The Yardbirds



Although The Yardbirds are known as one of the truly great Rock bands of the British Invasion, they are especially noted for giving rise to three of Britain's greatest guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. The Yardbirds formed in London in 1963 when Keith Relf (vocals, harmonica) and Paul Samwell-Smith (bass), both members of semi-acoustic act The Metropolis Blues Quartet, joined forces with Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar), Anthony 'Top' Topham (guitar) and Jim McCarty (drums). Under pressure from his family, the 16-year-old Topham soon bowed out to pursue his art degree, and made way for a guitarist nicknamed "Slowhand"... Eric Clapton. While The Yardbirds made initial beginnings into recording as a backup band for Chicago Blues singer Sonny Boy Williamson, their sound really began to take shape in 1964 when they began experimenting with the Blues style in ad hoc jam sessions. The reconstituted line-up forged a style based on classic Chicago R&B and quickly amassed a following on the Blues circuit. They succeeded The Rolling Stones as the resident band at Richmond's popular Crawdaddy club, whose owner, Giorgio Gomelsky, then assumed the role of group manager. That same year they released what was considered the best album of their early years, a live effort titled, "Five Live Yardbirds". But even as the band reinterpreted R&B, they experimented with Pop music as well. Their first single, "For Your Love", went right past their Blues background into the Pop music realm. The single reached #2 on the Pop charts in Britain and #6 in the United States.

But the very success of that first hit single created dissension within the band. Clapton wanted to stick with the band's Blues roots and, at times, refused even to play at all during "For Your Love". The conflict was never resolved and Clapton left in 1965 to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Initially, the group tried to sign Jimmy Page, a British session star. Page, in turn, recommended Jeff Beck, the guitarist of an obscure band called The Tridents. With Beck on board, The Yardbirds produced further hits singles with, "Heartful Of Soul" (#9 in 1965), "I'm A Man" (#17 in 1965), "Shapes Of Things To Come" (#11 in 1966) and "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" (#13 in 1966).

By this point, Simon Napier-Bell had assumed the band's management duties, while dissatisfaction with touring and the unit's sometimes irreverent attitude led to the departure of Samwell-Smith in June 1966. Jimmy Page eventually relented, and was brought into a line-up that, with Dreja switching to bass, now adopted a potentially devastating twin-lead guitar format. The experimental "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (#30 in 1966) confirmed such hopes, but within six months, Beck had departed during a grueling USA tour, and the band began to self-destruct over a long-standing creative impasse. The Yardbirds remained a quartet but, despite a growing reputation on the American underground circuit, their appeal as a Pop attraction waned. Late-period collaborations with the commercially minded Mickie Most, including "Little Games" (1967) and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" (1968), failed to chart. They followed with two bizarre successes in America: "Ha Ha Said The Clown" and Harry Nilsson's "Ten Little Indians".

When Relf and McCarty announced a desire to pursue a Folk-based direction, the group folded in June 1968. Page continued on for a while as The New Yardbirds and subsequently founded Led Zeppelin, Dreja became a highly successful photographer, while the remaining duo forged a new career, firstly as Together, then Renaissance. Nonetheless, the legacy of The Yardbirds refused to die, particularly in the wake of the fame enjoyed by its former guitarists. Relf was fatally electrocuted in 1976, but the following decade McCarty and Dreja, joined Samwell-Smith, now a respected record producer, in Box Of Frogs. When this short-lived attraction folded, the former colleagues reverted to their corresponding careers, with McCarty remaining active in music as a member of the British Invasion All-Stars.

The Yardbirds came together for a few nostalgia gigs, including a short lived 1995 tour. Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja reunited again in 1996 on a more permanent basis and in the new millennium began working on a new album. "Birdland" was released to favorable reviews in 2003. The recording lineup included Dreja, McCarty, and new members Gypie Mayo on lead guitar and backing vocals, John Idan on bass and vocals and Alan Glen on harmonica and vocals. Jeff Beck also contributed to the track "My Blind Life". Since the release of that LP, Gypie Mayo was briefly replaced by Jerry Donahue and subsequently in 2005 by Ben King, while Alan Glen was been replaced by Billy Boy Miskimmin from Nine Below Zero fame.

In 2007, The Yardbirds released a live CD, recorded on July 19th, 2006, called "Live At B.B. King Blues Club", featuring the McCarty, Dreja, Idan, King and Miskimmin line-up. The first episode of the '07 / '08 season of TV's The Simpsons featured the song "I'm A Man" from that CD. Both John Idan and Alan Glen played their last show with the band on April 24th, 2009 in the new Live Room venue at Twickenham rugby stadium. The pair were replaced by Andy Mitchell on lead vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar, and David Smale on bass and backing vocals.

For The Yardbirds 2012 tour through the U.S. and Canada, the band was made up of guitarist Chris Dreja, drummer Jim McCarty, bassist David Smale, singer Andy Mitchell and guitarist Ben King. In 2013, founding member Anthony Topham returned to the group, taking over for Chris Dreja as rhythm guitarist. His stint lasted just two years before he left again, this time for good. In 2015, Jim McCarty announced a new lineup which featured guitarist Johnny A., bassist Kenny Aaronson, singer/harpist/percussionist Myke Scavone and guitarist/singer John Idan. The band was scheduled to wrap up a Fall tour in America before kicking off another string of shows in the UK and US stretching into March, 2017. In October of that same year the band released an album called "Yardbirds '68", an 18 track, double LP that features re-mixed live recordings from the Anderson Theater in March 1968 alongside Studio Sketches recorded in the same era. The collection features music from The Yardbirds members Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, Jimmy Page and Keith Relf. A swing through the American Pacific states was on tap in 2018, while a twelve date tour of Eastern United States was scheduled for March 2019, followed by the Time Life Flower Power Cruise in April. The line-up for 2019 consisted of guitarist Godfrey Townsend, drummer Jim McCarty, bassist Kenny Aaronson, singer Myke Scavone and lead singer/guitarist John Idan.

Former Yardbirds' guitarist Jeff Beck passed away on January 10th, 2023 at the age of 78 after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. After his stint with the band, he formed The Jeff Beck group, which gave rise to Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart. In 1973 he formed the supergroup Beck, Bogert & Appice with former Vanilla Fudge members Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert. He then went solo in 1975.

Founding member, Anthony 'Top' Topham, died on January 23rd, 2023 at the age of 75. In later years, Topham would say, "I didn't regret leaving because they'd moved away from the Blues music that I was interested in. Even if I'd stayed with them to become professional, I think I would have left later for the same reasons Eric left."

For more, be sure to read Gary James' interviews with Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty