Watch Eric Clapton and The Yardbirds in rare footage from 1964
By the time this footage was taken in 1964, The Yardbirds had been together for little over a year. 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. 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. 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. You may have heard of him.
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. 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.
Dubbed “London’s first Rhythm and Blues Club” by Melody Maker, the venue developed an excellent reputation among young players. It had an open-mic policy in the early days, meaning that anybody with enough guts and talent could make their live debut on its cramped stage. The Stones, The Who, Manfred Mann, David Bowie, and The Pretty Things got started in The Ealing Club. After performing a few tracks one night, Eric Clapton left the venue convinced that the blues was his calling, as did a young man called Reg Dwight, who decided to change his name to Elton John following his inaugural performance.
The Yardbirds ended up as the house band of one of The Ealing Club’s main rivals, The Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, where they replaced The Rolling Stones. Drawing on the music of Chicago bluesmen like Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, The Yardbirds developed a uniquely British brand of rough-shod blues music. This footage – taken from the Reelin In The Years archive – was filmed shortly after Eric Clapton replaced guitarist Top Topham in October 1963. Around this time, Giorgio Gomelsky, the Crawdaddy’s impresario, became The Yardbirds’ manager and record producer, helping the group to establish itself as one of the most prominent young R&B outfits on the scene. After supporting Sonny Boy Williamson on tour, the Yardbirds signed to Columbia in February 1964, releasing their first alum just under a year later.
See the clip, below.
