The Yardbirds
An English Blues and Rock band.
Formed in London England, 1962
Formally known as the 'Metropolitan Blues Quartet' in 1962 but changed the name in 1963.
The group played at Richmonds 'Crawdaddy Club'.
They are probably one of the first groups to play blues music at the start of the English invasion in the sixties.
A blues based band whose sound evolved into experimental pop rock, they had a string of hits including “For Your Love”, “Over, Under, Sideways, Down” and “Heart Full Of Soul”.
They were a crucial link between British R&B and psychedelia; their guitarists were extremely influential in music.
The Yardbirds were pioneers in almost every guitar innovation of the '60s: fuzz tone, feedback, distortion, improved amplification, and were one of the first to put an emphasis on complex lead guitar parts and experimentation.
"Yardbird" is used in the southern United States is a slang expression for "prisoner".
They made their first significant lineup addition with.
Keith Relf,singer/harmonica player
Chris Dreja, rhythm guitarist
Paul Samwell-Smith, bassist
Jim McCarty,drummer
Eric Clapton, lead guitarist
Clapton replaced original lead guitarist (Anthony) Top Topham in October 1963.
Later Jeff Beck joined with Clapton leaving the band.
Beck either quit or was fired later from the group in 1966, and the Yardbirds continued as a quartet for the remainder of their career.
Page became the new lead guitarist and he was just as bent toward experimentation as Beck, particularly his striking technique of scraping a violin or cello bow across his guitar strings to induce a round of odd and surreal sounds, and his dextrous use of a wah-wah pedal.
The Yardbirds' final single, "Goodnight Sweet Josephine", was recorded in January 1968.
The band toured Australia in 1968 with Page playing lead.
July 7, 1968: The Yardbirds play their final gig at Luton Technical College in Bedfordshire, England (twelve years to the day later Led Zeppelin would play their final concert in their original line-up in Berlin.
Members include
KEITH RELF - lead vocals
ANTHONY TOPHAM - lead guitar
CHRIS DREJA - guitar
PAUL SAMWELL SMITH - bass
JIM McCARTY - drums
ERIC CLAPTON - lead guitar/joined in 1963 replacing Anthony Topham.
JEFF BECK - lead guitar/replaced Eric Clapton in 1965.
JIMMY PAGE - bass/replaced Paul Samwell Smith in 1967.
JIMMY PAGE went on to play lead guitar with Jeff Beck leaving in 1967.
Page left the band in 1968 with the group splitting up and started his new group 'LED ZEPPELIN.
In 1992 the group reunited.
CHRIS DREJA - guitar, vocals
JIM McCARTY - drums
ROD DEMICK - bass
From 1994 the group went through many changes in their line up that included the following.
JOHN IDAM - bass
LAURIE GARMAN - harmonica
RAY MAJORS - lead guitar
CHRIS DREJA - guitar, vocals
JIM McCARTY - drums
GYPSIE MAYO - lead guitar
ALEN GLEN - harmonica
BILLY BOY MISKIMMIN - harmoica
BEN KING - lead guitar
This was up until 2004.
Albums include
FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS - 1964
FOR YOUR LOVE - 1965
HAVING A RAVE UP - 1965
THE YARDBIRDS - 1966
LITTLE GAMES - 1967
LIVE YARDBIRDS FEATURING JIMMY PAGE - 1971
BLUE EYES BLUE - 1972
BIRDLAND - 2003
Singles, E.P.s
"I Wish You Would" b/w "A Certain Girl" 1964
"Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" b/w "I Ain't Got You" 1964
"For Your Love" b/w "Got To Hurry" 1965
"Heart Full of Soul" b/w "Steeled Blues" 1965
"Evil Hearted You" b/w "Still I'm Sad" 1965
"Five Yardbirds" e.p.: "My Girl Sloopy", "I'm Not Talking", "I Ain't Done Wrong" 1965
"I'm a Man" b/w "Still I'm Sad" 1965
"Shapes of Things" b/w "You're A Better Man Than I" 1966
"Shapes of Things" b/w "I'm Not Talking" 1966
"Shapes of Things" b/w "New York City Blues" 1966
"Over Under Sideways Down" b/w "Jeff's Boogie" 1966
"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" b/w "Psycho Daisies" 1966
"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" b/w "The Nazz Are Blue" 1966
"Yardbirds" ep: "Over Under Sideways Down", "I Can't Make Yor Way" b/w "He's Always There", "What Do You want" 1967
"Little Games" b/w "Puzzles" 1967
"Ha Ha Said The Clown*" b/w "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor" 1967
"Ten Little Indians*" b/w "Drinking Muddy Water" 1967
"Goodnight Sweet Josephine*" b/w "Think About It" 1968
All information may be obtained at the web address at the above.
Thank you. |