So what do Ani DiFranco, Jeff Daniels, My Dear Disco, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Tom Paxton, Brian Vander Ark and Jennifer Warnes have in common, besides the fact that all are musicians of the highest caliber? You may not know that all of them — plus another four dozen or so — are represented by Fleming Artists, a company whose home base is in Ann Arbor. Nope, New York and L.A. don’t have a lock on prestigious talent agencies. One of them is located right here at 543 N. Main Street, where a dedicated staff books tons of shows for artists of rare integrity and intelligence.

Jim Fleming

At the helm of the eight-person staff is Portsmouth, OH native Jim Fleming, the founder and chairman of Fleming Artists. Fleming and his crew take care of booking about 3,000 performances in a typical year for their roster of artists, with the vast majority of shows taking place in the United States and Canada. A genial man who has doggedly pursued his dream and made it real, longtime Ann Arbor resident Jim Fleming recently spoke to AnnArbor.com about the history of his business, his impressions of some of the top acts he represents and the dos and don’ts of submitting music demos to Fleming Artists.

Q: So how did you first get started putting together Fleming Artists? A: It really started at the Black Sheep Repertory Theatre in the late ‘70s. Myself and a group of close friends started a theater company in Manchester (Michigan). We were just trying to do anything we could to get by, so I put some of the artists we had at the theater on the road. We had a children’s theater out there; we had a George Gershwin and a Cole Porter review on the road.

I had come there from Chicago, where my aspirations at the time were to be a college president. I became an assistant vice-president for student affairs at a college in Chicago and then became an acting VP of the college. I found out pretty quickly that I just wasn’t suited for administration; it was a lot of time spent in meetings and politicking.

That’s when I got a call from a friend to come back to Michigan and start a theater, so I threw away the profession, the benefits and salary and rolled up my sleeves and helped these people start this theater. On one occasion we brought Second City in from Chicago for three days to do a show at the theater, and I approached them and asked if they were doing much of this in places other than Chicago. They said no, and I said would you mind if I put your show on the road. So we spent the next 10 to 15 years building it into a national touring company.

Then I did consulting and in the early ‘80s I was hired to book the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival (now the Detroit International Jazz Festival), so I was able to build the business to be what I wanted it be from the beginning, which was a mechanism to build the careers of deserving artists so that they didn’t have to find the work themselves. That was the ultimate objective; lofty goals for a guy working out a spare bedroom (laughs). From there I started representing talented singer-songwriters. My ex-partner came on board in the mid-80s, David Tamulevich, and we built up the business together gradually. We separated ways a few years ago. (Editor's note: Tamulevich went on to found his own agency, The Roots Agency.) And then I carried on and I’ve been able to do that because I have a great group of people to work with.

Q: Let’s talk about some of the biggest names on your roster, starting with indie singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. What does she mean to Jim Fleming? A: Ani has meant the world to us; she’s the physical embodiment of what the business is about to begin with, which is to support very gifted artists and to represent artists who have something to say through their art. Her success really helped to contribute to the growth of the business. She’s been so important to us in terms of her artistry and how significant she is in the music trade and industry. She’s a perfect example to so many other artists who are pursuing the independent approach. She has empowered so many people, especially young women, and we feel like when we book a show for Ani or any of our artists, we’re providing a public service. We’re approaching about 17 years with her; we’re the only agency she’s ever had. I look after all her touring anywhere she goes in the world.

Q: And how about Jeff Daniels? A: He has been just great to have, not only as a fabulous artist but as a fabulous person. So easy to work with, and it’s easy to work with someone so supportive of this state. Talk about your renaissance artist; he’s a great playwright, a wonderful actor and he’s a damn good singer- songwriter!

Q: You also represent the hottest band in Ann Arbor right now, My Dear Disco. What are your impressions of the band? A: My impression of them is that they are incredibly musical. That might seem like a trite thing to say, but there’s a lot to their music; there’s a lot of substance and a lot of depth. They’re also very astute, very studied in terms of how they’re approaching their career and being very strategic in using technology in how they create their music and how they let people know about themselves. It’s a smart approach. They put in one of the best performances I’ve ever seen by anyone at this year’s Ann Arbor Summer Festival. When they did that Michael Jackson tribute it was spot on; I don’t know that if it could’ve been done better by anybody. I think they have a great future. Every time they play a festival they end up being one of the favorite acts. I’m really excited about the energy and spirit that they bring not only to their music but to our roster.

Q: Why do you keep the business based in Ann Arbor? I’m sure there must be compelling reasons to move to the east or west coast. A: There are a couple reasons we’ve stayed here. I think you’re better at what you do if you’re happy where you are. I love New York and I’ve become fond of L.A., but I don’t think I’m built for those cities. I’m much more of a Midwestern guy.

There’s also a tremendous quality of life in this community, everything from the cultural aspects to clean air. The other thing, and this is what has motivated me my whole life, is people telling that I couldn’t do something. I remember in 1971 when I went to Michigan State I started a music series there, and my first artist was the James Cotton Blues Band, then Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, then Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat. And people kept saying “you can’t do that!” Oh, that was just fuel for the fire.

Q: Of the many artist demos that are sent to you, what are some are the most common mistakes you hear? Those things that make you say ‘this person’s not going to make it.’ And conversely, what is it about an artist that will make you say, ‘wow, we have got to find them and get them signed to Fleming.’ Give us the polar opposites: what attracts you to an artist and what makes you say...’next!’ A: The thing that makes me go ‘next’ is when I can predict what the next line is going to be in a song. When I’ve heard it so many times before, especially if someone thinks they’re bringing something new to the table.

The opposite thing is when someone has the ‘it’ factor. It’s almost impossible to explain. Every once in a while you’ll hear or see an artist who brings something special to the table. I suppose if you dissect it you could figure out what that is. It just might be the ambience they create in the room, or that lyrically you can’t predict what comes next.

But certainly one of the factors that affects whether or not we sign an artist is how they are as people. First and foremost is the artistry, but we also have to ask are they realistic, do they want to work hard, are they committed to this and committed to us?

Martin Bandyke is the 6-10am morning drive host on Ann Arbor’s 107one. Follow him on Twitter @martinbandyke and at his web site.

Fleming Artists overview