Jump to content

Tommy Fleming (musician): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Anylayman (talk | contribs)
234 edits
m fixed grammar and whatnot
→External links: corrected official website address
 
(202 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Irish singer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:DSCF0874_1.jpg|left|frame|Tommy Fleming In Concert]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
⚫
'''Tommy Fleming''' was born in [[1971]] in [[Aclare]], [[County Sligo]], [[Ireland]]. From an early age Tommy's natural singing talent was on show in local talent competitions and concerts. After finishing secondary school in [[1990]], Tommy played the local scene with a couple of bands but it was his meeting with composer, [[Phil Coulter]] in [[Westport, County Mayo]] that changed his career. Within a few short months of this meeting, he'd appeared at the [[Cork Opera House]], and [[The National Concert Hall]] in [[Dublin]]. He then went on a tour of the [[United States]], which included appearances at [[Carnegie Hall]] and the [[Boston Symphony Hall]].
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Tommy Fleming
| background = solo_singer
| image = Tommy Fleming (musician) 2014.jpg
| caption = Tommy Fleming, 2014
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|5|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Aclare]], [[County Sligo]], Ireland<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishpost.com/entertainment/ten-minutes-tommy-fleming-32296|title=Ten minutes with... Tommy Fleming|date=21 August 2014|work=[[The Irish Post]]|access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref>
| occupation = Singer
| instruments = Vocals
| genre = [[Folk music]]
| years_active = 1996–present
| website = [https://tommyfleming.net/ tommyfleming.net]
}}
'''Tommy Fleming''' (born 15 May 1971) is an Irish singer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s after he was asked to tour the US with [[Phil Coulter]]. He soon established himself as a solo artist and found his greatest success singing traditional [[Irish music]], both old and contemporary. Fleming has toured extensively throughout Ireland, UK, United States, the Netherlands and Australia.<ref name=sundayworld />


==Biography==
After his return to [[Ireland]], he joined the group [[De Dannan]]. ([[Mary Black]], [[Maura O'Connell]], and [[Dolores Keane]] had been previous lead vocalists of this group.) With De Dannan, Tommy's voice was brought to [[Australia]], [[China]], [[Hong Kong]], and, once again, the [[United States]].


⚫
From an early age Fleming's natural singing talent was on show in local talent competitions and concerts. He sang in public for the first time in 1978 at a concert put on by Kilmactigue National School, which he attended.<ref name="Fleming 2012">{{Cite book|title=Tommy Fleming – Let Me Begin|last=Fleming|first=Tommy|publisher=TF Productions Limited|year=2012|isbn=9780957448308}}</ref> After finishing secondary school in 1990, he played the local scene with a couple of bands, but it was his meeting with composer [[Phil Coulter]] in [[Westport, County Mayo]], that changed his career. Within a few short months of this meeting, he appeared at the [[Cork Opera House]], and the [[National Concert Hall]] in Dublin. He then went on a tour of the United States, which included appearances at [[Carnegie Hall]] and the [[Boston Symphony Hall]].
Tommy left De Dannan in [[1996]] to pursue a solo career. His first solo effort, ''Different Side of Life'', was released in [[1996]]. In [[1998]], Tommy released ''Restless Spirit''. In early [[1998]] while on the promotional tour for this album he was almost killed in an autowreck returning to his native Sligo. He escaped from the burning car with a broken neck, all of which put his career in jeopardy. He ended up wearing a cranial halo for three months.


After his return to Ireland, he joined the group [[De Dannan]]. ([[Mary Black]], [[Maura O'Connell]], and [[Dolores Keane]] had been previous lead vocalists of this group.) He performed his first show with De Dannan in the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow in January 1994.<ref name="Fleming 2012"/> With De Dannan, Fleming's voice was brought to Australia, China, Hong Kong, and, once again, the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/life/family/family-features/singer-tommy-fleming-lost-his-parents-on-the-same-day-it-was-heart-breaking-looking-at-two-coffins-in-the-church-34448532.html|title=Singer Tommy Fleming lost his parents on the same day – 'It was heart-breaking looking at two coffins in the church}}</ref>
⚫
''Sand & Water'' and ''The Contender'' were the two albums that followed ''Restless Spirit''. ''The Contender'' brought Tommy back to the roots of traditional [[Music of Ireland|Irish]] [[music]]. The continued successes of his albums throughout [[2000]] and [[2001]] would lead to his first tour of [[Japan]].


== Voice of Hope ==
==Career==
When Fleming was asked how he would describe his genre of music he confessed that it is not opera nor rock 'n' roll. He said that he is just "very traditional and likes a song with a good story".<ref name="dptvmedia.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.dptvmedia.org/Tommy-Fleming-c31.html |title=About Tommy |work=DPTV Media |year=2006 |access-date=2009-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011065003/http://www.dptvmedia.org/Tommy-Fleming-c31.html |archive-date=11 October 2008 }}</ref> When he is touring, he is accompanied by David Hayes, who plays piano and keyboard. Hayes produces Fleming's albums and is the musical director of his shows.<ref>{{ cite web|url=http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2005/dec/25/friends-for-life-tommy-fleming-and-david-hayes/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702083054/http://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2005/dec/25/friends-for-life-tommy-fleming-and-david-hayes/ |url-status=dead |archive-date= 2 July 2013 |title=Friends For Life Tommy Fleming And David Hayes |date=2005-12-25 |access-date=2009-07-22 |work=Tribune Archive }}</ref> Fleming's first solo effort after leaving [[De Dannan]], ''Different Side of Life'', was released in 1996.
⚫
On [[December 12]], [[2004]], Tommy recorded a concert at [[Knock Shrine Basilica]] in [[Knock, County Mayo|Knock]], [[County Mayo]], This superb building has a capacity of 5,000 and had been host to [[Holy Mass]] celebrated by [[Pope John Paul II]] on the [[pontiff]]'s visit to [[Ireland]] in September [[1979]]. Tommy's was the first concert of its kind to be held there. [[PBS]] began broadcasting the recording of the concert under the title [[Voice of Hope]] in the [[United States]] in August [[2005]]. The estimated North American viewing audience was 100,000,000.


In 1998, Fleming released ''Restless Spirit''. In early 1998 while on the promotional tour for this album he was almost killed in a car accident returning to his native County Sligo. He escaped from the burning car with a broken neck which put his career in jeopardy. He ended up wearing a cranial halo for three months. After this incident Fleming was told there was a chance he might not be able to walk again. The woman who rescued Fleming at the time was his wife Tina. Fleming said "She took over my management and helped steer me in the right direction".<ref name=sundayworld>{{cite web|url=http://www.sundayworld.com/showbiz/brunker-meets.php?aid=1624|title=Fleming Recalls His Near-Death Experience|author=[[Amanda Brunker]]|year=2009|access-date=2009-07-12|work=[[Sunday World]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163352/http://www.sundayworld.com/showbiz/brunker-meets.php?aid=1624|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref>
⚫
== A Life Like Mine ==


⚫
''Sand & Water'' and ''The Contender'' were the two albums that followed ''Restless Spirit''. ''The Contender'' brought Fleming back to the roots of traditional [[Music of Ireland|Irish music]]. The continued successes of his albums throughout 2000 and 2001 would lead to his first tour of Japan.<ref>[http://www.allcelticmusic.com/artists/Tommy%20Fleming.html Tommy Fleming biography], courtesy of his website, 2006</ref>
⚫
In 2006 Tommy Fleming released his first studio album in 3 years, entitled <i>A Life Like Mine</i>, and it included songs that Tommy had wanted to record for some time, including [[Jimmy McCarthy]]'s "Mystic Lipstick" and [[Phil Coulter]]'s "Scorn Not His Simplicity". The album went straight to number 5 in the Album charts. The following year he went on to release his second live album <i>A Journey Home</i>.


⚫
On 12 December 2004, Fleming recorded a concert at [[Knock Shrine]] Basilica in Knock, County Mayo. This building has a capacity of 5,000 and had been host to [[Holy Mass]] celebrated by [[Pope John Paul II]] on his [[Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland|visit to Ireland in September 1979]]. Fleming's was the first concert of its kind to be held there. [[PBS]] began broadcasting the recording of the concert under the title ''Voice of Hope'' in the United States in August 2005. ''Voice of Hope'' was his first album to be released in North America.<ref name="dptvmedia.org" />
⚫
== A Journey Home ==


⚫
In 2006, Fleming released his first studio album in three years, entitled ''A Life Like Mine''. It included songs that Fleming had wanted to record for some time, including [[Jimmy MacCarthy]]'s "Mystic Lipstick" and Phil Coulter's "[[Scorn Not His Simplicity]]". The album went straight to number 5 in the Album charts.<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.rambles.net/fleming_life06.html | title=A Life Like Mine | year=2006 | access-date=2009-06-21 }}</ref>
In 2007 Tommy recorded his new Live Show A Journey Home in Ireland’s National Events Centre [[Killarney]] to a live audience of 2,000 ardent Tommy fans, it is envisaged that this new cd/dvd will be Tommy’s most successful to date. A Journey Home features twenty two songs from Irelands most celebrated and acclaimed writers and poets. The songs featured are uniquely stamped with Tommy’s own indelible style, a performance that can only be captured live for that spine tingling feeling that leaves the listeners wanting more and more. "A Journey Home" is full of classical Irish song's such as The Cliff's Of Dooneen Isle Of Inisfree Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears and many many more.


In 2007, Fleming recorded his new live show, ''A Journey Home'', at Ireland's National Events Centre in [[Killarney]] to an audience of 2,000. Released on CD and DVD in 2008, it features 22 songs from Ireland's most celebrated and acclaimed writers and poets. ''A Journey Home'' includes classical Irish songs such as "[[The Cliffs of Dooneen]]", "[[Isle of Innisfree]]" (the theme of the film, ''[[The Quiet Man]]'', written by [[Dick Farrelly]]), and "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears".
== 2008 Tour ==


Upon the release of ''A Journey Home'', Fleming was asked in an interview what would be next for him. He stated that he's going to work on his next studio album, as well as writing an autobiography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/interviews/Jason+Flemyng-54364.html|url-status=live|title=Exclusive Tommy Fleming Interview|date=23 July 2008|access-date=15 November 2022|website=femalefirst.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011101659/http://femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/fleming-54364.html|archive-date=11 October 2008}}</ref>
In 2008 Tommy's new show "A Journey Home" will be going on tour. For date's of his concert's please view his website. http://www.tommyfleming.net

He participated in season 4 of ''[[Celebrity Bainisteoir]]'' in 2011, managing St Patrick's GAA Club Dromard, Sligo.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/0715/celebritybainisteoir.html "RTÉ's Celebrity Bainisteoirs announced"]. ''RTÉ Ten''. 15 July 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817232359/http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/0715/celebritybainisteoir.html |date=17 August 2011 }}</ref>

In November 2014, Fleming participated in the inaugural cruise of the Australian performing arts on the {{MS|Radiance of the Seas}} along with, among others, [[Cheryl Barker]], [[David Hobson (tenor)|David Hobson]], [[Colin Lane]], [[Teddy Tahu Rhodes]], [[Simon Tedeschi]], [[Elaine Paige]], [[Marina Prior]], and [[Jonathon Welch]].

==Personal life==
Tommy Fleming is currently living in Mayo with his wife, Tina. He met her at a funeral two days after a tour in the late 1990s. This was soon after the accident Fleming was involved in where he crashed his car and broke his neck. Fleming has described Tina as "a great woman very strong and a great organiser".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/tommy-fleming-26345866.html|title=Tommy Fleming – in conversation with Ciara Dwyer|date=2008-01-20|access-date=15 November 2022|work=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref>

==Discography==

===Solo albums===
* 1996 – ''Different Sides to Life''
* 1997 – ''Sand and Water''
* 1998 – ''Restless Spirit''
* 2000 – ''The Contender''
* 2003 – ''[[The Collection (Tommy Fleming album)|The Collection]]''
* 2005 – ''A Voice of Hope''
⚫
* 2006 – ''A Life Like Mine''
⚫
* 2007 – ''A Journey Home''
* 2009 – ''The Best Is Yet to Come''
* 2009 – ''Song for a Winter's Night''
* 2010 – ''Going Back''
* 2014 – ''The West's Awake''
* 2016 – ''Stories''
* 2018 – ''A Voice of Hope II''
* 2021 – ''All These Years''

===Charitable recordings===
* 2006 – A Very Special Christmas (single – with [[Moya Brennan]])

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.tommyfleming.net Official Website]
*{{Official website|https://tommyfleming.com/}}

{{Celebrity Bainisteoir}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Tommy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Tommy}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
⚫
[[Category:Irish male singers]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:Irish singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from County Sligo]]
[[Category:People from County Sligo]]
[[Category:De Dannan members]]
⚫
[[Category:21st-century Irish male singers]]


[[nl:Tommy Fleming]]

Latest revision as of 09:21, 31 August 2024

Tommy Fleming
Tommy Fleming, 2014
Tommy Fleming, 2014
Background information
Born (1971-05-15) 15 May 1971 (age 53)
Aclare, County Sligo, Ireland[1]
GenresFolk music
OccupationSinger
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1996–present
Websitetommyfleming.net

Tommy Fleming (born 15 May 1971) is an Irish singer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s after he was asked to tour the US with Phil Coulter. He soon established himself as a solo artist and found his greatest success singing traditional Irish music, both old and contemporary. Fleming has toured extensively throughout Ireland, UK, United States, the Netherlands and Australia.[2]

Biography

[edit]

From an early age Fleming's natural singing talent was on show in local talent competitions and concerts. He sang in public for the first time in 1978 at a concert put on by Kilmactigue National School, which he attended.[3] After finishing secondary school in 1990, he played the local scene with a couple of bands, but it was his meeting with composer Phil Coulter in Westport, County Mayo, that changed his career. Within a few short months of this meeting, he appeared at the Cork Opera House, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. He then went on a tour of the United States, which included appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony Hall.

After his return to Ireland, he joined the group De Dannan. (Mary Black, Maura O'Connell, and Dolores Keane had been previous lead vocalists of this group.) He performed his first show with De Dannan in the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow in January 1994.[3] With De Dannan, Fleming's voice was brought to Australia, China, Hong Kong, and, once again, the United States.[4]

Career

[edit]

When Fleming was asked how he would describe his genre of music he confessed that it is not opera nor rock 'n' roll. He said that he is just "very traditional and likes a song with a good story".[5] When he is touring, he is accompanied by David Hayes, who plays piano and keyboard. Hayes produces Fleming's albums and is the musical director of his shows.[6] Fleming's first solo effort after leaving De Dannan, Different Side of Life, was released in 1996.

In 1998, Fleming released Restless Spirit. In early 1998 while on the promotional tour for this album he was almost killed in a car accident returning to his native County Sligo. He escaped from the burning car with a broken neck which put his career in jeopardy. He ended up wearing a cranial halo for three months. After this incident Fleming was told there was a chance he might not be able to walk again. The woman who rescued Fleming at the time was his wife Tina. Fleming said "She took over my management and helped steer me in the right direction".[2]

Sand & Water and The Contender were the two albums that followed Restless Spirit. The Contender brought Fleming back to the roots of traditional Irish music. The continued successes of his albums throughout 2000 and 2001 would lead to his first tour of Japan.[7]

On 12 December 2004, Fleming recorded a concert at Knock Shrine Basilica in Knock, County Mayo. This building has a capacity of 5,000 and had been host to Holy Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II on his visit to Ireland in September 1979. Fleming's was the first concert of its kind to be held there. PBS began broadcasting the recording of the concert under the title Voice of Hope in the United States in August 2005. Voice of Hope was his first album to be released in North America.[5]

In 2006, Fleming released his first studio album in three years, entitled A Life Like Mine. It included songs that Fleming had wanted to record for some time, including Jimmy MacCarthy's "Mystic Lipstick" and Phil Coulter's "Scorn Not His Simplicity". The album went straight to number 5 in the Album charts.[8]

In 2007, Fleming recorded his new live show, A Journey Home, at Ireland's National Events Centre in Killarney to an audience of 2,000. Released on CD and DVD in 2008, it features 22 songs from Ireland's most celebrated and acclaimed writers and poets. A Journey Home includes classical Irish songs such as "The Cliffs of Dooneen", "Isle of Innisfree" (the theme of the film, The Quiet Man, written by Dick Farrelly), and "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears".

Upon the release of A Journey Home, Fleming was asked in an interview what would be next for him. He stated that he's going to work on his next studio album, as well as writing an autobiography.[9]

He participated in season 4 of Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2011, managing St Patrick's GAA Club Dromard, Sligo.[10]

In November 2014, Fleming participated in the inaugural cruise of the Australian performing arts on the MS Radiance of the Seas along with, among others, Cheryl Barker, David Hobson, Colin Lane, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Simon Tedeschi, Elaine Paige, Marina Prior, and Jonathon Welch.

Personal life

[edit]

Tommy Fleming is currently living in Mayo with his wife, Tina. He met her at a funeral two days after a tour in the late 1990s. This was soon after the accident Fleming was involved in where he crashed his car and broke his neck. Fleming has described Tina as "a great woman very strong and a great organiser".[11]

Discography

[edit]

Solo albums

[edit]
  • 1996 – Different Sides to Life
  • 1997 – Sand and Water
  • 1998 – Restless Spirit
  • 2000 – The Contender
  • 2003 – The Collection
  • 2005 – A Voice of Hope
  • 2006 – A Life Like Mine
  • 2007 – A Journey Home
  • 2009 – The Best Is Yet to Come
  • 2009 – Song for a Winter's Night
  • 2010 – Going Back
  • 2014 – The West's Awake
  • 2016 – Stories
  • 2018 – A Voice of Hope II
  • 2021 – All These Years

Charitable recordings

[edit]
  • 2006 – A Very Special Christmas (single – with Moya Brennan)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ten minutes with... Tommy Fleming". The Irish Post. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Amanda Brunker (2009). "Fleming Recalls His Near-Death Experience". Sunday World. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  3. ^ a b Fleming, Tommy (2012). Tommy Fleming – Let Me Begin. TF Productions Limited. ISBN 9780957448308.
  4. ^ "Singer Tommy Fleming lost his parents on the same day – 'It was heart-breaking looking at two coffins in the church".
  5. ^ a b "About Tommy". DPTV Media. 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Friends For Life Tommy Fleming And David Hayes". Tribune Archive. 25 December 2005. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  7. ^ Tommy Fleming biography, courtesy of his website, 2006
  8. ^ "A Life Like Mine". 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Exclusive Tommy Fleming Interview". femalefirst.co.uk. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  10. ^ "RTÉ's Celebrity Bainisteoirs announced". RTÉ Ten. 15 July 2011. Archived 17 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Tommy Fleming – in conversation with Ciara Dwyer". Irish Independent. 20 January 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Tommy_Fleming_(musician)&oldid=1243236941"