Chris Dreja, one of the five original members of the Yardbirds, has died. The guitarist was 79.
His death was confirmed by his sister-in-law, Muriel Levy, on Threads.
“This is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band the Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player, has passed away after years of health problems,” she wrote.
“I share the pain with my sister Kate, who took care of him during all those years, and his daughter Jackie. … May he RIP.”
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Dreja was born in Surrey, England, in 1945, and was introduced to guitarist Top Topham by his brother. The duo made their debut live performance at a show by British blues singer Duster Bennett, which also featured Dreja’s future Yardbirds bandmate Jimmy Page.
Topham and Dreja formed the Metropolitan Blues Quartet in 1963; singer Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty and guitarist Paul Samwell-Smith joined soon after. They renamed themselves the Yardbirds the same year.
After Topham quit the band, he was replaced by Eric Clapton, and it wasn’t long before the quintet started to make a name for themselves with their energetic live shows around England.
What Yardbirds Songs Did Chris Dreja Play On?
Over the next few years, the Yardbirds released a string of Top 10 singles, including “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul” and “Evil Hearted You,” as well as an influential concert album, Five Live Yardbirds.
Frustrated with the blues group’s push toward a commercial sound, Clapton exited in 1965 and was replaced by Jeff Beck. With their new guitarist, the Yardbirds recorded a self-titled 1966 album, better known as Roger the Engineer, which included a cover drawing by Dreja.
The guitarist was also responsible for cowriting many of the songs on the album. Later that year, Samwell-Smith left the band and was replaced by Page. Dreja then switched over to bass. Before long, Beck was out of the band, too.
What Did Chris Dreja Do After the Yardbirds?
The Yardbirds broke up in 1968, with Page temporarily considering naming his new group the New Yardbirds before changing it to Led Zeppelin. Dreja was asked to join the band but declined to pursue his interest in photography. (He shot the back portrait of the band on Led Zeppelin’s debut album.)
In 1983, Dreja was a member of the band Box of Frogs, alongside former Yardbirds members Samwell-Smith and McCarty; they released two albums before breaking up in 1986.
The Yardbirds, with Dreja and McCarty, reformed in 1992 and continued to play with the band until 2013, when he quit after a series of strokes. He was replaced in the group by Topham. (Topham died in 2023.)
Dreja’s health continued to worsen over the year before his death.
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Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
