Stories

Though Stories initially operated under the direction of Michael Brown, the former creative force behind Left Banke, the band achieved its solitary hit with the 1973 number-one single “Brother Louie” only after his departure. Brown, who had served as the keyboardist responsible for Left Banke’s signature songs “Walk Away, Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina,” exited that group in 1967; two years later he recorded an album with Montage whose ornate, chamber-like pop approach echoed his earlier style. He subsequently assembled Stories alongside vocalist Ian Lloyd, guitarist Steve Love, and drummer Bryan Madey. After the quartet issued its self-titled Kama Sutra debut in 1972, Brown quit without warning. The remaining members then added bassist Kenny Aaronson and pianist Ken Bichel for the follow-up LP About Us. Penned by Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown, the interracial-love story “Brother Louie” topped the charts that summer, yet Stories never again reached the Top 40. Brown reemerged briefly in 1976 fronting the short-lived Beckies, after which he remained largely out of public view for the ensuing decades. In March 2015, at age 65, he succumbed to heart failure at his Englewood, New Jersey residence.