Primary Wave has struck a music rights deal with the Estate of legendary English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, Peter Green.
Green was the founder and original lead of Fleetwood Mac, originally called Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
According to Primary Wave, terms of the deal will see the publisher acquire the assets comprised in Green’s Rattlesnake music publishing catalog, and his interest in all compositions written by him, as well as certain recordings.
Born Peter Greenbaum in 1946, Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
His writing credits include Fleetwood Mac songs such as Albatross, Black Magic Woman, Oh Well, The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown), and Man of the Word.
Rolling Stone ranked Green at No.58 in its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Commenting on the deal, Primary Wave’s Robin Godfrey Cass said: “When I look at the definition of a musical genius, Peter Green ticks every box. As a musician, songwriter, and founder of Fleetwood Mac, he is an icon.
“I am ecstatic that the estate has given Primary Wave the reins to continue his amazing legacy.”
Robin Godfrey Cass, Primary Wave
“It has been over 60 years ago since he began writing his body of legendary songs which are still in use every day. I am ecstatic that the estate has given Primary Wave the reins to continue his amazing legacy.”
This partnership marks the latest Fleetwood Mac-related deal for Primary Wave.
In December 2020, the company acquired a majority stake in the publishing catalog of another (later) Fleetwood Mac member, Stevie Nicks. TheWall Street Journalreported at the time that Primary Wave bought an 80% interest in the copyrights, which its sources said were valued at approximately $100 million.
Elsewhere, last month, Primary Wave partnered with Grammy-nominated band the Cars.
In March, the company acquired a stake in the Biggie Smalls catalog, which was reported to have valued the artist’s estate at $200 million.
The company’s other recent moves include signing a marketing and publishing administration deal with Grammy-winning songwriter and performer Jimmy Webb, along with deals with the estate of country and folk singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, Grammy-winning violinist Itzhak Perlman, and Feels So Good composer Chuck Mangione.
Primary Wave has also recently acquired the catalog of Nuno Bettencourt of 90s rock band Extreme; inked a publishing partnership with alt-rock band The Spin Doctors; and signed a music rights deal with Neil Finn of Crowded House.
The company also struck a deal for the recorded, publishing, brand and name and likeness rights of The Village People of YMCA fame; a catalog deal with the estate of songwriter and musician P.F. Sloan; and a stake in the catalog of singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka.
Primary Wave’s acquisition spree has been powered by a $2 billion partnership with Brookfield Asset Management in 2022, which saw the firm take a minority stake in the New York-headquartered music publisher founded and led by Larry Mestel.
Green began playing the guitar aged 10 and professionally by the early age of 18. In 1965, he would cross paths with Mick Fleetwood, but it wasn’t until two years later that he would form Fleetwood Mac. While best known for his guitar work, Green quickly became a prominent songwriter and either wrote or contributed to many of Fleetwood Mac’s songs.
Released in 1968, Albatross is a guitar-based instrumental song off the band’s English Rose album. The song saw success across several countries and to this day is the band’s only No.1 hit in the UK.
Black Magic Woman also appeared on English Rose. While the song did well for Fleetwood Mac, it was Santana’s version of the song that really made it a hit.
Black Magic Woman was the first single off Santana’s Abraxas album. It reached the Top 4 in the US and Canada. Santana’s version spent 13 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Abraxas topped the album chart and sold more than four million copies thanks to the success of Black Magic Woman.
Oh Well was released in 1969 and appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s Then Play On album, as well as their Greatest Hits album that was released in 1971.
The song was composed in two parts, Part 1 as an A Side and Part 2 as a B Side. Upon release, the band was unsure Oh Well would be successful, but the single charted in a number of territories, reaching No.2 in the UK and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, the band’s first single to do so.
