Bruce Fleming (born , 1937 in

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

),"The Extraordinary Life and Images of Bruce Fleming"
''

Juice (skateboarding magazine) ''Juice'' Magazine, founded in 1993 in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a skateboarding, surfing and music publication, edited, owned and published by Terri Craft. It includes interviews by skate editor, Jim Murphy, and features editors: Steve Ols ...

'' (online), accessed 7 February 2014. is a British fine art photographer who is notable for his pop art portraits of the 1960s and 1970s."Bruce Fleming"
National Portrait Gallery (website), accessed 7 February 2014. He is perhaps best known for his photography of

the Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

and of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

for whom he produced the photo for

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

's album cover ''

Are You Experienced ''Are You Experienced'' is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in May 1967. The album was an immediate critical and commercial success, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. It features J ...

'' in 1967."Cover Art UK verses USA", ''Jimi Hendrix FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Voodoo Child''
by Gary J. Jucha,

Biography

Early career

Fleming was born in 1937 in

. His father was a musician and his mother, a housewife. Fleming had his schooling interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when he was evacuated, and attended a boarding school when the war finished. His father left the family home when Fleming was young and he was raised as a teenager by his mother, who funded his early interest in photography by buying him his first camera. Fleming began by photographing various pieces of artwork and water colourings which he would paint. In 1952, when Fleming was 15, he attended Hornsey Art College but was drafted into National Service in 1955 and served in Northern Ireland. He later took up a position in the Royal Air Force which he soon left. He had a series of menial jobs including a telephone operator, a waiter, a chef and a labourer. Still eager to make it as a photographer, Fleming came into contact with

Ronnie Scott Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...

and socialised at his Jazz club in London. Fleming started to work for

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

magazine and came to prominence for his photography of

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

. During his work as a press photographer, Fleming survived a knife attack and gave up press in 1965 soon after he had photographed the funeral of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

for ''

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''.

Pop art

Upon leaving press photography, Fleming met an influential public relations officer in London and was recruited as his personal photographer. The engagement brought Fleming into contact with

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

and he became their personal photographer. From there, Fleming met

and became photographed the guitarist for many portraits; in 1967, Fleming composed the photo for

album cover ''

'' which he took which was taken in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew on 27 February 1967.

Recent career

Fleming is currently based in London and is married with children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Bruce 1937 births British pop artists Living people Fine art photographers Photographers from London Jazz photographers People from Twickenham