Top Topham
Antony "Top" Topham (born July 3, 1947 in Southall , Middlesex , England ) is an English guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Yardbirds.
Life
In 1963 Topham entered the Railway Hotel in Norbiton with Chris Dreja , where traditional jazz was played, but other musicians could perform during the breaks. There they met Keith Relf , Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty . They decided to start a band called The Yardbirds . Two weeks later they had their first appearance as opening act for the Cyril Davies Allstars . They were later given the opportunity to appear at the Crawdaddy Club , with the Rolling Stones supporting Bo Diddleywere playing and the club needed a new band. Since the band mutated into professional musicians, Topham had to get out and was replaced by Eric Clapton . Topham was only fifteen at the time and his parents wanted him to finish Epsom Art School. Topham did not regret this move, however, as he would likely have left the group when they turned away from the blues and sought commercial success.
After graduating from art school, he played with Winston G and the Wicked (later renamed The Fox), which was one of the first bands in Britain to play psychedelic rock. After this group he played with Duster Bennett , with whom he had already played in several bands at the art school. This brought him into contact with producer Mike Vernon and his Blue Horizon label, the leading blues label in Great Britain in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Here he played as a session musician with Peter Green, among others . For Blue Horizon he recorded a purely instrumental album, on which many well-known London blues musicians play, and together with Duster Benett he wanted to start a blues band, but fell seriously ill. After his recovery, he turned back to the arts, but was persuaded by Jim McCarty to play the guitar again in 1988. In 1990, however, he left the band again to turn to the acoustic blues.
In the 2000s he made intermittent appearances in the blues scene, including guest appearances on the current version of the Yardbirds. After Chris Dreja fell ill in 2013, Topham rejoined the Yardbirds as a permanent member after almost exactly 50 years. His main activity has remained that of an art dealer.
Solo discography
- 1970: Ascension Heights
- 1997: On Top (1963-1969)
- 2008: The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Ascension Heights expanded with various rarities)
Web links
Top Topham at Allmusic (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Topham, top |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Topham, Antony |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British rock musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 3, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Southall , Middlesex , England |