Chris Dreja
Encyclopedia
Chris Dreja was the rhythm guitarist, and later bassist
, in the 1960s British band
, The Yardbirds
.
, and raised in nearby Kingston upon Thames
. His brother Stefan Dreja chanced to meet Top Topham
, and introduced Topham to his brother. Eventually Topham and Dreja fell into the orbit of local folk
/blues
guitarist Gerry Lochran; according to Greg Russo in his book The Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up, Lochran influenced them to switch from acoustic
to electric guitar
s. They also first played electric guitars in public, in a performance on a local stage with Duster Bennett and a young Jimmy Page
.
, Jim McCarty
, and Paul Samwell-Smith
, and metamorphosed into the Yardbirds. Dreja ended up playing rhythm guitar
behind Eric Clapton
and later Jeff Beck
.
When original bassist Samwell-Smith quit in mid-1966, he was initially replaced by Page. Eventually, however, Page joined Beck in sharing the lead guitar parts, and Dreja switched from rhythm to the bass. Dreja remained on bass when Beck left shortly afterward and reduced the Yardbirds to a quartet, and stayed on bass until the band broke up in 1968. Dreja appears as one of the songwriter
s on numerous Yardbirds group compositions (particularly on the 1966 album Roger the Engineer
).
After the group broke up, Page offered Dreja the position of bassist in a new band he was forming (later to become Led Zeppelin
). Dreja declined in order to pursue a profession in photography
. He photographed Led Zeppelin for the back cover of their debut album
.
Dreja played in the Yardbirds reunion band Box of Frogs
in the 1980s, and has been part of the Yardbirds' reformation since 1992.
In 2002, Dreja and McCarty re-emerged with a reactivated Yardbirds line-up and a new album, Birdland
. Dreja, McCarty, and Samwell-Smith have taken an active role in seeing that the portion of the Yardbirds catalogue that they still own — principally the Roger the Engineer album — has been well-represented on compact disc
.
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, in the 1960s British band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
.
Early life
His father was of Polish birth. Dreja was born in SurbitonSurbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, and raised in nearby Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
. His brother Stefan Dreja chanced to meet Top Topham
Top Topham
Anthony "Top" Topham , is an English musician, and artist. He is best known as a blues guitarist, and also for being the first lead guitarist of The Yardbirds...
, and introduced Topham to his brother. Eventually Topham and Dreja fell into the orbit of local folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist Gerry Lochran; according to Greg Russo in his book The Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up, Lochran influenced them to switch from acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
to electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s. They also first played electric guitars in public, in a performance on a local stage with Duster Bennett and a young Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
.
The Yardbirds
Eventually Dreja and Topham became the core of an outfit called the Metropolitan Blues Quartet (some sources say Metropolis Blues Quartet), which across the course of a year added members Keith RelfKeith Relf
Keith William Relf , was a musician best known as the lead singer and harmonica player of The Yardbirds. After the Yardbirds broke up Relf formed the acoustic duo Together, with fellow Yardbird Jim McCarty, followed by Renaissance, which also featured his sister, singer Jane Relf, then hard rock...
, Jim McCarty
Jim McCarty
Jim McCarty is an English musician, best known as the drummer for The Yardbirds and Renaissance.-Early life:...
, and Paul Samwell-Smith
Paul Samwell-Smith
Paul Samwell-Smith is best known as a founding member and bassist of the 1960s English band, The Yardbirds, a group that spawned such noteworthy musicians as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page...
, and metamorphosed into the Yardbirds. Dreja ended up playing rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
behind Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and later Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
.
When original bassist Samwell-Smith quit in mid-1966, he was initially replaced by Page. Eventually, however, Page joined Beck in sharing the lead guitar parts, and Dreja switched from rhythm to the bass. Dreja remained on bass when Beck left shortly afterward and reduced the Yardbirds to a quartet, and stayed on bass until the band broke up in 1968. Dreja appears as one of the songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s on numerous Yardbirds group compositions (particularly on the 1966 album Roger the Engineer
Roger the Engineer
Roger the Engineer is an album by the English blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 1966. It was produced by bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and Simon Napier-Bell. It was the only Yardbirds album with all original material...
).
After the group broke up, Page offered Dreja the position of bassist in a new band he was forming (later to become Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
). Dreja declined in order to pursue a profession in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. He photographed Led Zeppelin for the back cover of their debut album
Led Zeppelin (album)
Led Zeppelin is the debut album of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London and released on Atlantic Records on 12 January 1969 in the United States and 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom. The album featured integral contributions from each...
.
Dreja played in the Yardbirds reunion band Box of Frogs
Box of Frogs
Box of Frogs was a band formed in 1983 by former members of The Yardbirds, who released their first album in 1984. The core group comprised Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty...
in the 1980s, and has been part of the Yardbirds' reformation since 1992.
In 2002, Dreja and McCarty re-emerged with a reactivated Yardbirds line-up and a new album, Birdland
Birdland (album)
Birdland is a 2003 studio album by English blues rock band The Yardbirds. The album was the first Yardbirds release in over 35 years; however, the only original 60's era Yardbirds members are drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. . New members are John Idan, Gypie Mayo and Alan Glen...
. Dreja, McCarty, and Samwell-Smith have taken an active role in seeing that the portion of the Yardbirds catalogue that they still own — principally the Roger the Engineer album — has been well-represented on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
See also
- List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- List of bass guitarists
- List of rhythm guitarists