Jane Relf (born 7 March 1947) is a British singer, best known as the original vocalist for the progressive rock band

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

. She is the younger sister of

Keith Relf William Keith Relf (22 March 194312 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, The Yardbirds ex-drummer Jim ...

of the Yardbirds.

Renaissance

In January 1969 Keith Relf and

Jim McCarty James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only member of the band to featur ...

of the Yardbirds formed Renaissance with pianist

John Hawken John Christopher Hawken is an English keyboard player, best known as a member of The Nashville Teens, Renaissance, and the Strawbs. He also played in Spooky Tooth, Third World War, Vinegar Joe, Illusion, as well as being a session musician. ...

and bassist

Louis Cennamo Louis David Cennamo is an English bass guitarist, whose lengthy career has included extensive recording and touring with a number of important British rock/blues/progressive bands. Career Cennamo left school at 16 and undertook his earliest imp ...

. Despite having no previous experience, Jane was invited by her brother to be the new band's vocalist. She subsequently appeared on the band's self-titled debut album later that year. After Keith Relf, McCarty, and Cennamo left during the recording of the band's second album

Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may o ...

in 1970, Jane and John Hawken briefly continued Renaissance with a new lineup including Terry Crowe,

Michael Dunford Michael John Dunford is a football administrator, who is currently Chief Executive at Plymouth Argyle Football Club. Career His first role in football came as General Manager of Derby County, a role he was at from July 1992 until 5 November 19 ...

, Neil Korner, and Terry Slade. Jane also introduced lyricist

Betty Thatcher Betty Thatcher (16 February 1944 – 15 August 2011) was an English lyricist who wrote many of the lyrics for the progressive rock band Renaissance. Early life Betty Mary Newsinger was born in Great Titchfield Street, central London. She was ta ...

to the band, who would continue to write songs for Renaissance until 1981. After the recording of Illusion and the completion of a European tour in the autumn of 1970, Jane left the band and was replaced in the band by American singer Binky Cullom.

Solo Work and Illusion

In 1971 Jane released a solo single "Without a Song From You" b/w "Make My Time Pass By" and afterwards recorded many songs for use in commercials, including a promotional single "The Fishermen" for

Findus Findus () is a frozen food brand which was first sold in Sweden in 1945. Findus products include ready meals, peas and Crispy Pancakes, the latter of which were invented in the early 1970s. The Swiss food company Nestlé owned the Findus brand ...

Frozen Foods. In 1976, Keith Relf was in the process of re-forming the original lineup of Renaissance, including Jane. Following Keith's accidental death by electrocution, Jane and the other surviving original members of Renaissance proceeded with the project and formed

, with new members John Knightsbridge and Eddie McNeil, and Jane and McCarty as lead vocalists. Illusion recorded two albums, ''Out Of The Mist'' and ''Illusion'' before dissolving in 1979.

Projects Since Illusion

Since the dissolution of Illusion, Jane Relf has sung on various Renaissance/Illusion related projects including two albums by McCarty and Cennamo's band

Stairway Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

and McCarty's solo album ''Out Of The Dark''. In 1990, a collection Illusion demos were released as the album ''Enchanted Caress'', and in 2001, Jane along with the three other original members of Renaissance recorded the album ''Through The Fire'' under the name "Renaissance Illusion".

Discography

Solo *''Jane's Renaissance The Complete Jane Relf Collection: 1969-1995'' (2003) With

* ''

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1971) With

* ''Out of the Mist'' (1977) * ''Illusion'' (1978) * ''Enchanted Caress'' (recorded 1979, released 1990) * ''Through the Fire'' (2001, released under the name "Renaissance Illusion") With

* ''Moonstone'' (1988) * ''Raindreaming'' (1995) Other Appearances * Colin Scott - ''Colin Scott'' (1971) * Jim McCarty - ''Out Of The Dark'' (1994)

References

External links

Renaissance and offshoots discographyJane Relf's Discogs.com page
1947 births Living people English rock singers Women rock singers People from Richmond, London Singers from London 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Renaissance (band) members {{UK-singer-stub