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

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. 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 ...

of the

Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ranked in t ...

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 founding member to still tou ...

of the Yardbirds formed Renaissance with pianist

John Hawken John Christopher Hawken (9 May 1940 – 15 May 2024) was 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 and Illusion, as ...

and bassist Louis Cennamo. 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 ...

in 1970, Jane and John Hawken briefly continued Renaissance with a new lineup including Terry Crowe, Michael Dunford, Neil Korner, and Terry Slade. Jane also introduced lyricist Betty Thatcher 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 bran ...

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 disbanding 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 A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway. ...

and McCarty's solo album ''Out Of The Dark''. In 1990, a collection of Illusion demos was 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 Scot - ''Colin Scot'' (1971) *

- ''Out Of The Dark'' (1994)

References

External links

Renaissance and offshoots discographyJane Relf's Discogs.com page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Relf, Jane 1947 births Living people English rock singers British women rock singers People from Richmond, London Singers from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Renaissance (band) members Illusion (band) members