The Yardbirds
Keith Relf: vocals & harmonica
b. 22 March 1943, London; d. 14 May 76
Paul Samwell-Smith: bass
b. 8 May 1943
Eric Clapton: guitar
b. 30 March 1945, Ripley, England
Jim McCarty: drums
b. 25 July 1943, Liverpool
Chris Dreja: guitar
b. 11 November 1945; London
Following in the footsteps of the Stones, the Yardbirds established themselves as an even more authentic blues band famed for their live performances as well as for the guitarists who played with them.
 
1962   []
June-October: Richmond friends Samwell-Smith, Relf, McCarty, Dreja, and Tony Topham (guitar) form a blues and rhythm-and-blues band.
 
1963   []
June: "The Yardbirds" form out of members from the Metropolis Blues Quartet in southwest London, replacing the original guitarist, "Top" Topham, with Eric Clapton.
October: Georgio Gomelsky becomes their manager and they replace the Stones as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond. They later secure a regular Friday night gig at the Marquee.
December: Accompany Sonny Boy Williamson at the Crawdaddy (becomes LP).
 
1964 [KR and PS-S age 20-21; EC age 18-19; CD age 17-18]
June: "I Wish You Would" / "A Certain Girl" [Columbia DB 7283]
October: "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" / "I Ain't Got You" [Columbia DB 7391]
 
1965   [KR and PS-S age 21-22; EC age 19-20; CD age 18-19]
February: Five Live Yardbirds [LP]: "Too Much Monkey Business," "Respectable," "Got to Hurry," "I'm Not Talking," "Putty in Your Hands," "I Ain't Got You," "Pretty Girl," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" / "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Got Love If You Want It," "Five Long Years," "I'm a Man," "Here 'tis," "Louise," "I Ain't Done Nothin' Wrong."
3 March: Clapton leaves in dispute over artistic direction. Jeff Beck arrives.
5 March: "For Your Love" / "Got to Hurry" [UK #3]
5 March. Jeff Beck appears for the first time with the Yardbirds at Fairfield Hall, Croydon.
May: "For Your Love" / "I'm Not Talking" [US #6]
4 June. "Heart Full of Soul" [UK #2] / "Steeled Blues" [Columbia DB 7499]
5 July: For Your Love [LP US release]: "For Your Love," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "I'm a Man," "I Wish I Could," "A Certain Girl," "Got to Hurry," "Heartful of Soul," "Shapes of Things," "Steeled Blues," "You're a Better Man than I," "Someone to Love (parts 1 and 2)"
2 September. Departure for NY and their first North American tour.
1 October. "Evil Hearted You" [UK #3] / "Still I'm Sad" [UK Columbia DB 7706]
11 October. "I'm a Man" / "Still I'm Sad" [US #17]
29 November. Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds [recorded at various British and US studios including Chess in Chicago and Sam Phillips in Memphis as well as the Marquee Club. [LP released in US only, US # 53]
1966
25 February. "Shapes of Things" / "You're a Better Man Than I" Columbia DB 7948 [UK #3]
12 April. The Yardbirds announce that Giorigio Gomelsky is no longer their manager. Simon Napier-Bell becomes their new manager.
19-20 April. Recording sessions at Advision Studios, New Bond Street, London.
May. Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page consider quitting form a new band with Keith Moon and John Entwhistle.Moon and Entwhistle's suggested name for the group? Lead Zeppelin.
1 May. Performance at New Musical Express 1966 Poll Winner's Concert, Wembly
16-17 May. Jeff Beck records "Beck's Bolero" with Jimmy Page, John Baldwin (John Paul Jones), Nicky Hopkins, and Keith Moon.
27 May. "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" [UK #10] / "Jeff's Boogie" [Columbia DB 7928]
18 June. Jimmy Page joins the band on stage as a bass player at The Queen's College, Oxford University after Paul Samwell-Smith quits in disgust when Keith Relf shows up drunk.
18 July. The Yardbirds ("Roger the Engineer"): "Lost Woman," "Over Under Sideways Dwn," The Nazz Are Blue," "I Can't Make Your Way," "Rack My Mind," and "Farewell" / "Hot House of Omagararshid," "Jeff's Boogie," "He's Always There," "Turn into Earh," "What Do YOu Want?," and "Ever Since the World Began." [UK Columbia SX/SCX 6063; UK #20]
3-5 October. The Yardbirds film a scene for Michalangelo Anonioni's film, Blow Up.
Ready, Steady, Go! July 1966
21 October. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" [UK #43] / "Psycho Daisies" [UK Columbia DB 8024]
November. Jeff Beck walks off the Yardbirds American tour, probably somewhere in Texas.
1967
April. "Little Games" / "Puzzles"
——. Greatest Hits [LP]
June. "Ha Ha, Said the Clown" / "Tinker Tailor" [US #45]
August. Little Games
October. "Ten Little Indians" / "Drinkin' Muddy Water"
 
1968
March. "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" / "Think about It"
The Yardbirds disband.
 
References:
Frame 1993: 5-6; Joynson 1995: 585-87; Strong 1995: 923-24.
Yardbirds. Video PN1998.2.M87 V3 1991 (60 mins).
The Yardbirds Story (51 minutes)
British Blues Schedule London
  29-may-16