Fleetwood Mac - "Black Magic Woman" (the song remains the same)

Peter Green, a founding member of Fleetwood Mac, died last week.  I already covered Peter Green's contributions to Fleetwood Mac, including their existence long before prior to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joining in 1975, so I won't retell that story here.  Instead, I will focus on yet another popular song that you might not have known that Peter Green wrote, and the parallels between Peter Green and Syd Barrett.

First, the similarities with Syd Barrett.  Like Syd, Peter Green left a band that he founded after only a few years.  Also like Syd, his career afterwards was limited, in part by substance abuse and mental illness. And like Syd, Peter apparently briefly reappeared during a 1970s recording session with the old band. And like Syd, many artists list him as an influence.

One measure of influence is the number of covers you inspire.  This will news to most, but although Santana popularized "Black Magic Woman" in 1970, it was written by Peter Green and originally released by Fleetwood Mac in 1968 as a non-LP single.  Although you've heard the Santana version 1000 times, give a listen to the original (admittedly, Carlos Santana is one of my least favorite -- yet undeniably talented -- guitar players, but that's a story for another time).  Peter Green's version is heavier than the smooth Santana version.

It's been a long time since Peter Green was in Fleetwood Mac, but his influence was significant.

Fleetwood Mac - "Black Magic Woman" (live 1970)
Santana - "Black Magic Woman"

Charlie Daniels - "Uneasy Rider" (forgotten song)

Charlie Daniels died earlier this week.  I've already covered that owing to the time and place of our birth, both Danette and I are big Southern rock fans, of which the Charlie Daniels Band was a central member.  Similar to how The Allman Brothers straddled Southern rock and the Grateful Dead-style jam band sound, CDB straddled Southern rock and country & outlaw country.

Of course, he'll forever be known for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", several other of his songs were radio staples growing up: "The Legend of Wooley Swamp", "In America", "The South's Gonna Do It Again" (the original name check song?), and "Long Haired Country Boy".  The thing that most of these songs have in common is that they all tell great stories.

But I'm going to choose to remember him with his first single, 1973's "Uneasy Rider", from the LP "Honey in the Rock".   You still occasionally hear it on the radio, but it's infrequent.  Not only is it a fun story, it also captures the time when Charlie Daniels was still an outlaw and not the establishment.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a great song, but you should explore the rest of his canon as well.

Charlie Daniels - "Uneasy Rider"