L-R: Mike Brown, Steve Martin Caro, Tom Finn, George Cameron, Rick Brand of The Left Banke; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesSteve Martin Caro, founding lead singer of the 1960s baroque-pop act The Left Banke, died Tuesday at the age 71, according to a post on the band’s official Facebook fan page.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you that Steve has passed away [Tuesday] night,” the note reads. “Another great voice has been taken away too early. We will all miss him and all that he gave to the Left Banke.”
The Left Banke is best known for the 1967 hits “Walk Away Renée” and “Pretty Ballerina,” which reached #5 and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Caro sang most of the group’s songs and also co-wrote several of them.
The band released two studio albums, Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina in 1967 and The Left Banke Too in 1968, before breaking up in 1969. Caro went on to take part in some of the band’s sporadic reunion projects over the years.
In January 2018, The Left Banke’s official Facebook page announced that Caro and the group’s original drummer, George Cameron, had been rehearsing together for some possible new shows, but that plan didn’t come to fruition due to Cameron’s death from cancer in June of 2018.
Original Left Banke keyboardist Michael Brown, who co-wrote “Walk Away Renée” and wrote “Pretty Ballerina,” died of heart failure in 2015. Caro’s death leaves guitarist Tom Finn as The Left Banke’s sole surviving founding member.
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