Jimmy Page pays tribute to Yardbirds’ co-founder, Chris Dreja

Jimmy Page has paid tribute to Chris Dreja, the rhythm guitarist, bassist and co-founder of The Yardbirds, who has died aged 79.

Born Christopher Walenty Dreja in 1945, he was raised in Kingston, Surrey – on the ‘Thames Delta’, as the home of the British blues scene became known.

Dreja began playing with guitarist Anthony “Top” Topham, a school friend of his brother, forming the Metropolitan Blues Quartet in 1963 with singer Keith Relf, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and drummer Jim McCarty.

Not long after, the band changed their name to the Yardbirds, Topham left to be replaced by Eric Clapton. The band recorded their debut album Five Live Yardbirds at the Marquee in 1964, before Clapton left.

Over the years, the group also saw Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page pass through their ranks as lead guitarists, with Dreja switching to bass.

After Page went on to form Led Zeppelin, he invited Dreja to join as bassist. Dreja declined. A keen artist and photographer – his artwork appears on the cover of the band’s sole studio album, Yardbirds aka Roger The Engineer – Dreja chose instead to pursue a career in photography. His photograph of Led Zeppelin appears on the back of their debut album.

Dreja and McCarty reformed The Yardbirds in 1992, when they were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They continued to perform and record until 2013.

In 2012 and 2013, Dreja suffered a series of strokes. When he retired from the group, Topham returned to replace him. The Yardbirds officially finished in 2014.