“Rockaway Summer Music Spotlight” is a series by The Rockaway Times highlighting the movers and shakers behind the local music scene. In this installation, meet Rockaway native, Bill Fleming, a bi-coastal master of harmony and fingerstyle guitar.
Maverick and free spirit are the words that come to mind when describing William “Bill” Fleming. From leaving Rockaway at the age of 21 with then girlfriend, now wife, Annette, to tour the U.S. as a music duo; settling in San Diego to raise a family; working in special education; teaching music at a Catholic school and more—there is no doubt that Fleming has lived an unconventional life. However, his two constants have been his love for music and family. And even more endearingly, though he has crisscrossed the country all the way to the west coast, Fleming shared that Rockaway will always be home. So much so, that his love for music was birthed in the community he was raised.
Fleming is originally from Breezy Point. When he was 16 years old, he and his family moved to Beach 125th Street. “I went to St. Camillus (class of ’74) and Beach Channel High School (class of ’78),” he said.
As for his passion to really hone in on his guitar skills, the fingerstyle player credits his older brother, Jimmy Fleming.
“One of my favorite guitar players is my brother, Jimmy. He plays in a band called The Electrix that plays all over. He helped me a lot. First, with showing me how to tune the guitar, and chords. He was a great influence on me.
“Also, the Breezy Point Kearney brothers, Kerry and TK. Kerry and I were in the same class at St. Camillus. The older brother, TK, was an amazing guitar fingerpicker, and when he played, I would just stare,” he said.
However, Fleming shared about the night he watched local musicians, Walter Ensor and Gerald Bair, play.
“One night I went into the Toby Jug, which eventually became the Blackwater Inn. And that’s when I saw Walter Ensor and Gerald Bair, they were a duo. This was back in 1976 or ’77. I was about 17. I watched Walter play. I couldn’t believe what he was doing. So on a break, I marched right up to him and said, ‘Do you give guitar lessons?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So, I took guitar lessons from Walter for a few years at just $5 a lesson,” he said.
Fleming also credits Jeff Beck, Allman Brothers, Peter Frampton and the Beatles as great influences. He said, “The Allman Brothers were very big for me. Watching them taught me how to improvise on the guitar.”
As for how Fleming and his wife, Annette, became a music power couple, it all began at Beach Channel.
He shared, “This pretty girl was in music class. I was sitting at the piano playing, ‘Lady’ by Styx before class started. I looked next to me, and the girl is watching what I was doing. She said, ‘Could you teach that to me? And well, about five years later, I married her,” Fleming said.
The young couple first started performing together while students; billing themselves, Billy & Annette Duet. However, once they took the leap to tour all over the country, they drummed up a name that would harken back to their roots.
“When we hit the road, guess what we called ourselves? The Rockaways! We just loved that,” Fleming said. “But, once landing in San Diego, Annette and I fell in love with the city. So, we canceled the rest of the tour and stayed. We’ve been there for about 40 years now.”
However, while starting their new life in “Sun Diego,” the two music enthusiasts didn’t stop performing, instead they worked on further developing their sound.
“At first, it was just me on acoustic guitar. And we both sang. So, it was acoustic rock, like Simon and Garfunkel and songs like that. However, once the mid ‘80s came, our music became very synthesized.
“My wife is a keyboard and piano player. So, we got her two keyboards. And if you can imagine, this is back in 1985. She played bass with the left hand and played piano and strings and organ with the right hand. I played electric guitar. So, now we’re a dance band, kind of like The Eurythmics. We rocked San Diego,” Fleming said.
And eager to provide for his growing family, Fleming worked 25 years for the San Diego Unified School District in special education. After retiring, he went back to work as a music teacher for St. Therese Catholic Academy, teaching guitar and reading music to students, K-8.
Music has become even more of a family affair with the Fleming’s children, Wili and Anna Lee, forming their own seven-piece band, Finnegan Blue, which the father plays with, and an offshoot, Double Knot.
Today, the Flemings spend their time going back and forth between San Diego and Rockaway.
“People in Rockaway ask me, ‘Do you miss San Diego?’ I’m like, ‘No, I miss Rockaway when I’m in San Diego.
“About 10 years ago, when we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, meaning retirement, we were looking for a place in Rockaway, and we found one right on the boardwalk. It’s so great to be back in Rockaway,to get on our bicycles and see all our friends riding on the boardwalk, too.”
When asked how he would compare Rockaway’s music landscape today to his days as a youth, Fleming said he thinks though it’s changed in some ways, it’s still as welcoming.
“Back in the ‘70s, it was great. Even all winter long, people in Rockaway loved music. So, if you were a fan, you would go to Dingy Dan’s, Paddy Wagon, Flynn’s, Fitzgerald’s, The Rain Tower, Blackwater Inn, Harbor Light, which was called Newport Inn back then. You could walk to all these different places and see different bands.
“And it’s still like that today. You have Callie’s, Jamesons, The Wharf, Bungalow Bar and so much more. And the owners have been very generous with inviting me to perform. Also, other acts, like Squid allowing me to jam between sets, eventually inviting me to play with their band. So, it’s all still really welcoming.
“I just advise musicians who want to break into the local music scene—to practice. When I pick up my guitar here at home, I don’t pick it up to play something beautiful, I pick it up to learn something new and to perfect my skills. When I pick it up, it’s always to practice,” Fleming said.
Mark your calendars! This Sunday, August 9, at 1 p.m., enjoy brunch time at Bungalow Bar (377 Beach 92nd Street) with Bill Fleming’s fingerstyle acoustic show. For more info, including upcoming shows, visit: Bill Fleming on Facebook.
