Ken Fleming has been playing Irish music for more than four decades in the Dallas area on tenor banjo, button accordion, concertina, guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. His love of Irish music led him to become involved in 1983 in the formation of the Southwest Celtic Music Association and North Texas Irish Festival of which he was the founding president and founding director respectively.
In the mid 80s, Ken hosted a weekly radio show in Dallas called “Celtic Crossroads” on KNON 89.3 where his passion for Irish music grew. During that time he also played with Tinker’s Dam, an Irish trad band that enjoyed much success in Texas, at least for a group of Americans playing country music of a different country. Ken married a member of the band — Peggy Davis –in 1986.
In 2004, he began the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat and afterwards formed the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES). In 2008, he founded the O’Flaherty Irish Music Youth Camp, and in 2012, helped start the North Texas School of Irish Music.
He performs with the Lone Star Ceili Band and the TIMES Band & Session Players. He also cherishes playing music often with his wife Peggy on fiddle and concertina, daughter Katie Duncan on tenor banjo and mandolin, and son Kevin Fleming on flute, whistle and bodhran and family friend Sam Hatch on guitar in an ensemble called KinFolk.
Lecturer – TRAD Talk | Workshop Presenter – Waltzes That Delight
Former Instructor – Tenor Banjo, Mandolin
2004, 2005, 2007, 2010