Bruce Fleming (born , 1937 in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

),"The Extraordinary Life and Images of Bruce Fleming"
''

Juice (skateboarding magazine) ''Juice'' Magazine, founded in 1993 in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a skateboarding, surfing and music publication, edited, owned and published by Terri Craft. It includes interviews by skate editor, Jim Murphy, and features editors: Steve Ols ...

'' (online), accessed 7 February 2014. is a British fine art photographer who is notable for his pop art portraits of the 1960s and 1970s."Bruce Fleming"
National Portrait Gallery (website), accessed 7 February 2014. He is perhaps best known for his photography of

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

, Lulu, the Animals and of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

for whom he produced the photo for

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

's album cover ''

Are You Experienced ''Are You Experienced'' is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album feature ...

'' in 1967."Cover Art UK verses USA", ''Jimi Hendrix FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Voodoo Child''
by Gary J. Jucha,

Biography

Early career

Fleming was born in 1937 in

. His father was a musician and his mother, a housewife. Fleming had his schooling interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when he was evacuated, and attended a boarding school when the war finished. His father left the family home when Fleming was young and he was raised as a teenager by his mother, who funded his early interest in photography by buying him his first camera. Fleming began by photographing various pieces of artwork and water colourings which he would paint. In 1952, when Fleming was 15, he attended Hornsey Art College but was drafted into National Service in 1955 and served in Northern Ireland. He later took up a position in the Royal Air Force which he soon left. He had a series of menial jobs including a telephone operator, a waiter, a chef and a labourer. Still eager to make it as a photographer, Fleming came into contact with Ronnie Scott and socialised at his Jazz club in London. Fleming started to work for

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

magazine and came to prominence for his photography of

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Ba ...

. During his work as a press photographer, Fleming survived a knife attack and gave up press in 1965 soon after he had photographed the funeral of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

for ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

''.

Pop art

Upon leaving press photography, Fleming met an influential public relations officer in London and was recruited as his personal photographer. The engagement brought Fleming into contact with

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...

and he became their personal photographer. From there, Fleming met

and became photographed the guitarist for many portraits; in 1967, Fleming composed the photo for

album cover ''

'' which he took which was taken in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew on 27 February 1967.

Recent career

Fleming is currently based in London and is married with children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Bruce 1937 births British pop artists Living people Fine art photographers Photographers from London Jazz photographers People from Twickenham