Mr. B.K.---

This is a valuable lot of stuff you have made available here. And FLEMING BROWN was a unique and valuable part of the folk world in Northern Illinois for many years. In the 1950s he was the first in Chicago's big area to show people what Appalachian banjo was all about. His voice was dramatic and very effective in highlighting the lyric that usually presented a fascinating story of places and times different than what we city bred people knew about. It was an eye opener for many of us. Of the many who were affected by Fleming Brown, there was a Chicago kid who became the wonderful banjo player and raconteur STEPHEN WADE. Steve's one-man shows, BANJO DANCING and it's successors, still hold longevity records in Washington D.C. and other theatrical venues around the U.S.A. It was from Fleming Brown that Stephen Wade learned to love and play the 5-string banjo. He would, at the drop of a hat (or a pick), tell anyone who would listen about the wonders inherant in the sounds, tunings and history of the 5-string banjo.

Fleming is gone now, but you can hear him when you listen to Stephen Wade. And you can also hear Fleming on the sites provided and mentioned in this thread by some fine folks who carry on the music he made so lovingly and artfully. That's what the folk process is all about.

Art Thieme