Fleming Brown
Encyclopedia
Fleming Brown, 1926–1984, born in Marshall, Missouri
. He was a banjo player and one of the early teachers at Chicago's
Old Town School of Folk Music
. As an artist, Brown specialized in traditional songs of the Southern Appalachians. He was influenced by old-time banjo players such as Uncle Dave Macon
and Dock Boggs
. Brown supported himself as a graphic artist and as such never performed widely outside of Chicago.
Brown learned the banjo from Doc Hopkins, an old-time singer who hosted a morning radio show on WLS in Chicago. He would have his lesson at the studio after the show daily. As a banjo player Brown traveled much learning technique from other banjo players like Doc Hopkins, Bascom Lamar Lunsford
, Grandpa Jones
, Hobart Smith
, Frank Proffitt
. In 1963 Brown recorded the banjo player Hobart Smith for a record released as The 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes.
In 1953 he joined the "I Come for to Sing
" group with Studs Terkel
, Larry Lane, Chet Roble and Big Bill Broonzy
. Also in that year, he hosted a folk music radio show on Chicago's WFMT which was entitled "The Midnight Special
" since it began at midnight on Saturdays.
At the Old Town School, Brown mentored banjoist Stephen Wade
who eventually took over teaching Fleming's class in 1974.
Fleming has performed at the Ashville, North Carolina, Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, and the University of Chicago Folk Festival.
Marshall, Missouri
Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County,. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is also home to Missouri Valley College...
. He was a banjo player and one of the early teachers at Chicago's
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music
The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists...
. As an artist, Brown specialized in traditional songs of the Southern Appalachians. He was influenced by old-time banjo players such as Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon , born David Harrison Macon—also known as "The Dixie Dewdrop"—was an American banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian...
and Dock Boggs
Dock Boggs
Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs was an influential old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and African-American blues...
. Brown supported himself as a graphic artist and as such never performed widely outside of Chicago.
Brown learned the banjo from Doc Hopkins, an old-time singer who hosted a morning radio show on WLS in Chicago. He would have his lesson at the studio after the show daily. As a banjo player Brown traveled much learning technique from other banjo players like Doc Hopkins, Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Bascom Lamar Lunsford was a lawyer, folklorist, and performer of traditional music from western North Carolina. He was often known by the nickname "Minstrel of the Appalachians."- Early life :...
, Grandpa Jones
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones , known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer...
, Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith was an American old-time musician. He was most notable for his appearance with his sister, Texas Gladden, on a series of Library of Congress recordings in the 1940s and his later appearances at various festivals during the folk music revival of the 1960s...
, Frank Proffitt
Frank Proffitt
Frank Proffitt was an Appalachian old time banjoist and performer at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. He was a key figure in inspiring musicians of the 1960s and 1970s to play the banjo. He recorded the ballad "Tom Dooley", learned from his aunt Nancy Prather...
. In 1963 Brown recorded the banjo player Hobart Smith for a record released as The 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes.
In 1953 he joined the "I Come for to Sing
I Come for to Sing
I Come For to Sing was a folk music review performed by Chicago musicians and singers, Win Stracke, Big Bill Broonzy and Larry Lane. The program was narrated by Studs Terkel. I Come For to Sing ran successfully for more than ten years, touring colleges and clubs throughout the United States, with...
" group with Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel
Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.-Early...
, Larry Lane, Chet Roble and Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
. Also in that year, he hosted a folk music radio show on Chicago's WFMT which was entitled "The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (radio)
The Midnight Special is a syndicated radio show broadcast on Chicago, Illinois radio station, WFMT-FM since 1953. It is a showcase for folk and roots music from historical and contemporary artists. The show also features comedy sketches and show tunes...
" since it began at midnight on Saturdays.
At the Old Town School, Brown mentored banjoist Stephen Wade
Stephen Wade (musician)
Stephen Wade is an American folk musician, writer, and researcher.-Biography:Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s and 60s, he was exposed to folk musicians who had moved north from the Mississippi Delta and the Southern Appalachians....
who eventually took over teaching Fleming's class in 1974.
Fleming has performed at the Ashville, North Carolina, Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, and the University of Chicago Folk Festival.
Discography
- Appalachian Banjo Songs and Ballads, Folk-Legacy Records, 1962
- Little Rosewood Casket and Other Songs of Joy, Stephen Wade, Folk-Legacy Records, 1984