RENAISSANCE: ANNIE HASLAM TEAMS UP WITH JIM MCCARTY, NEW SHOWS ANNOUNCED

Renaissance vocalist Annie Haslam will reunite with founding member and former Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty for a series of History Of Renaissance live shows in the US this November.

For the first time ever, musicians from both eras of the band will share the stage. The events will include an evening of discussion and visual storytelling about Renaissance’s legacy, followed by a live performance. This comes despite the group officially wrapping up their farewell tour in October of last year.

“I’m looking forward to singing Face Of Yesterday from Jim’s band Illusion, which I last performed on a tour of Germany in the early ‘70s,” exclaims Haslam. “Such a gorgeous song! I’m also excited to be performing with Jim.”

“I’ll be talking with Annie about how the band formed and got that sound,” adds McCarty. “Also very pleased to be singing some of my own songs.”

McCarty co-founded Renaissance in 1969 alongside the late Yardbirds singer Keith Relf. The original lineup also included Relf’s sister Jane on vocals, keyboardist John Hawken, and bassist Louis Cennamo. The band released their self-titled debut album that same year, but began to fragment during the sessions for their follow-up, Illusion.

Although Relf and McCarty had initially intended to step back from performing, they auditioned Annie Haslam, who replaced the short-lived Anne-Marie “Binky” Cullom. A new lineup emerged, featuring Jon Camp on bass, John Tout on keyboards, and Terry Sullivan on drums, which recorded 1972’s “Prologue”, with guitarist Michael Dunford joining full-time during the subsequent tour.

McCarty, Hawken, Cennamo, and Jane Relf all reunited in the late 1970s as part of the band Illusion, which released two albums through Island Records. Meanwhile, Annie Haslam has remained the central figure of Renaissance ever since.