“I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had”: Jimmy Page pays tribute to original Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja, who has died aged 79

Chris Dreja, one of the founding members of the Yardbirds, has died aged 79.

His passing, just weeks before his 80th birthday, has been confirmed by author and former Decca Records press officer David Stark. The guitarist had been battling a long-term illness.

Dreja was a continual and integral force in a band that pushed the electric guitar to new heights in the 1960s, and that helped launch the careers of three British guitar greats: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page.

Born in Surrey on November 11th, 1945, Dreja grew up in post-war Britain and as American imports increased, he became highly influenced by the music of Duane Eddy and Chuck Berry.

He befriended fellow guitarist Top Topham while studying at the same pre-college art program. Influenced by folk and blues, they ditched acoustic guitars for electrics, and their tandem would become a key foundation for the Yardbirds.

The band established itself in the burgeoning British rhythm and blues scene, taking over from the Rolling Stones as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond.

Topham was later replaced by Eric Clapton, while Dreja handled rhythm guitar duties during the Clapton and Beck eras. He pivoted to bass upon Samwell-Smith’s departure, after an initial three-month spell with Jimmy Page on bass.

Dreja co-wrote a score of songs on the Yardbirds record, which has become lovingly known as Roger the Engineer due to the cover art, which he drew. It’s the only record to have featured Jeff Beck on all of its tracks.

The Yardbirds - Jimmy Page on Bass, with Jeff Beck. Best Version. Improved Sound. 1966. Full Show. - YouTube

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When the band broke up in 1968, Page reportedly asked Dreja to play bass in his new band, which would become Led Zeppelin. He declined to pursue his love for photography.

But that didn’t end the pair’s working relationship, with Dreja going on to shoot the back cover of their debut album and photograph the band multiple times. He was said to have enjoyed the anonymity of being associated with photography over his role in the Yardbirds.

He would also go on to shoot Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Ike and Tina Turner, and many more big cultural figures.

Page has since reacted to the news, highlighting the vigour with which Dreja played, regardless of instrument.

“I heard today of the passing of musician Chris Dreja, who passionately played with the iconic Yardbirds, on rhythm guitar and then the bass,” he writes on Instagram. “I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had. RIP Chris.”

In later life, Dreja played in the Yardbirds spin-off, Box of Frogs, in the 1980s, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He then returned to rhythm guitar on the Yardbirds' 2003 comeback album, Birdland.