Green and Clapton

There may be other instances but I immediately remembered the Bluesbreakers Band and found the following at Wikipedia .

John Mayall Bluesbreakers

After three months with Bardens' group, Green had the opportunity to fill in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for three concerts. Soon after, when Clapton departed from the Bluesbreakers, he became a full-time member of Mayall's band.[3]

Mike Vernon, a producer at Decca, recalls Green's début with the Bluesbreakers:

As the band walked in the studio I noticed an amplifier which I never saw before, so I said to John Mayall, "Where's Eric Clapton?" Mayall answered, "He's not with us anymore, he left us a few weeks ago." I was in a shock of state [sic] but Mayall said, "Don't worry, we got someone better." I said, "Wait a minute, hang on a second, this is ridiculous. You've got someone better?? Than Eric Clapton??" John said, "He might not be better now, but you wait, in a couple of years he's going to be the best." Then he introduced me to Peter Green.[13]

Green made his recording debut in 1966 with the Bluesbreakers on the album A Hard Road (1967),[14] which featured two of his own compositions, "The Same Way" and "The Supernatural". The latter was one of Green's first instrumentals, which would soon become a trademark. So proficient was he that his musician friends bestowed upon him the nickname "The Green God".[15]

In 1967, Green decided to form his own blues band and left the Bluesbreakers.[3]

Off topic a bit, anyone who has not heard early Fleetwood Mac should search them out. My favorite album is "The Original Fleetwood Mac."

Although it was not released until 1969 or 1970 it was exclusively old, unreleased material from early days of the group.

The recording is amazing for the time, at least for my taste.

Possibly an urban legend:

I heard decades ago that Peter Green reportedly sat in (uncredited) when Mayall's Bluesbreakers recorded "Rambling On My Mind" which features Clapton on guitar and vocals.

Marty

BTW,

The Green-Clapton dynamic is really fascinating. Both were from the same area, both did their time with the Bluesbreakers, both had enormous influence on modern lead tone, both had debilitating drug problems, and both returned to the blues after rock and or pop dalliances (Clapton's obviously much longer and much more commercially successful).

I think Clapton might have had a slightly better melodic sense, but Green had more arrows in the quiver. Both great players who are always linked in my mind.

Marty