The Yardbirds today (Photo: Arnie Goodman)
It’s been decades, of course, since Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page spent their apprenticeships working in the Yardbirds—and since the untimely passing of original lead vocalist Keith Relf—but the Yardbirds have been an ongoing entity since founding members Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar) and Jim McCarty (drums) assembled a new version of the band to perform in 1992, some 24 years after its initial split.
During the British Invasion, the group enjoyed chart success with such hits as “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul” and “Shapes of Things.”
The current lineup of the Yardbirds—who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992—are getting ready for a spring U.S. tour. (See dates below.)
The latter-day version of the Yardbirds has gone through numerous lineup changes. Dreja departed in 2013 due to medical reasons, which left McCarty as the sole original member of the band. While the Yardbirds were once an all-British outfit, the current lineup is four-fifths American with McCarty the Englishman in the band. In addition to McCarty (vocals, drums), the Yardbirds today comprise John Idan on guitar and lead vocals, Johnny A on lead guitar (Peter Wolf, Bobby Whitlock), bassist Kenny Aaronson (Bob Dylan, Billy Idol), and Myke Scavone on vocals, blues harp and percussion.
Watch a recent performance of “Heart Full of Soul”…
Related: Digging in to the Yardbirds’ history
Yardbirds 2017 Tour Dates
Mar 04 – Melbourne, FL – King Center (with Vanilla Fudge)
Mar 05 – St. Petersburg, FL – Palladium (with Vanilla Fudge)
Mar 07 – Coral Springs, FL – Coral Springs Center for the Arts (with Vanilla Fudge)
Mar 09 – The Villages, FL – Savanah Centre
May 27 – Simi Valley, CA – Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Fest
May 28 – Oroville, CA – Feather Falls Casino
May 30 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s
May 31 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s
June 3 – Lake Tahoe, NV – Harrah’s Casino
June 4 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
June 7 – Del Mar, CA – San Diego County Fair
June 10 – Indio, CA – Fantasy Springs Casino
June 16 – Chattanooga, TN – River Bend Festival
July 07 – Atlantic City, NJ – Resorts Casino
Watch the Yardbirds perform “For Your Love” in 2016…
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationI’ve seen this lineup twice…GO SEE AND HEAR THEM!