Clapton was the original Yardbirds lead guitarist, but left when the rest of the band wanted to move away from the blues. They offered the job to Page, but he did not want to leave session work. He recommended Jeff Beck. Later, Page joined as bassist, then he and Beck were dual guitarists for a stretch. Page became the sole guitarist when Beck quit during a tour. He was left with rights to the Yardbirds name. He recruited his new bandmates, and fulfilled previously-booked tour dates as the “New Yardbirds,” before they took on their new name: Led Zeppelin.
Thanks for the info but I was aware of it all being a huge Yardbirds’ and early Led Zep ( first 2 albums ) back in the day . New Yarbirds changed their name to Led Zeppelin in Sept. of 1968 . The garage band I was in at the time was called Zeppelin Moored from the early spring of 1968 ! Cut the MOOR and an L and you’ve got Led Zeppelin !