mick was there backstage at the last night of the Mayall/Splinter Group UK tour at the Royal Albert Hall and obviously still takes a keen interest in his ex-colleague's music. I can't believe that the two will never share a stage or go into a studio again; karmically, it has to be inevitable and a good thing to happen when the time is right. Musically, it will be interesting too to see just where they meet up after all those years - blues, or world/percussion led music like Mick's quite recent collaboration with his old boss Peter Bardens - who knows. But for the meanwhile, with Peter both enjoying himself and achieving good positive things with Nigel Watson and Splinter Group, it's impossible to know when this time might be and under what circumstances. Where can I send my copy of your Peter Green biography for you to sign? I will gladly pay the postage there and back ! I plan on getting Peter himself to sign it this coming Sept. (when he performs in So.Ca) and it would be WONDERFUL if I could get you both to sign it !! (Shirley Pena, Porterville, California, USA) Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm about the book, Shirley. Please send your copy to: Peter Moody. Trojan Recordings. Unit 25. Forest Business Park. South Access Rd. Walthamstow. London E17 8BA and I'll return it to you signed asap. Hey, are you related to Paco Pena the virtuoso flamenco guitarist ? If so, please get me his autograph (or even a nylon guitar string for good luck) in return. Does Peter seem to have any favourites of his own (or other musician's) compositions ? What about you - as I don't really know much about you, I'm interested to know who are your favourite musicians/bands ? And which of Peter's compositions do you particularly like ? Thanks again. ( Ken Zinns, Oakland, California, USA) Hello Ken ! My impression of Peter Green's musical tastes, as I mentioned above, is that they are incredibly diverse, literally taking in music from all corners of the earth. I think that 'Underway' 'Oh Well Part 2' and obviously 'Albatross' are amongst the compositions he is still well-pleased about; but also stuff like 'Proud Pinto' 'Tribal Dance' and funkier excerpts from 'The End of The Game'. Me? Favourite blues musicians going back through time begin with Blind Willie McTell; early Snooks Eaglin, early John Lee Hooker, Slim Harpo and, of course, Robert Johnson (it is only quite recently that I've been able to appreciate just how panoramic his take on the blues is). I guess I really enjoy the guys with a percussive guitar-playing style who could make the audience get up and dance without any help from a drummer. More recent bluesmen I really go for include R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough - very African sounding primitive blues. Amongst American white guys, Mike Bloomfield's electrified-Dylan era was very special modern blues. Here in England…. Eric Clapton (my favourite era of his is the 1970s with his gospel-blues 'Give Me Strength' a personal all-time favourite), Paul Kossoff, Rory Gallagher (his later 1980s acoustic-based stuff rather than the Taste era) and Stan Webb (much underrated I reckon). Lindsey Buckingham, stylistically, is in a class of his own in my view: initially a fingerpicking folkie who, early on in Fleetwood Mac, refused to give in to well-intentioned ear-bending from Mick Fleetwood who suggested that he change to plectrum playing. Thank god for that-- by preferring to have the choice of several fingernails, as opposed to one piece of plastic or tortoise-shell, he invented a whole new style of electric guitar playing. I view Jimi Hendrix and Peter Green as very similar in attitude back in the late-1960s - both were driven innovators. For them to listen to the blues of Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins and then come up with 'Voodoo Child' and 'Oh Well' is awesome innovation - talk about back to the future !! And talking of innovation and taking the blues forward, I really admire the work of producer Tom Rothrock - sampling, drum loops etc, and more recently Moby. Alabama 3 is a British band I spotted three years ago who have a similar approach to Tom Rothrock - and as you probably know their take on blues and country music (the track 'Woke Up This Morning' ) has gained much wider exposure as the theme tune to the excellent 'The Sopranos' TV series. When I interviewed Alabama 3 they made a point of emphasising that Peter's 'End Of The Game' instrumental album was a major influence on developing the band's groove. As we all know, that first solo album by Peter was panned by critics at the time which neatly demonstrates the perils of an artist being a bit too far ahead. Thanks for your interest Ken, I hope I've adequately answered your question. Closing Comments: With that, it's time for me to sign off and thank everybody for participating in my Q&A. Sorry to those people who submitted questions that I didn't feel I was in a position to answer; And sorry to you all for the big gap in time before answering this last batch. Big thanks to Marty Adelson for continued courteous efficiency and in future times if anybody chances upon me as 'Jet Martin - one man band' please do come up and say hello!!
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