Tommy Fleming Takes People On Journey Home

Singer Featured on WLIW/21 Will Perform at New York's Town Hall

By John Mooney

Platinum-selling Irish balladeer Tommy Fleming has announced a special concert at New York's Town Hall on March 6th.

Fleming, who has recently taken WLIW Ch. 21 viewers on an emotional voyage of music from the Emerald Isle, is one of the top selling Irish musical acts of the past decade. The red haired recording artist has made six studio and two concert albums that have achieved platinum and multi-platinum sales. He had the biggest selling album in Ireland in 2005/06, "The Voice of Hope," and followed with another hugely successful CD, "A Life like Mine," in 2006.

Fleming's latest effort, "A Journey Home," is a CD/DVD recorded live at the INEC in Killarney (March 07) with a 23 piece orchestra, band and choir. It catalogues the "journey" of Irish music from Thomas Moore to U2.

The affable musician was born in Aclare, Co. Sligo in 1971. The youngest of six children, he started singing while still at school and fronted his own local band. A chance encounter with Phil Coulter at a charity function led to a big break when the legendary singer/songwriter invited him to be a guest singer on his U.S. tour.

"I always wanted to be a musician and always felt at home on stage. I didn't find music, it found me," said Fleming, whose first major solo concert was Carnegie Hall at age 22 in 1993. "I was very young. It gained me lots of recognition. Every concert is special to me, and is different in its own way. Something happens different at each one."

Shortly after securing a record deal, everything looked set to flourish when a tragic car accident left the singer with a broken neck, endangering his life and his career. Miraculously after many months of rehabilitation, Fleming returned to the stage and resumed his musical endeavors.

Tommy Fleming is famous for his arrangement of classics such as "Danny Boy" and "Isle of Innisfree." He also presents stirring versions of "You Raise Me Up," "Bridge over Troubled Waters," and "Four Green Fields." His fans range from ages 5 to 100. The one compliment he constantly receives after his shows is that he sings better live than on his albums.

"There's a lot of Irish heritage in America, so people really relate to the songs I sing. There's always some song that brings people back to their roots" said Fleming, who has sung in front of Eric Clapton, Irish President Mary McAleese, and President Bill Clinton when he visited Ireland in 1994.

Tommy Fleming embarks on a 12-city concert tour next year with shows in New York, Albany, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia. He will also perform in Illinois on St. Patrick's Day. For more information, visit www.tommyfleming.net. C

PBS Viewers can make a donation in support of WLIW21 and Irish programming, and receive tickets to Tommy's March 6, 2008 concert at Manhattan's Town Hall (before they go on sale), as well as a DVD of TOMMY FLEMING: A JOURNEY HOME with bonus material at (800) 767-2121 or www.wliw.org