Yardbirds (band)

The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds, 1966. From left: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf and Jim McCarty.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Blues rock psychedelic rock rhythm and blues
Years active	1963–1968 1992–present
Labels	Columbia Epic EMI/Capitol
Associated acts	The Jeff Beck Group Cream Led Zeppelin Renaissance Box of Frogs Graham Gouldman
Website	www.theyardbirds.com
Members	Jim McCarty Kenny Aaronson John Idan Johnny A. Myke Scavone
Past members	See: Members section for detailed list

The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963 that had a string of hits during the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things" and "Over Under Sideways Down". The group launched the careers of guitarists Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists.

A blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks, the Yardbirds broadened their range into pop, pioneering psychedelic rock and early hard rock; and contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s, such as feedback, distortion and "fuzztone". The bulk of the band's most successful self-written songs came from vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty and bassist and producer Paul Samwell-Smith, who, with rhythm guitarist and bassist Chris Dreja, constituted the core of the group.

The band's influence on both the music of the times and genres to come was great, and they inspired a host of imitators such as the Count Five and The Shadows of Knight. Rock critics and historians credit the Yardbirds with heavily contributing to, if not inventing, "the birth of psychedelic music"and sowing the seeds of punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal, among other genres.