- Fleming Brown
Infobox musical artist
Name = Fleming Brown
Img_capt = Fleming at theOld Town School of Folk Music
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Background = solo_singer
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Born = 1926
Marshall,Missouri , USA
Died = 1984
Origin = Chicago,IL
Instrument =Guitar ,banjo
Genre = Folk
Occupation =songwriter
Years_active = 1960s – 1970s
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Notable_instruments =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 asUncle Dave Macon andDoc Boggs . Brown supported himself as a graphic artist and as such never performed widely outside of Chicago. [http://web.mac.com/markdvorak/iWeb/Site2/hallofhonormain.html, Old Town School Hall of Honor [http://web.mac.com/markdvorak/iWeb/Site2/hallofhonormain.html] ]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 . [http://web.mac.com/markdvorak/iWeb/Site2/hallofhonormain.html, Old Town School Hall of Honor [http://web.mac.com/markdvorak/iWeb/Site2/hallofhonormain.html] ] 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 withStuds Terkel ,Larry Lane ,Chet Roble andBig 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. [http://www.glenbard44.com/radio.htm, Studs Terkel interview with Flemming Brown [http://www.glenbard44.com/radio.htm] ] [http://www.midnightspecial.org/whatis.html, The history of the Midnight Special [http://www.midnightspecial.org/whatis.html] ]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.
Discography
*"Appalachian Banjo Songs and Ballads", Folk-Legacy Records, 1962
*"Little Rosewood Casket and Other Songs of Joy", Stephen Wade, Folk-Legacy Records, 1984Footnotes
External links
* [http://www.glenbard44.com/legacy.htm Fleming Brown's Legacy]
* [http://www.glenbard44.com/radio.htm Studs Terkel's interview with Fleming Brown on WFMT]
* [http://www.folk-legacy.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=30 Purchace Fleming Brown's Music at Folk-Legacy Records]
* [http://www.folkstreams.net/film,135 Catching the Music, a Documentary about banjo players, including footage of Fleming Brown]
* [http://www.midnightspecial.org/ The Midnight Special, a weekly Folk-music radio program]
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