Alongside Cream, the Jeff Beck Group, and Led Zeppelin, the original five-piece Renaissance was formed by several ex-Yardbirds, in this case drummer Jim McCarty and singer/guitarist Keith Relf. Wanting to go the folk/rock, classical music direction, Relf brought on board his sister Jane for additional vocals, Louis Cennamo on bass, and the excellent John Hawken on keyboards. This quintet released their debut LP in 1969, Renaissance, produced by another Yardbirds alum, Paul Samwell-Smith. The record didn’t earn much commercial success, although it boasted the notable five-minute Hawken piano piece, “The Island.”
In short order, this line-up disintegrated with Hawken taking leadership. He brought on former members of The Nashville Teens including guitarist Michael Dunford. Then Hawken left, leaving Dunford to organize yet another assembly in 1971. This ensemble became known as the classic Renaissance, featuring new singer, Annie Haslam. By 1974, the new Renaissance had little to do with Relf and McCarty’s creation beyond the five-piece format, an emphasis on keyboard solos, and some songwriting from McCarty. His last contribution was his co-composition, “Things I Don’t Understand” for Turn of the Cards (1974).
After releasing Prologue (1972), Ashes Are Burning (1973), and Turn of the Cards, Renaissance recorded a double album live set that was later issued in 1976. Live at Carnegie Hall included an overview of the Haslam/Dunford-led version of the group’s studio output to date, along with tracks from their then upcoming Scheherazade and Other Stories (1975). For many, the live album was the high watermark for the band and the standout track was the live version of “Mother Russia” from Turn of the Cards, a 10-minute tribute to Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
For a few years thereafter, Haslam, Dunford and a variety of players continued to tour and record, and they enjoyed minor hits like “Northern Lights” in 1978. But 1979’s Azure d'Or signaled the group wanted greater commercial success with shorter songs like "Jekyll and Hyde." But they ended up losing longtime members as well as their record label. By the mid-'80s, it was all over, at least until 2001 when Haslam and Dunford resurrected Renaissance—of course, with a completely new cast of players.
Article comments