Louis Cennamo

Career

Cennamo left school at 16 and from 1962 to 1965 was a founding member of Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions, a London blues/rock band that included Rod Stewart. The group signed with Pye Records and released the single "That's Alright" in June 1964. They also provided backing for Jamaican singer Millie Small on her recording of "My Boy Lollipop", which reached No. 2 in both the UK and the US and sold over six million copies. In June 1964 the Five Dimensions performed at the All Night Rave at Alexandra Palace with headliners The Rolling Stones, as well as Alexis Korner, John Lee Hooker, and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.

They appeared on Granada TV with Sonny Boy Williamson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and on Ready Steady Go! and Thank Your Lucky Stars. In 1965 the band backed Chuck Berry on his Chuck Berry in London LP and on his three-week tour of England. Cennamo then spent late 1965 to late 1966 as bassist for The Herd with Peter Frampton; his sole released recording with them was a cover of "So Much In Love" on Parlophone. He later played briefly with Patto's People, releasing one single in late 1966.

During the late 1960s he played bass on sessions including James Taylor's 1968 self-titled LP and Al Stewart's Zero She Flies. In 1969, along with Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, Cennamo co-founded the original lineup of Renaissance. He played a key role in working up the band's classically influenced song arrangements, and one highlight of Renaissance live performances was his use of the violin bow on his bass on the song "Bullet", often the final number of the set.

This incarnation recorded two LPs before going their separate ways in spring 1970. Cennamo then joined Colosseum, recording Daughter of Time (1970). He was recruited by Steamhammer (1970–72), touring Europe extensively and recording the experimental Speech in 1971. After Steamhammer folded in 1973, Cennamo co-founded Armageddon (1974–75) with Bobby Caldwell, Martin Pugh, and Keith Relf.

The band was based in California but recorded their debut album, Armageddon, at Olympic Studios in London, released on A&M Records in late spring 1975. Relf's death in May 1976 ended the band. Back in England, Cennamo co-founded Illusion with the members of the original Renaissance (minus Relf), remaining for two albums from 1977 to 1979.

1980s and beyond

From 1986 to 1995 he was part of a part-time project called Stairway with Jim McCarty, playing guitar; other participants included psychotherapist Malcolm Stern, Clifford White, and Jane Relf. Stairway released four full-length tapes and CDs on New World Music and one on Oasis Productions, with music intended to be healing and meditative. In 2001 the four surviving members of original Renaissance and Illusion issued the album Through the Fire under the name Renaissance Illusion; it 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 with Jim McCarty's band Flip Side, playing songs from the first two Illusion albums and the Renaissance Illusion CD.

Writing career

Cennamo's jazz band Special Edition formed from jamming with North London jazz musicians; they recorded an album called Get This with writer Angela Elliott, featuring jazz poetry. Daniel Jones of the band 7th Order has been enlisted as co-producer for videos of jazz bands Cennamo has performed with. Cennamo has written poetry and short stories, several published, and has been involved in compiling recent CD box sets by Illusion and Renaissance. His blog on medium.com references an autobiography in progress.

Did You Know?

• Cennamo provided backing on Millie Small's 'My Boy Lollipop', which sold over six million copies and hit No. 2 in both the UK and US.
• He used a violin bow on his bass during Renaissance's live performances of the song 'Bullet', often the final number of the set.
• Cennamo co-founded Armageddon with former Yardbirds member Keith Relf; the band's debut album was released on A&M Records in 1975.