Halasían
A Retired Dúnedain Ranger Fishing Lake Evendim
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Chris Dreja (Rhythm guitarist on the far left in this video) was one of the teenage founding members of the Yardbirds in 1963 along with Keith Relf (lead singer), Anthony 'Top' Topham (Lead Guitar), Paul Samwell Smith (bass) and Dave Carty (drums). Eric Clapton replaced Topham shortly before they recorded their first songs, and later Jeff Beck took over lead guitar when Eric joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1965. At one Yardbirds show, Eric and Jeff miscommunicated and neither showed up, so Chris Dreja played both lead and rhythm guitar and did quite well in the rare early four-man Yardbirds line-up.
In 1966, the Yardbiirds bass player Paul Samwell Smith got the irrits and stormed off after a live show, and Jeff Beck asked his friend Jimmy Page if he could stand in as bassist for their booked live shows until Paul got his head together. When it became clear that Paul wasn't coming back, Jimmy Page officially joined the band on bass. Chris Dreja told Jimmy he was a much better guitarist then he ever would be, so they gradually changed positions over several live shows, and the 'duo-lead' guitar Yardbirds was born. Jeff Beck would soon leave the Yardbirds and go solo, leaving Jimmy Page as sole band guitarist.
In 1968 when Keith Relf and Dave Carty called it quits, Jimmy Page and Peter Grant, the band's manager, scrambled to get some people together to fulfill the booked Yardbirds shows. They got Robert Plant and John Bonham on board, and Jimmy asked Chris if he wanted to continue on as bassist. But Chris decided he had enough of touring and instead pursued his photography hobby into a profession. This opened the door for John Paul Jones to join 'The New Yardbirds, who later changed their name to Led Zeppelin. One of the first professional photography jobs Chris Dreja did was take promotional photos of Led Zeppelin, and the faces on the back of Led Zeppelin 1 were Chris's photos.
Chris was relatively successful with his business, and he also got into some acting. He returned to playing in a band when The Box of Frogs formed with ex-Yardbirds drummer Dave Carty and bassist Paul Samwell Smith in 1983. John Fiddler was the lead singer. The band name was a reference to some of the guest musicians that played on album tracks, namely, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, but the band only managed two albums and disbanded in 1986. In 1992, Chris along with Dave Carty joined a 'new' Yardbirds with bassist/singer John Idan. Chris played with Dave and various other musicians under the Yardbird name until he had a stroke in 2012. He never recovered fully and his band playing days were over. He did do some photography until recently, but was never in very good health. He passed away in September 2025 at age 79.
Chris is 2nd from the right in this early 1964 photo. The others are from left to right Keith Relf, Eric Clapton, Dave Carty, and Paul Samwell Smith.
Chris is front-center in this 1966 promotional photo. The others from left to right are Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Relf, and Dave Carty.
The Yardbirds on stage shortly after Jimmy Page joined on bass. Left to right: Dave Carty on drums; Chris Dreja on Rhythm Guitar: Jimmy Page on Bass; Jeff Beck on lead guitar.
In 1966, the Yardbiirds bass player Paul Samwell Smith got the irrits and stormed off after a live show, and Jeff Beck asked his friend Jimmy Page if he could stand in as bassist for their booked live shows until Paul got his head together. When it became clear that Paul wasn't coming back, Jimmy Page officially joined the band on bass. Chris Dreja told Jimmy he was a much better guitarist then he ever would be, so they gradually changed positions over several live shows, and the 'duo-lead' guitar Yardbirds was born. Jeff Beck would soon leave the Yardbirds and go solo, leaving Jimmy Page as sole band guitarist.
In 1968 when Keith Relf and Dave Carty called it quits, Jimmy Page and Peter Grant, the band's manager, scrambled to get some people together to fulfill the booked Yardbirds shows. They got Robert Plant and John Bonham on board, and Jimmy asked Chris if he wanted to continue on as bassist. But Chris decided he had enough of touring and instead pursued his photography hobby into a profession. This opened the door for John Paul Jones to join 'The New Yardbirds, who later changed their name to Led Zeppelin. One of the first professional photography jobs Chris Dreja did was take promotional photos of Led Zeppelin, and the faces on the back of Led Zeppelin 1 were Chris's photos.
Chris was relatively successful with his business, and he also got into some acting. He returned to playing in a band when The Box of Frogs formed with ex-Yardbirds drummer Dave Carty and bassist Paul Samwell Smith in 1983. John Fiddler was the lead singer. The band name was a reference to some of the guest musicians that played on album tracks, namely, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, but the band only managed two albums and disbanded in 1986. In 1992, Chris along with Dave Carty joined a 'new' Yardbirds with bassist/singer John Idan. Chris played with Dave and various other musicians under the Yardbird name until he had a stroke in 2012. He never recovered fully and his band playing days were over. He did do some photography until recently, but was never in very good health. He passed away in September 2025 at age 79.
Chris is 2nd from the right in this early 1964 photo. The others are from left to right Keith Relf, Eric Clapton, Dave Carty, and Paul Samwell Smith.
Chris is front-center in this 1966 promotional photo. The others from left to right are Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Relf, and Dave Carty.
The Yardbirds on stage shortly after Jimmy Page joined on bass. Left to right: Dave Carty on drums; Chris Dreja on Rhythm Guitar: Jimmy Page on Bass; Jeff Beck on lead guitar.
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