Michael Dunford

Michael Dunford is best known for his work as guitarist and songwriter for the group Renaissance. He worked with John Hawken in the group Cruisers Rock Combo before this act was absorbed into The Nashville Teens in 1960 and 1962, respectively. After leaving the 'Teens' in 1963, he was later recruited into Renaissance by Hawken in 1970 touring as a member of a totally re-formed live band whose only recording was the song "Mr. Pine" on the 1971 "Illusion" album, which at the time was only released in the European continent. He then left to concentrate on songwriting, but in 1973 became a member again of yet another incarnation of Renaissance, this time featuring Annie Haslam, when they recorded their "Ashes Are Burning" LP. After this he appeared on every album by the band until his death in 2012. Before his death, he completed the guitar, vocal and songwriting work for the Renaissance album "Grandine Il Vento", which was released in 2013. Dunford tried for many years -unsuccessfully- to stage a musical "Scheherazade" (based in the Renaissance album of the same name, which he had co-written) in London's West End. At the end of the 1990s, after the main band had temporarily ceased to exist since the mid-eighties, he had his own spin off: Michael Dunford's Renaissance.

Born: 8th July 1944, in Surrey, England
Died: 20th November 2012, in Surrey, England [Aged 68].