The Yardbirds
Left to right: John Idan, along with Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Blues-rock, British Invasion, rhythm and blues, British blues, psychedelic rock, hard rock
Years active	1963–1968 1992–present
Label(s)	Columbia (UK) Capitol (Canada) Epic (US)
Associated acts	Box of Frogs Cream The Jeff Beck Group Led Zeppelin Renaissance
Website	www.theyardbirds.com
Members
Ben King Chris Dreja John Idan Billy Boy Miskimmin Jim McCarty
Former members
Keith Relf Paul Samwell-Smith Top Topham Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Jimmy Page Rod Demick Ray Majors Laurie Garman Alan Glen Gypie Mayo Jerry Donahue

The Yardbirds are an English rock band, noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer 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”. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression " For Your Love " is a 1965 single written by future 10cc member Graham Gouldman and performed by the British Invasion band The Yardbirds They were a crucial link between British R&B and psychedelia.

The Yardbirds were pioneers in almost every guitar innovation of the '60s: fuzz tone, feedback, distortion, backwards echo, improved amplification, and were one of the first to put an emphasis on complex lead guitar parts and experimentation. A fuzzbox (or fuzz box) is a type of Effects pedal comprising an amplifier and a clipping circuit which generates a distorted version of the Audio Feedback (also known as the Larsen effect after the Danish scientist Søren Larsen who first discovered its principles is a special kind of Feedback The term, "Yardbird" is used in the southern United States as slang for 'chicken' (as in poultry), and it is a slang expression for "prisoner". Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language.

The bulk of the band's conceptual ideas, as well as their songwriting, came from the quartet of singer Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist/bassist Chris Dreja, and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith, all of whom co-wrote the Yardbirds' original hits and constituted the core of the group. Keith Relf (born William Keith Relf on March 22, 1943 - May 14, 1976) is best known as the Lead singer and Harmonica player For the guitarist see Jim McCarty (guitarist. Jim McCarty (born James Stanley McCarty 25 July 1943, Liverpool Christopher 'Chris' Dreja (born 11 November 1946, Surbiton, Surrey, England) is former Rhythm guitarist, and later Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) was a founding member and Bassist of the 1960s English

Contents 1 History 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 Breakthrough success and Clapton secession 1.3 Jeff Beck's tenure 1.4 The Beck/Page Lineup 1.5 The Yardbirds' final days: the Page era 1.6 The new Yardbirds: evolution into Led Zeppelin 1.7 After the Yardbirds 1.8 Reformation 2 Members 2.1 Current members 3 Discography 4 Notes 5 External links 5.1 Interviews

History

Beginnings

Formed originally as the Metropolitan Blues Quartet in 1962–63 in the London suburbs, and having emanated out of the atmosphere of Bohemianism fostered by the Kingston Art School, the Yardbirds first performed as a backup band for Cyril Davies, and achieved notice on the burgeoning British blues scene (or "rhythm and blues", as the British music press alluded to it) when they took over as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond— succeeding the Rolling Stones in September 1963, and flying in the face of London's 'serious music' 'trad jazz' club scene circuit in which the new 'R&B' groups got many of their first professional bookings. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The term bohemian, of French origin was first used in the English language in the nineteenth century to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished Artists A British blue is also a type of cat The British blues is a type of Blues music that originated in the late 1950s The Crawdaddy Club was a 1960s music venue in Richmond, Surrey, England, famous for being the location of the Rolling Stones ' first ever Richmond is a town and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Trad jazz short for "traditional jazz" is a Music genre popular in Britain and Australia from the 1940s onward through the 1950s and which still

With a repertoire drawn from the Delta-soaked Chicago blues titans Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, the Yardbirds began to build a following of their own in London before very long. The Chicago blues is a form of Blues music that developed in Chicago Illinois by taking the basic acoustic guitar and Harmonica -based Delta blues Chester Burnett redirects here For the American football player see Chester Burnett (American football Chester Arthur Burnett ( June 10, 1910 For the album by Redman, see Muddy Waters (album. For the college football coach see Muddy Waters (football coach. Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American Aleck "Rice" Miller ( December 5 1899 or March 11 1908 – May 25 1965) a Elmore James ( January 27, 1918 &ndash May 24, 1963) was an American Blues Guitarist, Singer Their inexperience and their less-than-stellar musicianship was obvious, but their commitment was just as powerful, as they hammered away at versions of such blues classics as "Smokestack Lightning", "Got Love If You Want It", "Here 'Tis", "Baby What's Wrong", "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Boom Boom", "I Wish You Would", "Done Somebody Wrong", "Rollin' and Tumblin'", and "I'm a Man". " Smoke Stack Lightning " (as listed on the original single more commonly referred to as "Smokestack Lightning") is a 1956 Blues song by Howlin' " Boom Boom " is a 1961 song written and performed by John Lee Hooker that is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll " I Wish You Would " is a song by songwriter Billy Boy Arnold, performed by English Blues rock band The Yardbirds and released on their " Rollin' and Tumblin' " is a Blues song that has been recorded hundreds of times by various artists

• September, 1963: The group play their first shows billed as the 'Yard-birds'.

They made their first significant lineup addition when singer/harmonica player Keith Relf, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and drummer Jim McCarty, replaced original lead guitarist (Anthony) Top Topham with a very boyish-looking art student named Eric Clapton in October 1963. Keith Relf (born William Keith Relf on March 22, 1943 - May 14, 1976) is best known as the Lead singer and Harmonica player Christopher 'Chris' Dreja (born 11 November 1946, Surbiton, Surrey, England) is former Rhythm guitarist, and later Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) was a founding member and Bassist of the 1960s English For the guitarist see Jim McCarty (guitarist. Jim McCarty (born James Stanley McCarty 25 July 1943, Liverpool Anthony "Top" Topham is a rock guitarist from England Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Clapton already knew what he was doing with his instrument; his solo turns, while far enough from the gripping little gems for which he became famous soon enough, already set him apart from most of his peers among the British blues clubbers. Between his sleek guitar playing and Keith Relf's improving harmonica style, the group could at least boast two attractive players that made listeners overlook their still-incomplete rhythmic attack. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or And, of critical importance, Crawdaddy Club impresario Giorgio Gomelsky—who had all but discovered the Rolling Stones but thought it beyond his range to become their manager—learned enough from his previous miss to become the Yardbirds' manager and, as it turned out, first producer. The Crawdaddy Club was a 1960s music venue in Richmond, Surrey, England, famous for being the location of the Rolling Stones ' first ever Giorgio Gomelsky is an American Impresario, music manager and record producer

Under Gomelsky's guidance, the Yardbirds got themselves signed to EMI's Columbia label in February, 1964; they set a precedent of a sort when their first album turned out to be a live album, Five Live Yardbirds, recorded at the legendary Marquee Club in London. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest Gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Five Live Yardbirds is the live debut Album by English Blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 1964 (see 1964 in music The Marquee is a legendary music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and Skiffle London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The group was well enough reputed that none other than blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II himself invited the group to tour England and Germany with him, a union that survives to this day on a live album memorable for Williamson's trouper-like adaptation of his deep troubadour style of blues to the Yardbirds' raw, unpolished rock version. Aleck "Rice" Miller ( December 5 1899 or March 11 1908 – May 25 1965) a England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ("Those English kids," Williamson famously said of the Yardbirds and other British blues groups like the Animals and the Stones, "want to play the blues so bad—and they play the blues so bad", though he had a personal affection for the Yardbirds' members and even thought of moving to England permanently, until the illness that resulted in his early death in 1965. The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s known in the United States as part of the British Invasion. )

Breakthrough success and Clapton secession

The quintet went from there to cut several singles, including "I Wish You Would", but it was their third single, "For Your Love", a Graham Gouldman composition that was anything but the blues, which put the band to their highest chart position yet in England—and gave them their first major hit in the United States when it was released Stateside in 1965. Graham Gouldman (born Graham Keith Gouldman, 10 May 1946, Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England) is an The group's move into pop outraged lead guitarist Eric Clapton, at the time a no-holds-barred blues purist, who had already doubted the ability of "nice college kids" like bassist Paul Samwell-Smith to play the "real blues". Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) was a founding member and Bassist of the 1960s English Clapton left the group in protest.

The loss could have been devastating to the Yardbirds; Clapton had already shown the striking, stabbingly virtuosic style he would later expand and deepen with Mayall and unfurl as a full-fledged virtuoso statement with the improvisational blues rock/psychedelic Cream. Cream were a 1960s British rock band Clapton recommended Jimmy Page, a studio guitarist he knew (and with whom he would soon cut a series of stirring blues guitar duets, including "Tribute to Elmore" and "Draggin' My Tail"), as his replacement, but Page—uncertain at the time about giving up his lucrative studio work and worried about his health—recommended in turn his friend Jeff Beck, whose fleet-fingered style and bent for experimentation pushed the Yardbirds to the direction from which they became widely credited for opening the door to "psychedelic rock". James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Beck played his first gig with the Yardbirds only two days after Clapton's departure.

In 1965, the Yardbirds issued a pair of albums in the U. S. , slapped together somewhat haphazardly from their British recordings, For Your Love (which included an early take of "My Girl Sloopy"; their recording has more in common with the 1964 American top-30 hit by the early soul group "The Vibrations" than the later hit version by the McCoys, practicing the loose ad-lib style and stacked harmonies [ala "Twist And Shout"] of the original) and Havin' A Rave Up With The Yardbirds, half of which came from Five Live Yardbirds. The Vibrations were an American soul Vocal group from Los Angeles, California, active from the mid-1950s to 1976 The McCoys were a pop group that started in Union City, Indiana, U " Twist and Shout " is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell.

Jeff Beck's tenure

Rather than presenting the Yardbirds with a setback after Clapton's departure, Jeff Beck's tenure in the band actually propelled the group forward into new artistic realms that were revolutionary at the time, as well as upward commercially, and saw the band at their absolute zenith in terms of their influence and prominence within the contemporary music scene in the UK and abroad. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English The Yardbirds embarked on their first US tour in late August, 1965, and would return for 3 more US tours during Beck's time with the group, further solidifying his reputation as the most exciting and innovative guitarist on the international 'pop' music scene. A brief European tour took place in April, 1966.

The Beck-era Yardbirds produced a number of memorable, groundbreaking recordings, from single hits like "Heart Full of Soul", Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man", and "Shapes of Things" to the Yardbirds album (known more popularly as Roger the Engineer, and first issued in the U. " Shapes of Things " is a song written by Paul Samwell-Smith, Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty, originally recorded by The Yardbirds and released Roger the Engineer (original title Yardbirds, US German and French title Over Under Sideways Down) is an album by the English Roger the Engineer (original title Yardbirds, US German and French title Over Under Sideways Down) is an album by the English S. in a bowdlerised version called Over Under Sideways Down), and established him as a top-rank guitarist. Thomas Bowdler ( IPA /ˈbaʊdlə/ ( July 11, 1754 &ndash February 24, 1825) was an English Physician who published

Beck's guitar experiments with fuzz tone, feedback, and distortion jolted British rock forward with a bold dropkick, punching a psychedelic time-clock, and evincing world-music influences. The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians In addition, the Yardbirds began serious experiments with things like adapting Gregorian chant and world-music influences ("Still I'm Sad", "Turn Into Earth", "Hot House of Omagarashid", "Farewell", "Ever Since The World Began") and various European folk styles into their blues and rock rooted music, and this gained them a new reputation among the hipster underground even as their commercial appeal had begun already to wane. History Gregorian chant was organized codified and notated mainly in the Frankish lands of western and central Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries with later additions

Beck was voted #1 lead guitarist of 1966 in the British music magazine Beat Instrumental, and his work during this period influenced major musicians (such as the then-unknown Jimi Hendrix), as well as amateur musicians in garages and stages the world over (the Yardbirds' music from the Beck-era was one of the staples of garage-rock and cover bands' repertoires during the mid-to-late 1960s). James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter In the rarefied world of rock star guitar-heroes on the very cutting edge of new and integral sounds, Beck then stood alone at the top of the heap, and his tenure with the Yardbirds is rightfully viewed by many as their 'golden' era, with his presence and talent lending an undeniable contribution.

The Beck/Page Lineup

• June 18, 1966: Paul Samwell-Smith (bassist/songwriter/producer) leaves the Yardbirds; Jimmy Page takes his place.

It was shortly after the sessions that produced Yardbirds (aka, Roger The Engineer) that Paul Samwell-Smith decided to leave the group and work behind the console as a record producer. Jimmy Page re-entered the picture, agreeing to play bass until rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja could become comfortable with that instrument, and then teaming with Beck for tantalising twin-guitar attacks. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer

The Yardbirds were now blessed with two world-class lead guitarists. Pronounced examples of what the Beck-Page tandem could do were the concert dates they played as the opening band for The Rolling Stones, in which they were described by critics as "World War Three", and the single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago". "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" was the first single by the British rock band The Yardbirds to feature future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page The "Happenings" single featured Beck and Page on twin lead guitar, with John Paul Jones brought in to the recording session to play bass; it was backed with "Psycho Daisies", which featured Beck on lead guitar and Page on bass (The B-side of the U. John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946) is an English Musician, Composer, arranger, Record S. single, "The Nazz Are Blue", features a rare lead vocal by Beck). The Beck-Page era Yardbirds also recorded "Stroll On", their half-crazed rendition of the standard "Train Kept A-Rollin'", which they recorded for the Antonioni film Blowup. " Train Kept A-Rollin " is a song written by Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay and Lois Mann Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( September 29 1912 &ndash July 30 2007) was an Italian Modernist Blowup (as in screen credits also rendered as Blow-Up) is an award-winning 1966 British - Italian Art film Relf changed the lyrics and title the night before it was recorded because there was not enough time to acquire permission from the copyright holder. "Stroll On" features a twin lead-guitar break, so it is almost without a doubt that the Beck-Page tandem was at work on this recording (Beck had earlier played his same solo on live renditions of 'Train. . . ', while Page would later play the second lead part alone in the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin; put the separate Beck-Page solos together, and it sounds like the combined twin-solo on 'Stroll On').

Unfortunately, the Beck-Page lineup recorded little else in the studio, and no live recordings (save a scratchy cover of the Velvet Underground's Waiting for the Man) of the dual-lead guitar lineup have yet surfaced. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book " I'm Waiting for the Man " is a song by the American rock band The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. The Beck-Page Yardbirds are believed to have made one other recording, a commercial for a milkshake product "Great Shakes"—a short rehash of "Over Under Sideways Down". Yet there was also one additional recording that Beck and Page made in secret—"Beck's Bolero", a piece inspired by Ravel's "Bolero" yet credited to "Page" (Beck also claims to have written the song). The rest of the lineup was John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums, and Nicky Hopkins on piano. John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946) is an English Musician, Composer, arranger, Record Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. Nicky Hopkins (born Nicholas Christian Hopkins ( February 24, 1944 in Harlesden, North London, England; died "Beck's Bolero" was first released as the B-side of Beck's first solo single, "Hi Ho Silver Lining", and was included on his first solo album, Truth. " Hi Ho Silver Lining " is an iconic 1960s rock song written by Scott English (born 10 Truth (1968 was the first full-length album by Jeff Beck and his backing group.

Their appearance in Blowup was accidental: originally, The Who were approached, but they declined, and then The In-Crowd had been planned but they were unable to attend the filming. Blowup (as in screen credits also rendered as Blow-Up) is an award-winning 1966 British - Italian Art film The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Tomorrow (previously known as The In Crowd and before that as Four Plus One) were a 1960s Psychedelic rock band The Yardbirds filled in at short notice, and the guitar that Beck smashes at the end of their set is a replica of Steve Howe's instrument. Stephen James "Steve" Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is an English Guitarist Director Michelangelo Antonioni instructed Beck to smash his guitar in emulation of The Who's Pete Townshend. Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( September 29 1912 &ndash July 30 2007) was an Italian Modernist Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, ^[1]

The Yardbirds' final days: the Page era

The powerful synergy between Beck and Page proved short-lived; Beck was fired from the group after a tour stop in Texas in late October 1966, and the Yardbirds continued as a quartet for the remainder of their career. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

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 violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ A wah-wah pedal (or just wah pedal) is a type of Guitar Effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect intended to mimic He also proved an adept finger-style guitarist, as evident on the shimmering "White Summer", a raga- and folk-styled instrumental composition that employs the melody of "She Moves Through The Fair" and owes an evident debt to Davy Graham's "She Moved Through the Bizarre". " White Summer " is a guitar instrumental by English Rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and later with David Michael Gordon Graham, known as Davey Graham (originally Davy Graham) b

Increasing chart indifference, record company pressure (their British label EMI pressed hitmaking producer Mickie Most upon them in a failed bid to re-ignite their commercial success), and drug-related problems meant that by 1967, the Yardbirds' days were numbered. Mickie Most, born Michael Peter Hayes ( 20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003 was a successful English Record producer, with a string of Number One The "Little Games" single released in the spring flopped so badly in the UK that EMI did not release a Yardbirds record in Britain for another year. A cover of Manfred Mann's "Ha Ha Said The Clown"—on which only one band member, Relf, actually performed—was the band's last single to crack the U. This article is about Manfred Mann the band For Manfred Mann the man see Manfred Mann (musician. S. Top 50, peaking at No. 44 in Billboard in the summer of '67. Their final album, Little Games, released in America in July, was a commercial and critical non-entity. Little Games is an Album by English Blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 1967 (see 1967 in music)

The Yardbirds spent most of the rest of that year touring in the States with new manager Peter Grant while living a schizophrenic pop life: their records became more benign (a cover of Harry Nilsson's "Ten Little Indians" hit the U. Peter Grant, ( 5 April 1935 &ndash 21 November 1995) was an English Music manager. S. in the fall of '67 and quickly sank) as their live shows were becoming heavier and more experimental. The band rarely played their 1967 singles live, preferring to mix the Beck-era hits with blues standards and covers by groups such as the Velvet Underground and an American folk singer Jake Holmes. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book WikipediaNFCC#10c --> Jake Holmes (born December 28, 1939 in San Francisco Holmes' "Dazed and Confused", with lyrics rewritten by Relf and cranked up to a blues-metal frenzy by Page, McCarty and Dreja, was a live staple of the Yardbirds' last two American tours—and it went down so well that Page decided to keep it in the quiver even after the band's demise. "Dazed and Confused" is a song by Jake Holmes and by Led Zeppelin.

A concert and some album tracks were recorded in New York City in March 1968 (including the currently unreleased song "Knowing That I'm Losing You", an early version of a track that would be re-recorded by Led Zeppelin as "Tangerine"). " Tangerine " is a song composed by Jimmy Page and performed by English rock band Led Zeppelin. All were shelved at the band's request, although once Led Zeppelin hit big, Epic tried to cash in by releasing the concert material as the bootleg Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page. Led Zeppelin were Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page is a live album released by English Blues rock band The Yardbirds in 1971 of their live performance at the The album was quickly withdrawn after Page's lawyers filed an injunction on it.

The Yardbirds' final single, "Goodnight Sweet Josephine", was recorded in January 1968. Released two months later, it failed to crack the Billboard Top 100 but is notable in retrospect for its B-side, "Think About It", which featured a proto-Zeppelin Page riff and snippets of the "Dazed" guitar solo in the break. " Think (About It " is a Funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown 's People Records in

Such efforts did not improve the commercial success of the band. In addition, the members were split over the band's direction: Relf and McCarty wanted a folk sound, while Jimmy Page wanted to steer blues-rock into new, more intense directions of dynamics and depth—the kind of music that Led Zeppelin would become famous for.

• 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).

The new Yardbirds: evolution into Led Zeppelin

But Jimmy Page, left with a touring commitment yet unfulfilled in Scandinavia for the fall, was compelled to put a new lineup together. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Procol Harum's B. Procol Harum are a British rock band formed in the 1960s which built an important foundation for what would become Progressive rock, or perhaps more J. Wilson, Paul Francis, and noted session man Clem Cattini, who'd guested on more than a few Yardbirds tracks under Most's supervision, were considered for the vacant drummer's throne. Young vocalist and composer Terry Reid was asked to replace Relf, but he turned down the offer because of a new recording contract with Most. Terry Reid (born 13 November 1949, Huntingdon, England) is a rock Singer and Guitarist. But he enthusiastically recommended to Page and Grant a then-unknown singer from the Midlands by the name of Robert Plant. Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the Plant, in turn, recommended his childhood friend John Bonham on drums. John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham (May 31 1948 – September 25 1980 was an English Drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. Dreja bowed out to pursue a career as a rock photographer; enter bassist/keyboardist/arranger John Paul Jones, who, like Cattini, had worked with Page on countless sessions, including several with the Yardbirds. John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946) is an English Musician, Composer, arranger, Record

In early September, Page's revised Yardbirds hit the road; fans at the Scandinavian shows were confused by new members, expecting to see Keith Relf up front, but the band quickly found themselves clicking. After this brief tour, Page's new lineup returned home to England to produce, in a very short time, a landmark debut album. Interestingly, what was to become Led Zeppelin was still being billed as "Yard Birds" or "The Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page" as late as October 1968; indeed, some early studio tapes from the Led Zeppelin album were marked as being performed by "The Yardbirds. Led Zeppelin were Led Zeppelin is the debut album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. " One song from the album, "Communication Breakdown", was a re-tooled version of a Yardbirds song, "Nervous Breakdown".

However, a very different band was soon working under a very different identity—reportedly hastened, in part, by a legal threat from Dreja, who claimed that he maintained legal rights to the "Yardbirds" name. The moniker 'Led Zeppelin' was an old inside joke among Page and his closest musical friends, several of whom would later take credit for the idea. Coined as early as 1966, "Lead Zeppelin" was The Who's Keith Moon's tongue-in-cheek description of the prospective "supergroup" that would have comprised himself, John Entwistle, Steve Marriott, Beck and Page, because he felt they would go over "like a lead balloon. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who. John Alec Entwistle ( October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was an English Bass guitarist, Songwriter, Singer Stephen Peter Marriott ( January 30 1947 - April 20 1991) popularly known as Steve Marriott, was a successful and versatile " Once the idea was revived, Plant elected to change the spelling of "lead" so that the name wouldn't be mispronounced, effectively closing the books on the Yardbirds for the rest of the century.

After the Yardbirds

The remaining ex-Yardbirds did not exactly go gently into that good night. Vocalist Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty formed an acoustic-rock group (then very much in vogue) called Together and, with the help of Paul Samwell-Smith, who had gone on to fame as Cat Stevens' producer in 1970, the seminal prog-rock band, Renaissance, which recorded two albums for Island Records over a two-year period. Together is a French house duo consisting of DJ Falcon and one-half of Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter. Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 best known by his former Stage name Cat Stevens, is a British Musician Renaissance were an English Progressive rock band most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" However, the impending dissolution of Renaissance brought on by the hazards of touring caused McCarty to reform the band into a very different lineup, with McCarty himself also soon departing midway through their second album.

Jim McCarty thereafter formed the group called Shoot in 1973, which performed on the BBC several times but never toured, releasing an album called "On the Frontier" and another one that never saw the light of day. Finally, Keith Relf resurfaced in 1975 with a new quartet, Armageddon, a hybrid of hard, thrusting rock and folk that included former Renaissance mate Louis Cennamo. Armageddon was a Hard rock band formed in 1975 in England The supergroup was comprised of drummer Bobby Caldwell, previously a member of Captain Beyond Louis Cennamo (born March 5, 1946, London was bass player with the original line-up of Renaissance and later with Steamhammer, Armageddon They recorded one promising album before Relf died in an electrical accident while playing an ungrounded guitar in his home studio on May 14, 1976. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1977, Illusion was formed, featuring a reunited lineup of the original Renaissance, including drummer Jim McCarty and Keith's sister Jane Relf. Illusion were a British band formed in 1977 They released two albums Out of the Mist and Illusion on Island Records (By this time the Renaissance name was already appropriated by a reinvented lineup fronted by Annie Haslam, thus the original Renaissance assumed the name "Illusion" from the title of their second Renaissance album. Annie Haslam (born 8 June 1944) is an English Progressive rock Vocalist and Songwriter. )

In the 1980s Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja and Paul Samwell-Smith (who had remained Cat Stevens' producer to the day Stevens converted to Islam and withdrew from pop music entirely) offered a nucleus for a short-enough lived but fun-enough kind of Yardbirds semi-reunion called Box of Frogs, which occasionally included Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page plus various friends with whom they'd all recorded over the years. Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 best known by his former Stage name Cat Stevens, is a British Musician Box of Frogs were a band formed in 1983 by former members of The Yardbirds, who released their first album in 1984 Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer

Jim McCarty was also part of a super-group of sorts in the 90s. . . 'The British Invasion All-Stars' with members of Procol Harum, Creation, Nashville Teens, The Downliners Sect and The Pretty Things.

Phil May and Dick Taylor of the The Pretty Things, together with drummer Jim McCarty, recorded 2 albums in Chicago as The Pretty Things-Yardbirds Blues Band "The Chicago Blues Tapes 1991" and "Wine, Women, Whiskey", both produced by George Paulus. The Pretty Things are a Rock and roll band from London. They pioneered a raw approach to Rhythm and blues that influenced a number of key George Paulus (April 23 1948 in Chicago) is an American Record producer, founder and owner of Barrelhouse Records, Negro Rhythm Records, and

The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States All six living musicians who had been part of the group's heyday, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, appeared at the ceremony. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Jeff Beck cracked at the ceremony: "Someone told me that I should be happy, but I'm not. . . because they kicked me out. . . fuck them! (Laughs). . . ".

Reformation

Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja reformed the Yardbirds in the 1990s, with John Idan handling bass and lead vocals, and touring regularly since then with a number of guitarists and harmonica players passing through their ranks. John Idan is the current lead vocalist and bassist for the reformed version of the Yardbirds.

In 2003, a new album, Birdland, was released under the Yardbirds name on the Favored Nations label by a lineup including Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, and new members Gypie Mayo (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Idan (bass, lead vocals) and Alan Glen (harmonica, backing vocals), which consisted of a mixture of new material mostly penned by McCarty and re-recordings of some of their greatest hits, with guest appearances by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash, Brian May, Steve Lukather, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, John Rzeznik, Martin Ditchum and Simon McCarty. Birdland is a 2003 album by English Blues rock band The Yardbirds and was the first Yardbirds release in over 35 years Favored Nations is a Record label started by guitarist Steve Vai and former Guitar Center owner Ray Scherr in 1999 Gypie Mayo (born John Phillip Cawthra 24 July 1951, Hammersmith, London, England) was a British Guitarist for Alan Glen (born 1951 Wuppertal, Germany) is a British Blues Harmonica player best known for his work with The Yardbirds Joseph "Satch" Satriani (born July 15, 1956 in Westbury New York, U Steven "Steve" Siro Vai (born June 6 1960 in Carle Place New York) is an American Instrumental rock Guitarist Saul Hudson (born 23 July 1965 more widely known by his stage name Slash, is an English - African American Guitarist best known as the former Brian Harold May, CBE Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Grammy Award winning Guitarist, Singer, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (born December 13, 1948 in Washington D John Rzeznik (born John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik on December 5, 1965 in Buffalo New York and also known as Johnny Rzeznik) is an Also, Jeff Beck reunited with his former bandmates on the song "My Blind Life". Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English And then there was the rare and improbable guest appearance on stage in 2005 by their first guitarist from the sixties, Top Topham.

Since the release of Birdland, Gypie Mayo has been briefly replaced by Jerry Donahue, and subsequently in 2005 by the then 22-year-old Ben King, while Alan Glen has been replaced by Billy Boy Miskimmon from Nine Below Zero fame. Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is a Guitarist who has played for Poet And The One Man Band Ben King is a British - American professional Lead guitarist who is currently touring with English Blues-rock band The Yardbirds Alan Glen (born 1951 Wuppertal, Germany) is a British Blues Harmonica player best known for his work with The Yardbirds

Note: The Yardbirds released a live 2007 CD, "Live At B. B. King Blues Club" (Favored Nations).

According the Total Rock website. Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are to possibly rejoin the Yardbirds for a reunion tour some time in 2008.

Lead vocalist John Idan would retain his front man position. Ben King would also remain as lead guitarist as any reunion with Page and Beck would be temporary.

The first episode of the 2007/2008 season for "The Simpsons" featured The Yardbirds' "I'm A Man" from the CD "Live At B. B. King Blues Club" (Favored Nations).

Members

Current members

• John Idan - bass, lead vocals (1992-present)
• Ben King - lead guitar (2005-present)
• Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1963-1968, 1992-present)
• Billy Boy Miskimmin - harmonica, percussion (2003-present)
• Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals (1963-1968, 1992-present)

The Yardbirds Line-Ups

(mid 1963 - October 1963)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Anthony "Top" Topham - lead guitar Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar Paul Samwell-Smith - bass, backing vocals Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
(October 1963 - February 1965)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Eric Clapton - lead guitar Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar Paul Samwell-Smith - bass, backing vocals Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Beck replaces Clapton (March 1965 - June 1966)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Jeff Beck - lead guitar, vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar Paul Samwell-Smith - bass, backing vocals Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals, percussion
Page replaces Samwell-Smith (June 1966 - September 1966)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Jeff Beck - lead guitar Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar Jimmy Page - bass, guitar Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Page Switches with Dreja (September 1966 - October 1966)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Jeff Beck - guitar Jimmy Page - guitar Chris Dreja - bass Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Beck is fired (November 1966 - July 1968)	Keith Relf - lead vocals, harmonica Jimmy Page - guitar Chris Dreja - bass Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals, percussion
Disbandment (1968-1992)
Reformation (1992)	Chris Dreja - guitar Rod Demick - bass, harmonica Jim McCarty - drums, vocals
Idan Joins (1992 - 1993)	John Idan - lead guitar, lead vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals Rod Demick - bass, harmonica, backing vocals Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Idan replaces Demick, Garman and Majors join (1994 - 1995)	Ray Majors - lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Laurie Garman - harmonica Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Mayo replaces Majors (1995 - 1996)	Gypie Mayo - lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Laurie Garman - harmonica Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Glen replaces Garman (1996 - 2003)	Gypie Mayo - lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Alan Glen - harmonica, percussion Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Miskimmin replaces Glen (2003 - 2004)	Gypie Mayo - lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Billy Boy Miskimmin - harmonica, percussion Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
Donahue replaces Mayo (2004 - 2005)	Jerry Donahue - lead guitar Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Billy Boy Miskimmin - harmonica, percussion Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals
King replaces Donahue (2005 - Present)	Ben King - lead guitar Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals John Idan - bass, lead vocals Billy Boy Miskimmin - harmonica, percussion Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals

Discography

See The Yardbirds discography

Notes

External links

• Official Site
• Yardbirds American Website
• The Yardbirds Official Website In French
• Favored Nations Yardbirds Page
• http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/yardbird_sect/ The Yardbird Sect (Fan site)
• The Yardbirds and The Marquee Club

Interviews

• Interview with Jim McCarty on Trilogy Rock (Spain)

Keith Relf (born William Keith Relf on March 22, 1943 - May 14, 1976) is best known as the Lead singer and Harmonica player A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Anthony "Top" Topham is a rock guitarist from England Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Christopher 'Chris' Dreja (born 11 November 1946, Surbiton, Surrey, England) is former Rhythm guitarist, and later Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) was a founding member and Bassist of the 1960s English The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A backing vocalist or backing singer (or especially in the US For the guitarist see Jim McCarty (guitarist. Jim McCarty (born James Stanley McCarty 25 July 1943, Liverpool A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Keith Relf (born William Keith Relf on March 22, 1943 - May 14, 1976) is best known as the Lead singer and Harmonica player A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Christopher 'Chris' Dreja (born 11 November 1946, Surbiton, Surrey, England) is former Rhythm guitarist, and later Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) was a founding member and Bassist of the 1960s English The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A backing vocalist or backing singer (or especially in the US For the guitarist see Jim McCarty (guitarist. Jim McCarty (born James Stanley McCarty 25 July 1943, Liverpool A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles John Idan is the current lead vocalist and bassist for the reformed version of the Yardbirds. Gypie Mayo (born John Phillip Cawthra 24 July 1951, Hammersmith, London, England) was a British Guitarist for Alan Glen (born 1951 Wuppertal, Germany) is a British Blues Harmonica player best known for his work with The Yardbirds Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is a Guitarist who has played for Poet And The One Man Band Ben King is a British - American professional Lead guitarist who is currently touring with English Blues-rock band The Yardbirds The Yardbirds discography Albums The Yardbirds - Columbia July 1966 (eponymous U

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