Fleming Brown (March 1, 1926 – 1984), born in

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 home to Missouri Val ...

, United States, was an American banjo player and one of the early teachers at

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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. Founded by Folk musicians Frank Hamilton and Win Stracke, and Dawn Greening, the School opened in th ...

. 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 David Harrison Macon (October 7, 1870 – March 22, 1952), known professionally as Uncle Dave Macon, was an American old-time banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Known as "The Dixie Dewdrop", Macon was known for his chin whiskers, ...

and

Dock Boggs Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an American 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 Af ...

. 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 (March 21, 1882 – September 4, 1973) was a Folklore studies, folklorist, performer of Appalachian music, traditional Appalachian music, and lawyer from western North Carolina. He was often known by the nickname "Minstrel ...

Grandpa Jones Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.McCall, Michael; ...

, Hobart Smith,

Frank Proffitt Frank Noah Proffitt (June 1, 1913 – November 24, 1965) was an Appalachian old time banjoist who preserved the song " Tom Dooley" in the form we know it today and was a key figure in inspiring musicians of the 1960s and 1970s to play the trad ...

. 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 Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...

. 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 Asheville, North Carolina, Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, and the

University of Chicago Folk Festival A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Discography

*''Appalachian Banjo Songs and Ballads'', Folk-Legacy Records, 1962 *''Little Rosewood Casket and Other Songs of Joy'', Stephen Wade, Merrywang, 1984 *''The Folk Music of the Newport Folk Festival 1959-60 Volume 2'', Folkways Records FA 2432, contains two songs by Fleming Brown, singing and playing banjo on "Rake and a Rambling Bride" and "Tom Hubbard"

References

External links

Catching the Music, a Documentary about banjo players, including footage of Fleming Brown

The Midnight Special, a weekly Folk-music radio program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Fleming American folk musicians American folk singers American banjoists American folk-song collectors Singers from Chicago Folk musicians from Chicago Old Town School of Folk musicians 1984 deaths 1926 births 20th-century American singers People from Marshall, Missouri Singer-songwriters from Illinois