The Left Banke’s Michael Brown Has Died

Michael Brown, keyboardist, songwriter, and founding member of Sixties group The Left Banke has passed away this past Thursday at the age of 65.

There are few in this day and age that can recall the musical splendor that was The Left Banke. Like the British Invasion outfit The Zombies, The Left Banke had a very short lifespan, beginning in the early days of 1965 and ending roughly around 1969. Although only lasting four years, the impact of The Left Banke has been felt in waves ever since their premature demise. As recently as last Thursday, The Left Banke has lost one of its founding members and truly one of its core brothers in arms. Keyboardist and songwriter Michael Brown, who wrote several of the group’s biggest hits, passed away on Thursday of unknown causes. The Left Banke announced Brown’s death on their official Facebook fan page this past week, but did not post any details on the cause of death.

Brown was a key founder of The Left Banke and had written some of their biggest hits, including “Walk Away Renee,” “I’ve Got Something On My Mind,” and “Pretty Ballerina.” Brown’s extensive use of the clavinet and the harpsichord were staple elements of The Left Banke’s rather baroque, semi-orchestral sound, which many have been lead to believe were influenced by The Beatles, The Zombies, and several other groups of the British Invasion, many of whom were also using similar musical techniques at that time.

Michael Brown was sixty-five years old. May his music live on forever.