It was with sadness we learned of the recent death of Chris Dreja, founding member of The Yardbirds and one of the nicest and most talented musicians from the great era of British blues and rock.
As rhythm and bass guitarist with the group Chris was featured on all the 1960s Yardbirds singles and albums since hailed as classics and many now reissued on Repertoire CDs. Chris Dreja will soon be heard again on ‘Ultimate Glimpses’ a compilation of their earliest studio and live recordings due for imminent release.
We first met Chris back in the days when the Yardbirds were playing live at the Marquee Club in London and later recording alongside Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. He was good friends with fellow members Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith and always brought a touch of good humour to a band that could become fraught with the tough routine of life on the road.
Chris Dreja was born in Surbiton (November 11, 1945) and grew up in Kingston, Surrey. His brother Stefan met guitarist Anthony ‘Top’ Topham while studying art and introduced Chris to Topham. The pair found a mutual interest in the music of folk/blues guitarist Gerry Lockran and began playing electric guitars, making a public debut at a concert with Duster Bennett and Jimmy Page.
They soon became members of the aspiring Metropolis Blues Quartet alongside Keith Relf (vocals, harmonica), Paul Samwell-Smith (bass) and Jim McCarty (drums). Topham left the group when they became professional and signed to a record label. Dreja continued to play rhythm guitar but only switched to bass after Paul Samwell-Smith left.
One of Chris Dreja’s lasting contributions to the Yardbirds legacy was the amusing picture he drew that became the LP cover for The Yardbirds (1966), better known as Roger The Engineer.
Chris was offered a job with Led Zeppelin after the original Yardbirds broke up in 1968 but decided to pursue a successful career as a photographer. He did however join spin-off band Box Of Frogs in the 1980s and joined the reformed Yardbirds from 1992 until 2013. Chris suffered a series of strokes in 2012 onwards and left the band due to ill health in 2013.
We were fortunate to speak to Chris before his retirement about those early Yardbirds years. He always had positive memories that included the recording sessions that resulted in their finest hits. “I was really proud of Shapes Of Things’ (1966). We recorded it along with Mr. You’re A Better Man Than I in the States, and they were both grand ideas. It was the first time a recording studio had given us such a great sound.”
As for the guitar heroes who passed through their ranks he added: “Jeff Beck was the best thing that happened to the band because during his era the music was outstanding. He was such a lovely guy and talented, original guitarist. We were lucky we sustained it with Jeff as long as we did”.
Chris Dreja passed away in a London nursing home aged 79 on September 25, 2025.
CHRIS WELCH
