Annie Haslam & Jim McCarty: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview

Feature Photo courtesy of Anne Leighton

Few names in symphonic rock carry the kind of legacy that Renaissance does. This November, two of the band’s most essential figures, vocalist Annie Haslam and founding member Jim McCarty, will reunite to present The History of Renaissance, a special series of performances and conversations that celebrate more than five decades of music and artistry. The events will take place on November 21 and 22 at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Illinois (St. Louis), on November 28 at the Newton Theatre in New Jersey, and on November 29 at the Lansdowne Theatre in Pennsylvania.

These shows will offer fans a rare, intimate experience as Annie and Jim share stories, photos, and personal reflections tracing the band’s remarkable evolution, followed by a live performance featuring musicians from both eras of Renaissance performing together for the first time. For a group that completed its farewell tour in October 2024, the announcement came as a surprise and a delight to fans who thought they had seen the last of these celebrated pioneers.

What began as an invitation for Annie to perform a solo show at the Wildey Theatre soon grew into something far more ambitious. After being approached by the promoter, Annie reached out to Jim McCarty, whose presence would help reconnect Renaissance to its earliest roots. That conversation led to the idea of a full reunion performance that would bridge the band’s original lineup with the later symphonic incarnation that defined their international success.

The show promises an evening of symphonic rock at its finest. “All Renaissance and McCarty fans are invited to experience our coming full circle,” Annie says. “It was destined to happen one day.” McCarty adds, “I’ll be talking with Annie about how the band formed and got that sound. I’m also very pleased to be singing some of my own songs.”

Renaissance was originally conceived by McCarty and Keith Relf following their work with the Yardbirds. The new group sought to fuse folk, classical, and blues influences into a more expansive musical form. When Annie Haslam joined in 1971, her five-octave range helped transform Renaissance into one of the defining voices of the progressive rock era. With lyricist Betty Thatcher and the instrumental brilliance of Michael Dunford, John Tout, Jon Camp, and Terry Sullivan, the band created a body of work that was both elegant and powerful.

Over the years, Renaissance became known for ambitious arrangements and orchestral performances, including concerts at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Chorale Society. Their song “Northern Lights” reached the UK Top 10 and remains one of the most enduring pieces in their catalog.

The band reemerged in 2009 with Haslam and Dunford leading a new generation of musicians, continuing to record and tour until their farewell in 2024. Now, with The History of Renaissance, the story takes one more remarkable turn. Annie is especially excited to revisit “Face of Yesterday,” a song from McCarty’s band Illusion that she last performed during a German tour in the early 1970s.

Joining Haslam and McCarty for these performances will be Rave Tesar on keyboards, Mark Lambert on guitar and vocals, Geoffrey Langley on keyboards and vocals, John Galgano on bass and vocals, and Frank Pagano on drums, percussion, and vocals.

I think fans of the band will really enjoy the interview below. What was truly remarkable about this interview was how well Annie and Jim work together, not just musically as we already know, but even in conversation. The long-term friendship is on full display. Additionally, as the conversation turned to art, Annie was very generous in sharing some of her wonderful paintings. This is the beauty of video interviews as opposed to phone interviews; it all comes alive on the screen. You don’t want to miss this.