It must have been an afternoon after I retired nine years ago...I was listening to Terry Gross on PBS interviewing a banjo player who was coming to the Philadelphia area. But my ears perked up when I heard the Old Town School of Music mentioned by the Chicago-born musician.
As I listened more carefully, Terry found out that this Chicago boy had started his folk music education in the city, and YES, Fleming Brown had been his teacher! In fact, this young career entertainer, Steve Wade, had adopted the name Banjo Dancer, and identified Flem as his mentor. Moreover, some of his most treasured string instruments were the ones he had received from Fleming, and later, his family. How fortunate I felt to have found this program!
Of course, my next move was to find a Steve Wade performance close to us. When Cece and I picked up our tickets at the box office, we identified ourselves as close friends of Steve's mentor, Fleming Brown, and asked if we might meet Steve. They told us to send a note backstage, and check with them after the performance.
Steve puts on a "first class" musical show sprinkled with stories and clogging while he plays. He has combed the Smithsonian libraries for amusing folk tales to compliment his music.
When we went back stage after the show, we sensed a hesitation on Steve's part to accept us as anything but curious to meet him. But, as we reminisced about Flem and our long friendship, he warmed up to hearing more about Fleming's background. And we learned more of Flem's later life and family. Steve's close association with Fleming continued with his sister and parents after Fleming's death.
It was kind of like a visit with Flem whom we had not seen since the '70s.
We shared this story with a fellow Fleming friend/admirer, John Filson, whom we often saw in Cleveland on our trips from New Jersey back to Illinois. A year later when Steve Wade was back in the Philadelphia area, we coaxed John into combining the date with a visit, and the three of us heard Steve again, and visited backstage.
Another flashback occurred to us a few years ago when we accompanied our 3 year old granddaughter to her WIGGLEWORM class at the Old Town School of Music. Of course, there is a picture in memory of Fleming, one of their eminent teachers.
If you ever see or hear of a performance of STEVE WADE, don't pass it by. You'll find it well worth attending, and it will bring back memories of one of our esteemed class-mates. For some of you, it is too bad that this was a part of Fleming that only blossomed after he left high school.
(Webmaster's Note: Remember that Studs Terkel's radio interview with Fleming is still available in "streaming MP3". Check out
this page.)