Besides fronting a number of his own bands, (Velvet Monkeys, B.A.L.L., and Gumball) Fleming has produced Sonic Youth, Screaming Trees, Teenage Fanclub and Hole.
[3] After The Stroke Band, Don relocated to Norfolk, Va. in 1979 and formed the punk/new wave group Citizen 23 with Elaine Barnes, Mark Myers, and, Stephen Soles.
[5] Citizen 23 broke up in early 1981; all members but Mark Mayers relocated to Washington, D.C. shortly thereafter, and Fleming next formed the three-piece psychedelic/post-punk band The Velvet Monkeys in the fall of 1981.
[7][8] After trading in their drum machine for a live drummer (Jay "The Rummager" Spiegel) in 1981 and switching to a new bass player (Charles Steck) in early 1982, the band began to grow their following through increased gigging in the Washington, D.C., area and the Eastern Seaboard.
[13] By 1988, Fleming and Spiegel had re-located to New York City where they teamed up with former Shockabilly bass player and Shimmy Disc impresario Mark Kramer and drummer David Licht to form B.A.L.L.
[8] Fleming expanded the band with notable indie musicians like Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Julia Cafritz and John Hammill of Pussy Galore.
He has also made many guest appearance both live and in the studio with Brain Surgeons, Shotgun Rationale, Jad Fair, Los Straitjackets, Maureen Tucker, Steroid Maximus (Foetus), Tinklers, and Walking Seeds.
Don has played in and on many music projects throughout his career: Foot with Thurston Moore and Jimbo (aka Jim Dunbar);[16] The Walter Sears with Tom Smith, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, Sean Lennon, Jim Dunbar and Rat Bastard;[17] The Backbeat Band (a supergroup that recorded all the music for the film Backbeat, which focuses on The Beatles' early career); The Dripping Tap, a collaboration with R. Stevie Moore; Wylde Ratttz (band built around guitarist Ron Asheton to supply Stoogesque tracks for the film Velvet Goldmine); Rockin'ham (a NASCAR theme band); Dee/Don (Fleming plus Dee Pop, drummer from the Bush Tetras[18]); and Badge (with A.J.
He has recorded and produced such artists as Sonic Youth, Hole, Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, Alice Cooper, Andrew W.K., The Dictators, Joan Jett, Nancy Sinatra, Screaming Trees, The Smithereens, Pete Yorn, Bruce Joyner & the Reconstruction, Bracket, Hifiklub, Joe Hurley, Jenni Muldaur, To Live and Shave in L.A., Richard Hell, Jad Fair, Triple Fast Action, Swish, Steel Miners, Ann Magnuson, Free Kitten, Guv'ner, Rudolph Grey, STP (featuring Julia Cafritz of Pussy Galore), Action Swingers and many others.
[20] With the Global Jukebox project, Fleming serves as executive director of the Association for Cultural Equity where he has worked since 1995 on the conservation and publication of the musical collection of Alan Lomax.