Godspeed Chris Dreja of The Yardbirds

Chris Dreja, the rhythm guitarist and later bassist of The Yardbirds who became a professional photographer, died on September 25, 2025, at the age of 78. The case was from complications from multiple strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chris Dreja was born on November 11, 1946, in Surbiton, Surrey. He grew up in n Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. His father was a Polish immigrant. Chris Dreja was a teenager when he took an interest in rock 'n' roll. His brother Stefan was in the same pre-college art program as original Yardbirds lead guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham. Chris Dreja and Top Topham met and then began playing music together.

Chris Dreja and Top Topham joined a band called the Metropolitan Blues Quartet, which also featured vocalist Keith Relf and bassist Paul Samwell Smith. Over time, the Metropolitan Blues Quartet evolved into The Yardbirds. It was in October 1963 that Top Topham left the band. He was replaced by guitarist Eric Clapton. The Yardbirds served as a back-up band for Sonny Boy Williamson II during a tour in late 1963 and early 1964. It was after this tour that The Yardbirds were signed to the Columbia label. 

The Yardbirds proved to be a success, producing such hits as "For Your Love," "Heart Full of Soul," "Evil Hearted You," "Shape of Things," and others. The band also experienced frequent changes in its lineup. Eric Clapton left The Yardbirds when they decided to go for a more pop-oriented sound. Paul Samwell-Smith tired of touring and became more interested in record production. He then left the band and Chris Dreja then switched from rhythm guitar to bass.

Chris Dreja co-wrote several Yardbirds songs. Along with the other members of the group, he was credited as a writer on their album Yardbirds (also known as Roger the Engineer and Over Under Sideways Down). He also drew the cover for the album. On their album Little Games, he co-wrote the songs "Smile on Me," "Drinking Muddy Water," "Glimpses," and "Stealing Stealing." 

The Yardbirds broke up in 1968, and Chris Dreja became a professional photographer. In fact, he photographed Led Zeppelin for the back cover of their first album. He worked out of a studio in New York City, and he photographed such people as Bob Dylan, The Righteous Brothers, Tina Turner, Andy Warhol, and others. It was in 1983 that he returned to music when he and other former Yardbirds Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty formed a Box of Frogs with vocalist John Fiddler. Box of Frogs would release two albums, a self-tilted album in 1984 and Strange Land in 1986. Chris Dreja later performed with The Yardbirds when they were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. 

It was following their induction into the Hall of Fame that The Yardbirds would begin touring again. The reformed band released a new album, Birdland, in 2003. Chris Dreja continued to play with The Yardbirds until he had a series of strokes in 2012 and 2013. 

For the most part, Chris Dreja would be overshadowed by The Yardbirds' lead guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, but the band would not have been the same without him. As rhythm guitarist and later bassist, Chris Dreja was the engine that drove the band forward. Both his rhythm guitar and bass playing was very tight, but at the same time powerful. Chris Dreja would set the pace for many rhythm guitarists to come.