(This is supplemental information to a newspaper article about the Yardbirds that's running tomorrow.)
1963: Formed in Richmond, England, by Keith Relf, vocals and harmonica; Paul Samwell-Smith, bass guitar; Chris Dreja, rhythm guitar; Jim McCarty, drums; and Anthony "Top" Topham, lead guitar. Topham is replaced by Eric Clapton, 18, whose style earns him the nickname "Slowhand."
1964: The band's first single, "I Wish You Would," is released in the U.K. in June but fails to chart. The follow-up, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," hits the shelves in October and reaches No. 64.
1965: The single "For Your Love" is released in March and climbs to No. 3 in Britain. In May, it is released in the United States, where it reaches No. 6, the Yardbirds' highest-charting American single. Clapton, whose guitar playing is featured on the B-side, "Got to Hurry," decides to leave the band. His replacement is Jeff Beck, 20.
1966: Following a trio of Top 3 British singles the previous year, the band releases the socially conscious "Shapes of Things," a group-composed song that makes for another No. 3 in the U.K. (No. 11 in the States). The next single, "Over Under Sideways Down," also is a hit. The band releases its first album, "The Yardbirds" (also known as "Roger the Engineer"). Session guitarist Jimmy Page joins the band to replace Samwell-Smith, who opts for a career in production. Dreja switches to bass, and Beck and Page play double lead guitar on the single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago." Despite the high quality of the song, it stalls at No. 30 in America and fails to crack the Top 40 in Britain. Beck decides to exit the band, shortly after the five-piece is filmed for inclusion in the motion picture "Blow Up."
1967: The quartet of Relf, Page, Dreja and McCarty records the second Yardbirds album, "Little Games," which is released only in the United States and barely scrapes the charts. The same holds true for several singles released during the year.
1968: The Yardbirds' final single, "Good Night Sweet Josephine," is withdrawn shortly after its release in March. The B-side, "Think About It," is a hard-rock number featuring a scorching guitar solo by Page, setting the stage for the type of music he'd perform in his next band. The Yardbirds break up during the summer; Relf and McCarty form a folk duo called Together, while Page and Dreja continue for a while as the New Yardbirds. Dreja drops out for a career in photography, and Page rechristens the band - now including Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham - as Led Zeppelin.
1971: Capitalizing on the worldwide success of Led Zeppelin, Epic Records releases "Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page," an album taken from a March 1968 concert. Page is successful in his bid to have the album removed from the shelves, and it has been a collector's item since.
1976: Relf, 33, is electrocuted when he touches a faulty amplifier.
1984: Dreja, McCarty and Samwell-Smith release an album under the group name Box of Frogs. The studio venture also includes Beck, Irish guitar whiz Rory Gallagher and jazz keyboardist Max Middleton as guests, along with vocalist John Fiddler. "Box of Frogs" reaches No. 45 on the American charts.
1986: "Strange Land," the second and final Box of Frogs album, is released.
1992: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Yardbirds.
1995: Dreja, McCarty and Topham re-form the Yardbirds, along with vocalist-bassist John Idan and harmonica player Ray Majors. Topham later is replaced by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Gypie Mayo, and Majors by former Nine Below Zero harp player Alan Glen.
2003: "Birdland," the first new Yardbirds album since 1967, hits the shelves. It features a host of guest guitarists, including Steve Vai, who releases the album on his Favored Nations label. Others include Joe Satriani, Brian May, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - and Jeff Beck.
2006: In addition to Dreja, McCarty and Idan, the band now includes harp player Billy-Boy Miskimmin and lead guitarist Ben King.
1963: Formed in Richmond, England, by Keith Relf, vocals and harmonica; Paul Samwell-Smith, bass guitar; Chris Dreja, rhythm guitar; Jim McCarty, drums; and Anthony "Top" Topham, lead guitar. Topham is replaced by Eric Clapton, 18, whose style earns him the nickname "Slowhand."
1964: The band's first single, "I Wish You Would," is released in the U.K. in June but fails to chart. The follow-up, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," hits the shelves in October and reaches No. 64.
1965: The single "For Your Love" is released in March and climbs to No. 3 in Britain. In May, it is released in the United States, where it reaches No. 6, the Yardbirds' highest-charting American single. Clapton, whose guitar playing is featured on the B-side, "Got to Hurry," decides to leave the band. His replacement is Jeff Beck, 20.
1966: Following a trio of Top 3 British singles the previous year, the band releases the socially conscious "Shapes of Things," a group-composed song that makes for another No. 3 in the U.K. (No. 11 in the States). The next single, "Over Under Sideways Down," also is a hit. The band releases its first album, "The Yardbirds" (also known as "Roger the Engineer"). Session guitarist Jimmy Page joins the band to replace Samwell-Smith, who opts for a career in production. Dreja switches to bass, and Beck and Page play double lead guitar on the single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago." Despite the high quality of the song, it stalls at No. 30 in America and fails to crack the Top 40 in Britain. Beck decides to exit the band, shortly after the five-piece is filmed for inclusion in the motion picture "Blow Up."
1967: The quartet of Relf, Page, Dreja and McCarty records the second Yardbirds album, "Little Games," which is released only in the United States and barely scrapes the charts. The same holds true for several singles released during the year.
1968: The Yardbirds' final single, "Good Night Sweet Josephine," is withdrawn shortly after its release in March. The B-side, "Think About It," is a hard-rock number featuring a scorching guitar solo by Page, setting the stage for the type of music he'd perform in his next band. The Yardbirds break up during the summer; Relf and McCarty form a folk duo called Together, while Page and Dreja continue for a while as the New Yardbirds. Dreja drops out for a career in photography, and Page rechristens the band - now including Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham - as Led Zeppelin.
1971: Capitalizing on the worldwide success of Led Zeppelin, Epic Records releases "Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page," an album taken from a March 1968 concert. Page is successful in his bid to have the album removed from the shelves, and it has been a collector's item since.
1976: Relf, 33, is electrocuted when he touches a faulty amplifier.
1984: Dreja, McCarty and Samwell-Smith release an album under the group name Box of Frogs. The studio venture also includes Beck, Irish guitar whiz Rory Gallagher and jazz keyboardist Max Middleton as guests, along with vocalist John Fiddler. "Box of Frogs" reaches No. 45 on the American charts.
1986: "Strange Land," the second and final Box of Frogs album, is released.
1992: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Yardbirds.
1995: Dreja, McCarty and Topham re-form the Yardbirds, along with vocalist-bassist John Idan and harmonica player Ray Majors. Topham later is replaced by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Gypie Mayo, and Majors by former Nine Below Zero harp player Alan Glen.
2003: "Birdland," the first new Yardbirds album since 1967, hits the shelves. It features a host of guest guitarists, including Steve Vai, who releases the album on his Favored Nations label. Others include Joe Satriani, Brian May, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - and Jeff Beck.
2006: In addition to Dreja, McCarty and Idan, the band now includes harp player Billy-Boy Miskimmin and lead guitarist Ben King.
1 Comments:
Thank you very much for your concise chronology of the Yardbirds.
It helped me a lot to put their career and discography in the right perspective.
All the best,
Mick Wilbury
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