DESCRIPTION:
The song is a tribute to Keith Relf, the original lead singer for The Yardbirds, one of the 60's most important and influential British blues/rock bands. Relf was electrocuted in 1976 while playing his guitar at his home. The recording is from the 2003 album "Birdland", the first Yardbirds studio album since 1967.

On The Yardbirds official site, bass player Chris Dreja says: "I remember writing the lyrics. I was at home and there was this book about the band on the table, and there was a photograph of Keith. I remember thinking how much he influenced these rock guys of today, their look and their attitude - I see little Relf copies all over the place. Relfy was the original man in that sense. I just wanted to write some lyrics encompassing what he was. He died young; he was immensely talented, a lot of it unrecognized. He was the real thing. So that's what really inspired me. The Gregorian chants on the fade very much fitted the reflectiveness of that song."

The Yardbirds had a string of hits in the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Over Under Sideways Down", "Little Games", "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" and "Heart Full of Soul". The group is notable for having started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, all of whom made the top five of Rolling Stone's 100 Top Guitarists list. The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

The bulk of the band's most successful self-written songs came from bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith who, with singer/harmonica player Keith Relf (22 March 1943 - 14 May 1976), drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist/bassist Chris Dreja, constituted the core of the group. The band reformed in the 1990s, featuring McCarty, Dreja and new members.

The lineup on the Birdland album included Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Gypie Mayo (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Idan (bass, lead vocals) and Alan Glen (harmonica, backing vocals), which consisted of a mixture of new material mostly penned by McCarty and re-recordings of some of their greatest hits, with guest appearances by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash, Brian May, Steve Lukather, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, John Rzeznik, Martin Ditchum and Simon McCarty. Also, Jeff Beck reunited with his former band-mates on the song "My Blind Life". Top Topham, Yardbirds first guitarist from the 1960s, made a rare guest appearance on stage in 2005.

Since the release of Birdland, Gypie Mayo was briefly replaced by Jerry Donahue, and subsequently in 2005 by the then 22-year-old Ben King, while Alan Glen was replaced by Billy Boy Miskimmin from Nine Below Zero fame. The latest lineup includes Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Ben King, Andy Mitchell and David Smale.

Yardbirds Official Website: http://www.theyardbirds.com

Video arrangement: M. R. Wilde (BC Songsmith)
*clips used in video from "Train Kept A Rollin' and "I'm a Man".

An Original Man (A Song For Keith) - Chris Dreja & The Yardbirds

A man I knew
Died too young
And in the end
His song unsung
He touched my life
He touched my soul
Given time he'd reach his goal

An original man that I knew
An original man right through

A sadness hidden
Behind his gaze
Before his time
In many ways
People copy,
Take and steal
But my friend he was for real

An original man that I knew
An original man right through

Time gives
And takes away
Everybody has their day
Even now
I see your face
You never left without a trace

An original man that I knew
An original man right through