The Left Banke were a 1960s New York band best remembered for the massive hit 'Walk Away Renée'. The main songwriter was teenage keyboard player Michael Brown, while the falsetto vocals of Steve Martin and the band's use of harmonies and strings created a classic late-1960s pop sound, sometimes dubbed 'baroque and roll'.
The Left Banke had temporarily split up, with Brown moving to California, when 'Walk Away Renee' became a major hit in 1967. Another hit soon followed with the single 'Pretty Ballerina'. Their first album was 'Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina' in 1967, which was well-received for its songwriting and production values. However, the group was beset by internal conflicts, with Brown wanting to concentrate on writing and recording rather than touring. The rest of the band were also trying to oust Brown's father from his role as band manager. Brown recorded another single, 'Desiree', with the Left Banke, but then left the band.
Most of their second album, 'The Left Banke Too' (1968), was recorded without Brown and it was not as successful as its predecessor. The original Left Banke lineup reunited to release a 1971 single entitled 'Love Songs in the Night' under the name of Steve Martin. Brown went on to form the band Montage and then joined Stories.
The band achieved a cult following in later years with their songs being covered by the likes of Rickie Lee Jones, Alice Cooper, Richard Thompson, Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet. Former members Tom Finn and George Cameron staged a series of reunion gigs in New York in 2010 and formed a new incarnation of Left Banke, and Michael Brown joined them on stage at a concert in 2013.
In 2015 Brown died from heart problems.
