The Yardbirds
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
The Yardbirds were a popular English rock band. Three of the most famous rock guitarists of all time, Eric Clapton, "Jimmy Page" and "Jeff Beck" were former members of the band. One of their hit single was "For Your Love". In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the group on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Contents |
Members
- Ben King
- Chris Dreja
- John Idan
- Billy Boy Miskimmin
- Jim McCarthy
Former Members
- Top Topham
- Eric Clapton
- Paul Samwell-Smith
- Jeff Beck
- Keith Relf
- Jimmy Page
- Rod Demick
- Ray Majors
- Laurie Garman
- Alan Glen
- Gypie Mayo
About
The Yardbirds were originally called Metropolitan Blues Quartet, which was formed in the year 1962 at London, England. In 1963, the group, headed by, Chris Dreja on rhythm guitar, Jim McCarthy in drums, Paul Smith on bass and Anthony Topham on lead guitar changed their name to The Yardbirds. Anthony left the group and replaced by Keith's classmate, Eric Clapton.
The band became popular in London, which took over the fame of The Rolling Stones. The Yardbirds became a backup band of Chicago Blues. They released their live album, Five Live Yardbirds in 1964. With Eric Clapton on their side, the band became very popular. They released their single, "For Your Love" which reached number two in Britain's chart and number six in the United States.
In 1965, Eric strated to dislike the sound that the band had, so he left the group and joined another band, Bluebreakers. "Jimmy Page" was offered to join The Yardbirds, but he declined the offer. Page recommended another well-known guitarist, "Jeff Beck" who was playing with another band, The Tridents. In that year, they released a pair of albums in the United States.
Jeff's participation in the group produced memorable hit singles such as "Heart Full of Soul", "I'm A Man" and "Shapes of Things". Paul decided to leave the group, with Jimmy Page replacing him. In 1966, Jeff left the group, giving Jimmy the lead guitarist spot.
In 1967, most of their singles and albums flopped. Some members left the group. In 1968, the band decided to disband. Jimmy formed a new lineup for the band, which consisted of John Bonham, John Paul Jones and Jimmy. They were called The New Yardbirds. They soon went on tour and released some more albums.
In 1992, The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In that year, the original members of the band, Jim and Chris decided to reformed the group, with John Idan playing bass. In 2003, they released their album, Birdland. Jeff reunited with his former bandmates for the song, "My Blind Life"
Awards & Certifications
Chart Toppers
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for The Yardbirds.
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
 |
 |
 |
 Blue Eyed Blues
1972 |
Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | For Your Love/Hush | Collectables |
| 2005 | Shapes of Things | Magic |
Compilations & Live Releases
 |
 The Yardbirds Greatest Hits
April 1967 |
 |
|
 Story
1972 |
|||
 The Single Hits
1982 |
 Our Own Sound
1983 |
||
 25 Greatest Hits
1992 |
|||
 The Very Best Of
1996 |
|||
 Cumular Limit
2000 |
 Ultimate!
2001 |
||
 |
 |
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
Reviews
The Yardbirds are the greatest guitar English Rock band. The band that established the supremacy of the guitar, granting dignity to the rock solo and pioneering the use of dissonant techniques such as feedback and fuzztone. They invented the "rave-up" the fast, wild, reckless blues spasm that would serve as the foundation of rock music for the rest of the decade. --Autolady006 01:33, 4 April 2007 (PDT)
