Meanwhile Keith Relf already had an idea where to find a more-than-suitable replacement. Teenage Tony was persuaded to step down, though he was soon playing again with The Grebbells, another Gomelsky band. Before long the group had taken over the Rolling Stones residency, and found themselves working five or six nights a week, much to the dismay of Mr. Joe, about the humorous antics of a pair of army “foul-ups.” Google it now, and all you’ll get is “chicken,” or the suggestion that it means a prisoner cooped up in a compound.Įstablishing themselves at other London venues like the Station Hotel Harrow, and the Studio 51 club off Leicester Square, the band plucked up the courage to approach Russian emigré Giorgio Gomelsky, manager of Richmond’s Crawdaddy Club, for representation. It was also the title of a short-lived 1950’s American comic book, a spin-off from the more famous G.I. Vocalist Keith Relf suggested The Yardbirds, and at the time it was widely accepted that the name referred to a kind of American hobo or vagrant, a ‘bird’ who hung around the rail yards looking to hitch a ride on a train. They found one in talented sixteen-year old Tony Topham, and with the new line-up came a new name. They began as The Metropolis Blues Quartet, and it was only when guitarist Paul Samwell Smith decided to change to bass that a fifth member was sought. But in their heyday they counted among their number not one, not two, but three guitarists who are now considered international rock stars. There was little hint of the pop promise that would soon see them riding high in the UK charts, and no suggestion that they’d end up giving birth to the world’s most successful heavy rock band. In their earliest incarnation, The Yardbirds were a straightforward Blues and R&B covers band, though competent enough to back Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) when he toured Europe. Personnel: Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell Smith, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. The song that is perhaps the best example of their work: “I’m A Man” (any version.)Īssociated bands: The Metropolis Blues Quartet, The Roosters, The Grebbells, The Tridents, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, The Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Renaissance, Box Of Frogs, The Pretty Things/Yardbirds Blues Band. Contribution to British Blues: Three of the world’s greatest guitaristsĪlbum to get: “The Yardbirds” (now known as “Roger the Engineer”)

Eric clapton yardbirds