Harry Lookofsky

American jazz and pop violinist, bandleader and producer. Born October 1, 1913 in Paducah, Kentucky. Died June 8, 1998 in York, Pennsylvania. Father of keyboardist-songwriter Michael Lookofsky (alias Michael Brown (10)). Lookofsky co-produced the pop hit, "Walk Away Renée", by The Left Banke, which was co-written by his son. The song hit #5 in the U.S. in 1966 and was the band's biggest hit. Lookofsky played for five years with the St. Louis Symphony then came to New York to join the NBC Symphony when it was formed in 1938 for Arturo Toscanini, staying a dozen years. In 1950, he joined ABC in New York, including a stint as concert master for Paul Whiteman. Lookofsky became the first to figure out how to successfully play be-bop on the violin (as well as on the rarely heard tenor violin). Lookofsky's violin was made by Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu in 1726, which costs him upwards of $30,000.