Don Fleming

Through his work as both a performer and producer, Don Fleming was a longtime mainstay of the contemporary underground rock scene. He first emerged during the early 1980s fronting the Washington D.C.-based Velvet Monkeys, debuting in 1981 with the tape-only Everything Is Right; Future followed two years later, and in 1986 the group appeared with Half Japanese on a split cassette issued on the K label. The group dissolved soon after, at which time Fleming and drummer Jay Spiegel relocated to New York and formed B.a.l.l. with Shimmy Disc honcho and Shockabilly alum Kramer, debuting in 1987 with Period. Upon B.a.l.l.'s demise, Fleming re-formed the Velvet Monkeys, this time with an all-star lineup including Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Pussy Galore's Julia Cafritz; Rake, a concept album in the tradition of '70s-era exploitation soundtracks, followed in 1990.



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