Louis David Cennamo is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

bass guitarist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...

, whose lengthy career has included extensive recording and touring with a number of important

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rock/blues/progressive bands.

Career

Cennamo left school at 16 and undertook his earliest important musical project (1962–65) as a founding member of the popular London-based blues/rock band, Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions. They signed a recording deal with

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...

and released "That's Alright" (written by Powell) as a single in June 1964, and were also hired to provide backing for

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n singer

Millie Small Millicent Dolly May Small CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who is best known for her 1964 hit " My Boy Lollipop". The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million ...

on her recording of "

My Boy Lollipop "My Boy Lollipop" (originally "My Girl Lollypop") is a song written in the mid-1950s by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, and usually credited to Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts. It was first recorded in 1956 by American ...

" (which was a No. 2 hit in both the UK and the US, selling upwards of six million copies). In June 1964, The 5 Dimensions appeared on the bill at the ''All Night Rave at the Alexandra Palace'' with headlining act

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

(as well as

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major in ...

, John Lee Hooker and

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...

), and they further galvanized their place in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

history with performances on

Granada TV ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

(with Sonny Boy Williamson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe), ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...

'' and '' Thank Your Lucky Stars''. In 1965, the band was asked to back up

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

on both his '' Chuck Berry in London'' LP and on his three-week tour of England. Upon leaving the band, Cennamo spent late 1965 to late 1966 as bass guitarist for The Herd (with Peter Frampton). Cennamo's sole released recording with the band was a cover of a

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

song, "So Much In Love" (b/w "This Boy's Always Been True") on the

Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

label. Upon leaving The Herd, Cennamo played briefly with

Tim Hinkley Timothy Alan Hinkley (born 25 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter, keyboard player and record producer. Born in London, Hinkley started playing in youth club bands in the early 1960s, with bands including the Copains, Boys and the Freeman ...

, Viv Prince and

Mike Patto Mike Patto (born Michael Thomas McCarthy, 22 September 1942 – 4 March 1979) was an English musician, who was primarily notable as lead singer for Spooky Tooth, Patto and Boxer. Life and career Patto was born in Cirencester, England, and fi ...

in the group Patto's People (nee Chicago Blue Line) - recording and releasing one single, "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop" / "Jump Back", in late 1966. During the late 1960s, Cennamo also played bass on several recording sessions. Some well documented projects included

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

's 1968 self-titled LP and Al Stewart's '' Zero She Flies''. In 1969, along with

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 J ...

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 featu ...

(formerly of

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

), Cennamo co-founded the original lineup of the classically-influenced

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

. Cennamo played a key role in working up the band's classically-influenced song arrangements, and one highlight of Renaissance live performances through this era was his use of the violin bow on his bass during the final song of their set, "Bullet" (he would continue to use the violin bow on his bass with later bands, on certain numbers). This incarnation of the band recorded two LPs, but a busy touring schedule began to wear on members of the band, and they decided to go their separate ways in the spring of 1970. Cennamo then began recording and performing with British jazz rock band

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

. It was during Cennamo's involvement that Colosseum recorded '' Daughter of Time'' (1970). Cennamo was then recruited by progressive/blues/rock band Steamhammer (1970–72). The band subsequently toured Europe extensively, and recorded the experimental '' Speech'' in 1971. After Steamhammer folded in 1973, Cenammo co-founded

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

(1974–75) with American drummer

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (born August 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the ...

, Steamhammer guitarist

Martin Pugh Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released ...

, and "Speech" co-producer (and former Renaissance bandmate) Keith Relf. The band was based in California, but recorded their debut album, ''Armageddon'', at Olympic Studios in London. It was released on

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

in the late spring of 1975. Relf's death (by electrocution) in May 1976 effectively ended the band. Back in England after Armageddon's dissolution, Cennamo then co-founded

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 oc ...

with the members of the original Renaissance (minus the late Keith Relf), remaining with the band for two albums (from 1977–79).

1980s and beyond

Upon the folding of Illusion in 1979, Cennamo began to spend less time on music, and more on his "spiritual development" (although he did release an Album called ''Diamond Harbour'' in 1982 with Eugene Romain). Between 1986 and 1995, Cennamo was involved with a part-time music project called Stairway (which featured Cennamo playing guitar), with his colleague from Renaissance and Illusion, Jim McCarty. Additional Stairway participants included psychotherapist Malcolm Stern, Clifford White on keyboards and Jane Relf (their former Renaissance and Illusion bandmate) contributed some vocals. A primarily instrumental project, the intentions of McCarty and Cennamo were to release music of a "healing" and "meditative" nature, and total of four full-length tapes and CDs had been released by Stairway on the New World Music label, and one on the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

-based Oasis Productions label. In 2001, the four surviving members of the original Renaissance and Illusion issued the album ''Through the Fire'' under the band name Renaissance Illusion. The CD continued the keyboard-driven melodic musical style of their previous Illusion records, and opened with Cennamo's bass-led introduction to "One More Turn of the Wheel". On 3 April 2014 he performed a one-off gig at the Eel Pie Club in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

with Jim McCarty's band Flip Side, which included songs from the first two Illusion albums, as well as the Renaissance Illusion ''Through the Fire'' CD.

Writing career - "Special Edition" Jazz band

"Special Edition" as a jazz band came about as a result of Cennamo's jamming with various jazz musicians in North London - they recorded an album called "Get This" with writer Angela Elliott, which included jazz poetry. According to Cennamo's Facebook page, Daniel Jones of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

based rock & roll band 7th Order has been enlisted as a co-producer for videos of

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bands (i.e. "Special Edition") he had been performing with in recent years. Cennamo also appears to have been writing poetry and short stories more recently, and has had several published (and more to come). Additionally, Cennamo's frequently updated

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

on medium.com appears to reference an autobiography currently in the works.Louis Cennamo's blog on medium.com
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References

External links

Louis Cennamo on Facebook

Keith Relf web site

Northern Lights, a fan site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cennamo, Louis 1946 births Living people People from Hornsey Musicians from London English bass guitarists Male bass guitarists English people of Italian descent Steamhammer (band) members English rock bass guitarists English blues guitarists English male guitarists Blues rock musicians British rock and roll musicians Psychedelic rock musicians Progressive rock guitarists Pye Records artists Parlophone artists Elektra Records artists Island Records artists A&M Records artists Armageddon (British band) members Renaissance (band) members Colosseum (band) members The Herd (British band) members British hard rock musicians

Career

1980s and beyond

Writing career - "Special Edition" Jazz band

See also

References

External links