The Yardbirds produced three legendary guitarists: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. Each joined the English rock band at a different point during its influential 1960s career.
Eric Clapton played with the Yardbirds from 1963 to 1965, contributing to the band’s blues-focused early sound. Jeff Beck replaced Clapton in 1965 and helped push the group toward more experimental guitar textures, including feedback and distortion. Jimmy Page joined in 1966, first as a bassist and later as the band’s lead guitarist.
The Yardbirds were more than a launching pad for famous musicians. Their singles “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Shapes of Things,” and “Over Under Sideways Down” helped define the British blues-rock movement. A common mix-up is assuming the three guitarists played together as a regular Yardbirds lineup; they succeeded one another, although Beck and Page briefly overlapped. When the band dissolved in 1968, Page formed the group that became Led Zeppelin.