The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
	The Yardbirds, 1966. From left: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Blues rock; psychedelic rock; rhythm and blues;
Discography	The Yardbirds discography
Years active	1963–1968; 1992–present;
Labels	Columbia (UK); Epic (US);
Spinoffs	Led Zeppelin; Renaissance; Box of Frogs;
Members	Jim McCarty; Kenny Aaronson; John Idan; Godfrey Townsend; Myke Scavone;
Past members	See List of the Yardbirds members
Website	theyardbirds.com

The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists.^[5] The band's other members during 1963–1968 were vocalist/harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, with Dreja switching to bass when Samwell-Smith departed in 1966. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".

Originally a blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks,^[6] the Yardbirds broadened their range into pop, pioneered psychedelic rock and early hard rock, and contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s. Some rock critics and historians also cite their influence on the later punk rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal trends.^[7]^[6] Following the band's split in 1968, Relf and McCarty formed Renaissance and Page formed Led Zeppelin. The Yardbirds re-formed in the 1990s, featuring McCarty and Dreja as the only original members. Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.^[8] They were included at number 89 in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.^[9]^[10]

^
The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as blues rock:
- Knowles, Christopher (2010). The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll. Viva Editions. ISBN 978-1573444057.
- Talevski, Nick (1999). The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 356. ISBN 978-0711975484.
- Witmer, Scott (2009). History of Rock Bands. Abdo Publishing Company. p. 18. ISBN 978-1604536928.
- Wadhams, Wayne (2001). Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation (Pop Culture). Omnibus Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0634014307.
^
The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as psychedelic rock:
- Cochran, Bobby (2003). The Eddie Cochran Story: Three Steps to Heaven. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 43. ISBN 978-0634032523.
- Cope, Julian (2007). Japrocksampler: How the Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll. Bloomsbury UK. ISBN 978-0747589457.
- Frank Reddon (10 July 2012). Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. - Break and Enter. eBookIt.com. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-9784446-5-5.
- Michael Campbell; James Brody (27 February 2007). Rock and Roll: An Introduction. Cengage Learning. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-111-79453-8.
^
The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as rhythm and blues:
- Dave Marsh; James Bernard (1 November 1994). New Book of Rock Lists. Simon and Schuster. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-671-78700-4.
- Phil Thompson (2007). The Best of Cellars: The Story of the Cavern Club. Tempus. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7524-4202-0.
- Nigel Williamson (2007). The Rough Guide to the Blues. Rough Guides. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-84353-519-5.
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. 1998. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7535-0241-9.
^ Ramirez, AJ (8 August 2012). "5 Great Bands (Spun Off from Other Great Bands)". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
^ "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b "The Yardbirds Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
^ Bangs 2003, eBook.
^ "The Yardbirds: inducted in 1992". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2012
^ VH1: '100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists': 1–50. VH1:Rock on the Net. Retrieved 16 April 2012
^ Tyler, Steven. "The Yardbirds: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2012

[1] The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as blues rock:
Knowles, Christopher (2010). The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll. Viva Editions. ISBN 978-1573444057.

Talevski, Nick (1999). The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 356. ISBN 978-0711975484.

Witmer, Scott (2009). History of Rock Bands. Abdo Publishing Company. p. 18. ISBN 978-1604536928.

Wadhams, Wayne (2001). Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation (Pop Culture). Omnibus Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0634014307.

[2] Knowles, Christopher (2010). The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll. Viva Editions. ISBN 978-1573444057.

[3] Talevski, Nick (1999). The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 356. ISBN 978-0711975484.

[4] Witmer, Scott (2009). History of Rock Bands. Abdo Publishing Company. p. 18. ISBN 978-1604536928.

[5] Wadhams, Wayne (2001). Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation (Pop Culture). Omnibus Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0634014307.

[2] The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as psychedelic rock:
Cochran, Bobby (2003). The Eddie Cochran Story: Three Steps to Heaven. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 43. ISBN 978-0634032523.

Cope, Julian (2007). Japrocksampler: How the Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll. Bloomsbury UK. ISBN 978-0747589457.

Frank Reddon (10 July 2012). Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. - Break and Enter. eBookIt.com. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-9784446-5-5.

Michael Campbell; James Brody (27 February 2007). Rock and Roll: An Introduction. Cengage Learning. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-111-79453-8.

[7] Cochran, Bobby (2003). The Eddie Cochran Story: Three Steps to Heaven. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 43. ISBN 978-0634032523.

[8] Cope, Julian (2007). Japrocksampler: How the Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll. Bloomsbury UK. ISBN 978-0747589457.

[9] Frank Reddon (10 July 2012). Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. - Break and Enter. eBookIt.com. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-9784446-5-5.

[10] Michael Campbell; James Brody (27 February 2007). Rock and Roll: An Introduction. Cengage Learning. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-111-79453-8.

[3] The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as rhythm and blues:
Dave Marsh; James Bernard (1 November 1994). New Book of Rock Lists. Simon and Schuster. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-671-78700-4.

Phil Thompson (2007). The Best of Cellars: The Story of the Cavern Club. Tempus. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7524-4202-0.

Nigel Williamson (2007). The Rough Guide to the Blues. Rough Guides. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-84353-519-5.

The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. 1998. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7535-0241-9.

[12] Dave Marsh; James Bernard (1 November 1994). New Book of Rock Lists. Simon and Schuster. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-671-78700-4.

[13] Phil Thompson (2007). The Best of Cellars: The Story of the Cavern Club. Tempus. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7524-4202-0.

[14] Nigel Williamson (2007). The Rough Guide to the Blues. Rough Guides. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-84353-519-5.

[15] The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. 1998. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7535-0241-9.

[4] Ramirez, AJ (8 August 2012). "5 Great Bands (Spun Off from Other Great Bands)". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

[5] "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2017.

[The_Yardbirds_Biography-6] "The Yardbirds Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 April 2017.

[FOOTNOTEBangs2003eBook-7] Bangs 2003, eBook.

[8] "The Yardbirds: inducted in 1992". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2012

[9] VH1: '100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists': 1–50. VH1:Rock on the Net. Retrieved 16 April 2012

[10] Tyler, Steven. "The Yardbirds: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2012

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