Renaissance should be inducted because...

1) Annie Haslam is one of the greatest and most beautiful female voices in rock history.

2) Albums like "Ashes are Burning" and "Scheherazade and other stories" are superb examples of songwriting, penned by the team of Michael Dunford and poet Betty Thatcher.

3) They did historic concerts at the Carnegie Hall with the NY Philharmonic in 1975.

4) The band has inspired thousands of people to explore classical music. That's cultural impact!

5) They have influenced later bands like Marillion, Dream Theater, Within Tempation, Evanescence, The Gathering. That's influence!

Posted by Eugenia Toro on Monday, 08/26/2019 @ 09:17am

Eugenia,

You make several salient points for a nomination for Renaissance. Thank you.

Due to the previous inductions of the “holy trinity” of prog (Rush, Yes and The Moody Blues) during the past few years, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has apparently seemed to become more “prog” friendly. Renaissance is somewhat unique due to their being two different lineups. First, there had been the original Renaissance with Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, formerly of the Yardbirds, along with Jane Relf, Louis Cennamo and John Hawken. Then came the Classic lineup of Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, Jon Tout, John Camp and Terry Sullivan which had released several brilliant recordings.

Unfortunately, Renaissance did not really enjoy the commercial success of the members of the prog “holy trinity,” however their recordings had still been quite amazing, especially “Prologue,” “Ashes Are Burning” and “Scheherezade And Other Stories.” If the Rock Hall does decide to nominate a female fronted prog band, then I would not be upset to see a nomination for Renaissance, however if it does occur, then it may still be several years away.

Posted by Enigmaticus on Monday, 08/26/2019 @ 10:35am

https://chartmasters.org/spotify-streaming-numbers-tool/?artist_name=+Renaissance&artist_id=4MERAVAHX04B50JOnasmWf&qAlbum=1&qSingle=1&qCompilation=1

Spotify Streaming Numbers: Renaissance

Streams: 8,441,657
Copies Sold: 8,428

Posted by The Dude on Saturday, 09/7/2019 @ 14:12pm

Annie Haslam, one of the greatest frontwomen of rock!!

Posted by Alvaro Gallegos on Tuesday, 11/24/2020 @ 07:14am

Will NEVER understand why this band with Annie Haslam doesn't get mentioned more often when they were on the heels of proggers Yes and Genesis in the 70's-for 10 years. They pushed the boundaries of the genre as far as it could go with the greatest prog rock female singer of all time. No one else comes close and it's ridiculous to see these moronic shows that mention the greatest female singers of all time without Annie Haslam. With her 5 octave range she sang in many different styles between Renaissance reincarnations with solo recordings that only proved what we fans always knew. Dolly Parton is a wonderful person and a great entertainer but enough is enough Jan Wenner and company. It's way past time and one of the worst blunders of the HOF to overlook her and her band for so long.

Posted by Steve Ivins on Thursday, 11/24/2022 @ 22:14pm

No. Not several years away for them . The time is NOW. Like next year!!!!!!! Her range is better than most of the female singers the HOF has put in there, up there with Ronstadt, Benatar and Anne Wilson but a style that is all her own among whites female singers. You all revere the Beatles for the way Pepper and Days of Future Past and Dark Side pushed the genre of rock to it's limits as an art form with lush artistic arrangements and then you ignore this band because punk and metal pushed the proggers aside for awhile. None of those great bands deserved it when we the see the supposed inclusivity of the HOF. Put Renaissance in NOW and make it right.

Posted by SteveIvins on Thursday, 11/24/2022 @ 22:34pm

HOF

Posted by FRED on Tuesday, 03/28/2023 @ 22:53pm

Decent band with great music but not Hall worthy.

Posted by lbj on Thursday, 04/20/2023 @ 14:02pm

second tier artist in prog-rock movement

should not even be considered

Posted by power on Saturday, 10/28/2023 @ 00:23am

The very idea that Renaissance "should not even be considered" (~power) shows an utter lack of musical knowledge and depth as a listener, let alone as a player, commentator or, God forbid, a critic.

That comment smacks of wanting the halls of music history to fail to remember Blues artists that didn't manage to become huge in the 50's and 60's because some record exec thought they weren't profitable enough after their song was recorded by another artist that was, shall we say, the right shade of pale.

Bluntly, Renaissance is known to have been an inspiration to many artists who have managed to be listed in the Hall, that has been enough for a few nominations, hasn't it?

Does anyone think that Arlo Guthrie would have automatically achieved the same success if he hadn't also just happened to be Woody's son? That association gave him access to other players, studios, radio networks, and record companies that were closed doors to many.

We should not forget that while, yes, Renaissance did go through multiple artist lineups, they did have a loyal following that, while smaller than some, was in fact GLOBAL in reach.

THAT ITSELF SHOULD BE CAUSE ENOUGH FOR NOMINATION... But hey, if you need more:

While they were pigeon-holed into the "our songs are more than three minutes long" radio wasteland aside from a few after-midnight shows (one of which I helmed in the 80s), anyone who took the time to actually listen to them gained a fast and lasting appreciation, even if they didn't fall for them completely.

Their music still stands up today, entering the sixth decade since their initial recording sessions, whether remastered or original pressings (yes, I still have both...)

But maybe it's as simple as the fact that I have a 12 year old kid who can't understand why more people don't know who Renaissance or Annie Haslam are; and now, his friends are asking the same questions "They are really great, is there more? Why weren't they more popular? Were people back then just dumb?" That last one has been difficult to answer without laughing, because in many ways it gets straight to the point, and some of the commentary here goes a long way to proving it.

Posted by Scott on Saturday, 12/9/2023 @ 15:17pm

RIP John Hawken (1940-2024), Renaissance's original keyboard player.

Posted by Alvaro Gallegos on Thursday, 05/16/2024 @ 08:07am