Goodbye to Chris Dreja of the Yardbirds: Jimmy Page’s message
Chris Dreja, musician, photographer and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was missing, at the age of 79, co-founder of the Yardbirds pioneering band, of which he was guitarist and then bassist, as well as co-author of many of the group’s songs. The sad news was given on social media by his sister -in -law and his former bandmate Jimmy Page.
“Today I knew about the disappearance of the musician Chris Dreja, who played with passion in the iconic Yardbirds, first on the rhythmic guitar and then on the bottom”, reads the message of the Led Zeppelin guitarist: “I hadn’t seen him for a while and I would have liked to do it. Rest in peace, Chris”.
Although they never reached the same renowned level as their contemporaries, such as Rolling Stones, Yardbirds had a huge influence on different generations of rock musicians. Their name is often remembered for musicians who have played between the ranks of training, such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Page.
Born in 1945, Chris Dreja, at the registry office Christopher Walenty Dreja, in the Yardbirds was initially the rhythmic guitarist, and went to the bottom after Page’s arrival in 1966. It came to that year at a legendary formation, albeit short -lived, with Beck and Page to solo guitars. This formation is documented only in three songs, including the innovative single “Happenings Ten Years Time Augo” and a version of “Stroll on” included in Antonioni’s film, “Blow Up”. The Yardbirds with Beck and Page appear in the historic film of the great Italian filmmaker, mimicking the song in a rock club, concluding with the first that destroys the guitar. Despite having participated in a legendary English tour of September 1966 with Rolling Stones and Ike & Tina Turner, that scene of “Blow Up” proved prophetic: Beck left the group a few months later during an exhausting American tour.
Subsequently Dreja, who refused the opportunity offered to enter the Led Zeppelin, chose to pursue the career of photographer. He took the photo of the group that appears on the rear cover of the first album of the historic group of Zeppelin and successfully worked as a photographer for many years, taking with – among others – Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Righteous Brothers, Ike & Tina Turner, subsequently the Led Zeppelin and many others. He returned to music in the 80s with former bandmates such as Box of Frogs, before launching a rebirth of the Yardbirds in the 90s (without the superstar guitarists and without Keith Relf, who died in 1976). The group released the album “Birdland” in 2003, with guests such as Brian May dei Queen, Slash of the Guns N ‘Roses and others. However, in 2012 Dreja suffered a series of strokes and retired from music. His death leaves McCarty and Samwell-Smith as the only surviving original Yardbirds.
