The Latest Breaking News from Yardbirds

“It just seemed really distasteful. Eric had been a friend of mine, and I couldn’t possibly have been a party to that”: Why Jimmy Page turned down multiple offers to join the Yardbirds – and why he relented

Jimmy Page could have been a Yardbird before Jeff Beck, had he accepted the somewhat clandestine offers of the band’s management

Guitar World · Aug 21

Quote of the day by Eric Clapton: 'Music became a healer for me. And I learned to listen with all my...' - emotional quote by English singer famously known as Slowhand teaches life lessons on how music can heal fear, confusion and difficult emotions

Quote of the day by Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton found music became a personal healer during difficult family times. He learned to listen deeply, which helped him process fear and confusion. Clapton began playing guitar as a teenager and joined the Yardbirds in 1963. He later formed Cream and achieved…

The Economic Times · Aug 20

Why Jeff Beck said no to replacing Eric Clapton in the Bluesbreakers: “He called my mum several times. She said, ‘That John Mayall sounds very nice!’”

Beck was asked to follow Slowhand’s footsteps out of the Yardbirds and into the Bluesbreakers before he decided to go solo

Guitar World · Aug 13

Quote of the day by Eric Clapton: 'To sing in a lower key is harder work. You have to use your...' - inspiring life lessons by Grammy-winning guitarist and singer-songwriter of Tears In Heaven and Layla on success, discipline, hard work and why toughest paths often leads to best results

Quote of the day by Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton's quote emphasizes discipline and consistent effort for lasting excellence. Performing in a lower key demands greater breath control and diaphragm use. True mastery rarely comes effortlessly, requiring a strong foundation through practice. Clapton's career highlights his influential guitar playing and successful…

The Economic Times · Jul 10

“Listening to him had an effect on me similar to what I might feel if I were to meet an alien from outer space”: How Eric Clapton’s mission to spread the blues gospel was the making of the first guitar ‘god’

The discovery of Freddie King was the Eureka! moment in the origin story of Slowhand's ascent as the British blues scene's greatest player

MusicRadar · Jul 4

"We were playing to capacity crowds, six or seven nights a week, everywhere we went. So we figured something was about to happen." The story of 1966, the year that built rock

Before 1966, the blues was tired, worn out and unsexy. But then Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Jimi Hendrix created the modern guitar hero too

Louder · Jun 26

“Back in the ’70s he got up with us and played Train Kept A-Rollin’. That was amazing, but of course I was intimidated. He’s a genius. He’s Mozart!”: Joe Perry salutes his guitar heroes Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck

“He was always pushing the edge – going into jazz”

MusicRadar · May 3

“There were two camps. I came out of the Yardbirds camp – the Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck kind of things”: Why Todd Rundgren chose to play Gibsons over Fenders

Rundgren initially aligned himself with the Yardbirds guitar heroes, though would branch out in later years

Guitar World · Apr 22

“Those Fender Jazz basses sounded fantastic, but they scared the hell out of me”: Why bassist Paul Samwell-Smith chose a short-scale Epiphone for his “rave-ups” with the Yardbirds

The blues-rock opener from the band’s 1966 debut album showcases a standout example of Samwell-Smith’s fluid, freewheeling bass work

Guitar World · Mar 21

“It was fantastic to have Paul come in every day, and we hung out with him quite a lot as well. The studio was absolutely crammed with our gear and his”: 10cc's Graham Gouldman on working with Paul McCartney at Strawberry Studios

We catch up with Gouldman as he prepares for the upcoming 10cc tour to talk about the craft of songwriting, his studio gear, AI in music, and the legacy of Strawberry Studios

MusicRadar · Feb 23