Unpicking Threads in the American Cultural Tapestry

The Left Banke; inlay top left Harry Lookofsky; inlay bottom right Renée Fladen

“The Left Banke” had a smash hit in 1966 with “Walk Away, Renée“, a song co-written by Michael Brown, son of Russian-Jewish immigrants named “Lookofsky” who had first fetched-up in America in…Paducah, Kentucky.

Brown’s father Harry Lookofsky was an accomplished bebop violinist who relocated to New York, running a small recording studio and working with jazz luminaries such as Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones,Jaco Pastorius, and George Benson.

Harry’s maneuvering for control of his pianist son’s band appears to have been a constant source of friction.

Michael Brown’s complicated relationship with the band’s drummer Warren David-Schierhorst (who was bisexual and a closeted transgender person later known as Lisa) also seems to have been the cause of much tension.

Michael Brown’s crush on the “Renée” of the song – Renée A. Fladen – who was the then girlfriend of bass player Tom Finn, probably didn’t help matters, either.

Before “Walk Away, Renée” had even broken into the charts, Brown had already left the band, and drummer David-Schierhorst had been kicked out.

The Left Banke had collapsed.

Harry Lookofsky tried to capitalise on the success of the song by reforming the band without his son.

New guitar player Michael McKean would later become better-known as an actor, latterly garnering much praise for his role as Chuck McGill in “Better Call Saul“.

The Left Banke‘s second (and last) album was released in 1968, and is probably most notable for the fact that Steven Tyler, singer with legendary American rock band “Aerosmith“, got one of his earliest musical breaks singing backing vocals on two of its songs.

Tyler himself is of mixed Italian, Polish, and African-American ancestry…

We’ll wind our way back to Kentucky (sort of) by including a link below to Cyndi Lauper playing a beautiful cover version of “Walk Away, Renée” on the mountain dulcimer, an instrument she was taught to play by the legendary David Schnaufer.