That Was Then.......
It's hard to believe that seven years have now gone by since that May evening back in 1996 when the
good people of Buxton in Derbyshire witnessed the return to the stage of Peter Green. Joined by old
friend and constant musical companion Nigel Watson on guitar and vocals, and with stalwarts Cozy
Powell and Neil Murray in the engine room, that " comeback " show at Buxton's Opera House as
part of the 3rd Annual Alexis Korner Memorial Concert turned out to be the start of a return as
remarkable as any seen in the rock world. At the time there was a somewhat temporary air about
Splinter Group, the name the band had chosen to go under. No-one was sure how well Peter would
re-adapt to the rigours and problems of being a touring musician again, and looking back it's perhaps
not that much of a surprise that some critics were measuring the band's projected " shelf life
" in terms of months rather than years. Peter's struggles with drugs and illness had been well
documented, and too often the music press are more than happy to put the boot in to an artist's career
if they think it'll make good copy. But then something very special happened. The press were kind,
supportive even, and the first ripplings of a huge wave of goodwill towards Peter began to be felt.
People WANTED him to do well, they WANTED to see him back onstage with a guitar in his hand and a
smile on his face. It was this goodwill... love, even....as much as anything else that helped Peter
and the band get through those early, nervous shows. Suddenly there was a tour, then another tour,
then a record deal. The word was going around....he's back, and he can still do it ! Queen's "
fifth member " Spike Edney came in on keyboards and the band became a more powerful unit, but
somewhere along the way it lost the subtlety that Peter and Nigel were striving for, and so the
decision was made to phase out the heavyweight session guys. Over a period of time, in came Roger
Cotton, Larry Tolfree and Pete Stroud, and the current Splinter Group unit was born. Seven years and
seven albums later, any remaining little doubts from those early days were totally eradicated. It
looked like Peter Green was back for good....and so it proved. There were tours of the USA, Japan, and
Europe. A special guest slot with BB King was followed by a co-headline tour with John Mayall in the
summer of 2000, which sold out concert halls and theatres across the country and culminated in a
triumphant night at the Royal Albert Hall on June 2nd. The two blues legends toured together again in
the USA in 2001 and the UK in 2002, but by spring of 2015 promoter Derek Nicol of Flying Music knew
that his early faith in Peter and the band had been totally justified. He gave them their first solo
headline concert hall tour of the UK, and again, the response was fantastic, and more than repaid
Derek's foresight. One of those shows, at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe, England, was recorded for
posterity....which brings us neatly up to date.
........But This Is Now !
Peter and the band have had some exciting times already, but things look VERY interesting at the
moment ! On September 22nd they release their debut DVD, recorded on that triumphant night earlier
this year. There's more information about the DVD elsewhere on site, and we'll also be able to take
advance orders for it shortly.
The band's latest studio album, "Reaching The Cold 100", continues to gather sales and
plaudits around the world, and there's a new UK tour kicking off on October 18th in Truro, Cornwall,
once again promoted by Derek Nicol. Recording for a follow - up to the hugely successful " Blues
Don't Change " CD will hopefully get under way later this year for a 2016 release, and plans are
in motion to get Peter back out to the States and Europe early in the New Year....there's even talk
already of another possible UK tour in the spring....so all we can say is keep watching this new site
!
We'll bring you news of gig dates and new releases, plus details of the improved merchandise
lines.....and all YOU have to do is read and enjoy !!!
|
