Al Fleming has been playing and recording for over three decades.  His first paying gig was in 1968 and he has since played literally hundreds of gigs in many different bands and styles. After his first gig at Aberdeen University Blues Club, Al sang and played flute with a succession of Aberdeen Jazz Rock bands through the early 70s.

    On moving west to attend Glasgow School of Art, Al started earning to support his studies by playing bass guitar and gigging around with the truly bizarre Eventones - featuring Joe Jolly, a sixty-five-year-old Hawiian guitar player!  Al later became bass player for the Islanders folk group and gigged extensively with them, all over Scotland.

    By this time, Al had started seriously writing and this lead him to moving back on to guitar and vocals and gigging with a variety of Glasgow bands, culminating in the late 70s - early 80s with The Bears.  The Bears released a "double-A" single - Artist c/w Spain - (both Fleming songs) which went into the Alternative Top 20.

[ view The Bears live ]

     The Bears went on to record and release the album "The Bear Essentials" in 1982.  This record showcased some great, catchy "power pop" material and the band played across the country, including London's Dingwalls club.  (The album also featured the first ever session recording work by the Kick Horns. They would go on to provide brass for virtually all the top name artist of the time, including - the Water Boys, Wham, Elton John and Eric Clapton. Check out their website!!) The Bears also played the Loch Lomond Rock Festival, sharing the bill with Bad Manners, The Tourists (renewing old friendship with Annie Lennox) and The Jam.

    The Bears recordings were all done at Black Gold Studios owned by the McCredie brothers from the Scottish MOR icons, Middle of the Road.  Al became friendly with Ian and Eric, and the three formed "Ad Music", a company providing jingles and music beds for media and advertising.  At this time Al started recording with Middle of the Road and has gigged and appeared on European TV with them.  Most notably, Al was playing bass with them on a 100,000,000 viewing audience, European-wide, live spectacular from the Berlin Wall at New Year 1990, to celebrate the end of the Cold War. (The only European country not to broadcast this show was Britain. The BBC had apparently committed to "Scotch and Wry"!!!) 
   
    In the 90s, Al continued to record, doing session work for a range of adverts and recording projects, one of the most unusual being singing all the male parts for an Austrian CD release of the musical Cats.
   
    Another interesting project, around this time, was a music bed for a touring exhibition by the Scots artist Tom Mckendrick.  The show was entitled Iron, and told the story of the element , and its importance to man, physiologically, culturally and industrially.  Al developed these themes into an album entitled Iron Tracks which is now available on this site.  BBC Scotland broadcast a 30 minute documentary on Mckendrick's work and Al's music was used on this.  

    Al has continued to work with Tom on a variety of similar projects, and this gave him the idea for an album incorporating ambient sound and music.  This resulted in the album, Echoes Ecosse.  Go to the Echoes Ecosse page and then listen to the music on Echoes Ecosse tracks page - 12 tracks for FREE.  The album also includes original montage artwork using images from the locations and these images are now beginning to appear on the relevant Echoes Ecosse track pages. 

    Also in the early 90s, Al decided it was time to return to his roots and play Blues again.  This resulted in Red Green's Blues Band which Al fronts under his alter-ego, Mr Red Green.  This band, which has varied from 4 to 10 piece and has featured some of the finest Blues musicians in the country, has played all over Scotland and indeed continues to gig currently.  On a number of occasions Al has been interviewed on Radio Scotland regarding Red Green's.  As an off-shoot to this band, Al was asked to put together a band for a blues jam in the centre of Glasgow.  This resulted in the Statesboro' Blues Brothers who have now been hosting Tuesday evenings at the State Bar, off Sauchiehall Street, for the last  9 years! (Will we make 10?!!)

    In 2005 Al became one of the first new Scottish songwriters to be "discovered" by Burnsong. (Not exactly an overnight sensation). This is an initiative set up by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association in partnership  with the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Arts Council and BBC Scotland. The aim is to uncover new and interesting songwriting talent currently working in Scotland. Al submitted his song "Maria's Clean" which was written after his visit to Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. The song's title refers to the idea of a little girl - Maria, who has been through the shower - with all the connotations that that includes.  Al performed this song at the Burnsong Big Gig in Dumfries on St Andrew's night this year - what a great gig!! This is to be broadcast by BBC Radio Scotland in the near future. Listen out!!

    Al is also currently working on an acoustic album entitled Raw Nerves which will be available shortly through this website.  He is also putting together musicians including personnel from John Martyn's, Donnie Munro's and Seal's touring bands to gig this material.