die Chris Drejaco-founder of The Yardbirdsat seventy-nine years old. The cause has been a combination of different ailments and strokes.
Chris Dreja, rhythm guitarist and later bassist of The Yardbirds, died on September 25 in a London residence due to complications from several strokes and chronic lung disease. He was 79 years old. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Jacqueline Dreja Zamboni, to the New York Times, although it has recently leaked to the media.
Dreja was one of the founding members of The Yardbirds in 1963. Although the group became known to guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy PageDreja played a fundamental role in the group’s rhythmic structure, especially in the instrumental sections that marked the sound of classic rock.
He began as a rhythm guitarist and, after the departure of the bassist Paul Samwell-Smith In 1966, he took over the bass until the group dissolved in 1968. After the separation, Page invited him to join the first Led Zeppelin lineup, but Dreja rejected the offer to dedicate himself to photography. In that capacity, he captured artists such as Bob Dylan, Ike and Tina Turner, and Andy Warhol. He was also the author of the photo on the back of Led Zeppelin’s first album in 1969.
Born in 1945 in Kingston Upon Thames, England, Dreja became interested in rock in his teens. He formed his first band with Anthony “Top” Topham, original guitarist of the Yardbirds. With the arrival of Keith Relf (vocals), Jim McCarty (drums) and Paul Samwell-Smith (bass), the band adopted the final name and soon became a regular presence in London clubs, replacing the Rolling Stones at the Crawdaddy club.
Between 1964 and 1967, The Yardbirds released five albums, including “Five Live Yardbirds”, “For Your Love” and “Little Games”.
In the eighties, Dreja returned to music with the project Box Of Frogsalong with McCarty and Samwell-Smith. In 1992, The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, Dreja helped reform the band, with which he recorded “Birdland” in 2003, an album with collaborations by guitarists as popular as Brian May (Queen), Slash (Guns N’Roses) and Steve Vai. He retired permanently in 2013 for health reasons.
