SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT

After the two wooden balls on the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours sold for £105,000 in December, there’s a chance for serious musos to buy a real piece of the band’s history when the guitars of Peter Green appear in an online sale from June 16-28.

Green who died in 2020 aged 74, co-founded the band in 1967 alongside Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer. He was responsible for penning most of the band’s early songs including Albatross, Oh Well and Black Magic Woman, which went on to become a worldwide hit for Santana.

e lyrics for Green’s poignant song Man of the World written in 1969, a year before he quit the group, lead the sale with an estimate of £40,000-£60,000.

Above Leading the sale will be a rare set of Peter Green handwritten lyrics for the Fleetwood Mac hit Man of the World, which has an estimate of £40,000-£60,000

Above right e band went on to produce one of the best-known albums of the 1970s.

Right A poster for the 2020 concert organised by Mick Fleetwood and Friends, image courtesy of BMG, illustration only, not in sale

Lef t Fleetwood Mac (l-r) Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and John Mc ie, image Alamy, illustration only, not in the sale e song i n part chronicles Green’s s truggles with mental health, brought to a head by a three-day LSD binge which led himto leave the group ahead of the band’s ascent to superstardom.

After Green’s departure the band was joined by McVie’s wife, keyboardist-vocalist-songwriter Christine, adding a pop style resulting in themultimillion-selling Fleetwood Mac in 1975 and Rumours two years later.

East End boy

Peter Green was born Peter Allen Greenbaum on October 29, 1946, in Bethnal Green, East London. In his teens, he joined bands including Shotgun Express, a Motown-style soul band featuring ayoung Rod Stewart and later joined John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers as Eric Clapton’s successor on lead guitar.

It was Green who, with Mick Fleetwood, attempted to lure the bassist John McVie to join them with the promise of naming the new band Fleetwood Mac. For a time the band was known as Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

Part of Green’s spiralling mental health problems saw his increasing anxiety about the group’s growing wealth which he, famously, wanted to donate to charity. According to legend, Green was arrested in 1977 for aiming a shotgun at his accountant, demanding that he stopped sending him his royalty cheques for Fleetwood Mac’s early work.

largely vanished from public lifefor 25 years, working variously as a gardener, lab assistant and a hospital orderly. During this time, he reportedly moved in with his older brother Len and his wife Gloria in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

During this time he sporadically returned to the music scene, forming the Peter Green Splinter Group in 1996 with, among others, Whitesnake’s Cozy Powell. A guitar from the period appears in this month’s sale.

Faithful fans

Over the years Green’s talents gained him a legion of faithful fans.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and a year later Rolling Stone ranked him 58 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. On February 25, 2020,Mick Fleetwood organised a tribute concert to himat the London Palladium bringing together Pete Towns end, Billy Gibbons, Steven Tyler, David Gilmour, Bill Wyman, Noel Gallagher and Kirk Hammett, who played Green’s celebrated guitar, Greeny.

Sale highlights

Over his long career, Green amassed a large range of guitars, as well as amps, pedals and other equipment.

As well as instruments the sale includes several important handwritten lyrics and some of his psychedelic sketches (below right).

Bonhams’ director of popular culture, Katherine Scho eld, said: “Peter Green was one of the greatest guitarists. Even when out of the limelight, the tributes paid to his playing throughout his lifetime continued to highlight his reputation and the esteem his fellow artists held him in.

“ is sale is a celebration of his love for the guitar, with a number of di erent makes and models, for enthusiasts and career musicians. With estimates starting at the accessible price point of £150, this is a unique opportunity to own a piece ofPeter Green’s legacy.”

‘According to legend Green was arrested in 1977 for aiming a shotgun at his accountant, demanding that he stopped sending him his royalty cheques for Fleetwood Mac’s early work’

WHAT: The Peter Green Collection Sale type: Online only at www. bonhams.com

Where: Bonhams, Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1HH

When: From June 16-28

IN MY OPINION...

How important a musician was Green? He is considered one of the guitar greats. He had a natural ability to play and resonate with an audience, the likes of which had not been seen in popular music before. Even when out of the limelight, the tributes paid to his playing throughout his lifetime continued to highlight his reputation and the esteem his fellow artists held him in.

Where do you expect the interest to come from?

We anticipate interest for this collection to be global. From known collectors, institutions, and professional guitarists, to Peter Green fans who may not have bid at auction before. With estimates starting at the accessible price point of £150, this is a unique opportunity to own a piece of Peter Green’s legacy.

How stong is the current market for pop memorabilia?

Very strong and is continuing to grow especially since the pandemic when it offered collectors a much-needed avenue to reminisce on different times. The category continues to evolve as new artists become collectable and buyers reach a stage in their life when they want to invest in an area which is rewarding both emotionally and financially. It’s exciting to see what the new trends will be.

In terms of collectability, is it possible to rank the band?

Since I became a specialist in this field 18 years ago, the mystic surrounding Peter Green, mainly due to the tragedy surrounding his mental state and him becoming a recluse, has always been there.

To my knowledge only a small handful of his items have ever come onto the market. When they have however, there has been excitement. To be honoured with the role of auctioning his collection is an absolute

Left A Gretsch White Falcon 6137 ‘stereo’ semi-acoustic guitar, 1968, has an estimate of £6,000-£8,000 at this month’s online sale