![]() ![]() From this footage, it’s clear how successfully the quintet tapped into the blossoming British R&B scene, which had been simmering under the surface for some time but had virtually no outlet that is until 1962, when The Ealing Club opened its doors for the first time, giving everyone from The Yardbirds to The Rolling Stones somewhere to hone their craft.ĭubbed “London’s first Rhythm and Blues Club” by Melody Maker, the venue developed an excellent reputation among young players. Like so many musicians of that generation, The Yardbirds were deeply influenced by the work of Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, whose novel On The Road is said to have provided them with their name – “yardbirds” being how the narrator refers to the hobos who camp out in the rail yard. Below, you can see some rare footage of the band performing early live renditions of ‘Louise’ and ‘I Wish I Would’ with a young guitarist called Eric Clapton. Then comprised of Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith, Chris Dreja, and Jim McCarty, they were one of many groups to emerge amid the R&B explosion that swept London in the early ’60s. Formed in the suburbs of south-west London in 1963, the band came together at Kingston Art School in the May of that year, performing as a backup band for Cyril Davis. By the time this footage was taken in 1964, The Yardbirds had been together for little over a year. ![]()
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