Jimmy Page makes heartbreaking admission in tribute to The Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja
Jimmy Page has paid an emotional tribute to his former bandmate in The Yardbirds, Chris Dreja, following the news of his death aged 79.
Dreja’s sister-in-law, Muriel Levy, confirmed news of his passing, writing on Threads, “This is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band The Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player, has passed away after years of health problems.”
The late guitarist was a founding member of the legendary blues outfit in 1963, which later saw Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck use The Yardbirds as a musical finishing school before achieving rock ‘n’ roll greatness.
While he began as the band’s rhythm guitarist, Dreja later shifted to bass duties following the exit of Paul Samwell-Smith, and remained with the group until they parted ways in 1968.
When Page decided to form The New Yardbirds, which later became Led Zeppelin, Dreja was offered the bassist role in the band, but declined to focus on his photography. He shot the cover art for Led Zeppelin’s self-titled album.
Now, Page has honoured his old friend, writing on Instagram, “I heard today of the passing of musician Chris Dreja, who passionately played with the iconic Yardbirds, on rhythm guitar and then the bass. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had. RIP Chris.”
Dreja later returned to the music industry as part of a reformed line-up of The Yardbirds in 1992 and remained part of the group until 2013 after a series of strokes ended his career.
During an interview with Classic Rock Radio EU in 2005, Dreja reflected on his decision to turn down Led Zeppelin for photography, and didn’t have any regrets, sharing, “At art school I had got involved with photography, I obviously had no idea that Led Zeppelin was going to be as huge as it was. I had made the decision that I was going to be in control of my own life when I woke up in the morning.”
He continued, “I could see it was going to be a solid outfit but by that time, I must be honest the love I had for music had transferred itself to photography. I don’t regret it; the next thirty-two years were spent organising my own life.”
No cause of death has been revealed.
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