Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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RENAISSANCE

UK rock band first formed '69 by Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf (b 22 March '43, Richmond; d 14 May '76) and drummer Jim McCarty (b 25 July '43, Liverpool), recruiting bassist Louis Cennamo, ex-Nashville Teens keyboardist John Hawken and Relf's vocalist sister Jane to make eponymous folky LP for Island '69. Ex- Yardbirds left; by the time of Prologue '72 personnel was entirely new: Annie Haslam, vocals; Jon Camp, bass; John Tout, keyboards; Rob Hendry, guitar; Terry Sullivan, drums. Hendry was replaced by Mick Dunford, who rarely used electric guitar, preferring acoustic; corresponding with one Betty Thatcher by post, he set her words for Ashes Are Burning and Turn Of The Cards '73-4, which charted in UK; Scheherezade And Other Stories '75 was a heavily orchestrated "contemporary version' of the classic by Rimsky-Korsakov (who had written the textbook on orchestration), a top 50 LP USA '75, where they went for two years: at home they were stuck on the college circuit, 2-disc Live At Carnegie Hall '76 (with NY Philharmonic) emphasising thedifference. The sound was based on Tout's keyboards, Haslam's "classical rock' wailing; After Novella, A Song For All Seasons and Azure d'or '77-9, Peter Gosling and Peter Barron replaced Tout and Sullivan; they carried on bucking fashion with Camera Camera and Time Line '80s. Haslam made solo Annie In Wonderland '78; Relf, Cennamo and Hawken from the first band formed Illusion (two LPs '77-8) but Relf was electrocuted. Like other pomp-rockers they can hardly be said to have influenced anybody; sole UK hit was top 10 single "Northern Lights' '78.