Sad news today from David Greenwald at The Oregonian:
Michael Brown, the initial guiding force behind influential 1960s pop act the Left Banke, has died, the group’s Tom Finn announced on Facebook on Thursday.
Brown was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the group, though he left in 1967 after just one album. He co-wrote and wrote, respectively, the band’s best-known songs, “Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina…”
This was the Left Banke’s first single and their biggest hit. It’s a lovely song.