Keith Relf

Birth Name:

William Keith Relf

Birth Date:

March 22, 1943

Birth Place:

Richmond, Surrey, England

Death Date:

May 12, 1976

Place of Death:

Hounslow, London, England

Age:

Cause of Death:

Electrocution while playing an ungrounded electric guitar

Cemetery Name:

Richmond Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Music

Keith Relf was the vocalist and guitarist for The Yardbirds, an English rock band that had a string of hits in the mid 1960s, including "For Your Love", "Over Under Sideways Down" 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 were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stone's 100 Top Guitarists list [1] (Clapton as #4, Page as #9, and Beck as #14). A blues-based band that broadened its range into pop and rock, The Yardbirds were pioneers in the guitar innovation of the '60s: fuzz tone, feedback, distortion, backwards echo, improved amplification, etc. The band's disintegration led to the formation of the rock band Led Zeppelin, by Jimmy Page in 1968. Unfortunately Keith Relf is better know for his tragic, accidental death.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Richmond Cemetery

Grove Road, Richmond

Surrey, , TW10 5BJ

England

Europe

Map:

Grave Location:

Section 21, Plot 301A

Grave Location Description

In the back of Section 21 just to the left of the path that borders Sections 21 and 22. As you enter the cemetery on Grove Road go straight until you see the Star and Garter memorial on your left. Section 21 is in front of this monument. Unlike the photos below, the grave is now marked when before it was first a wooden cross (which rotted due to the elements) and then the rose bush you see in the photo.