When Fleming was asked how he would describe his genre of music he confessed that it is not opera nor rock 'n' roll. He said that he is just "very traditional and likes a song with a good story". When he is touring, he is accompanied by David Hayes, who plays piano and keyboard. Hayes produces Fleming's albums and is the musical director of his shows. Fleming's first solo effort after leaving
De Dannan,
Different Side of Life, was released in 1996. In 1998, Fleming released
Restless Spirit. In early 1998 while on the promotional tour for this album he was almost killed in a car accident returning to his native County Sligo. He escaped from the burning car with a broken neck which put his career in jeopardy. He ended up wearing a cranial halo for three months. After this incident Fleming was told there was a chance he might not be able to walk again. The woman who rescued Fleming at the time was his wife Tina. Fleming said "She took over my management and helped steer me in the right direction".
Sand & Water and
The Contender were the two albums that followed
Restless Spirit.
The Contender brought Fleming back to the roots of traditional
Irish music. The continued successes of his albums throughout 2000 and 2001 would lead to his first tour of Japan. On 12 December 2004, Fleming recorded a concert at
Knock Shrine Basilica in Knock, County Mayo. This building has a capacity of 5,000 and had been host to
Holy Mass celebrated by
Pope John Paul II on his
visit to Ireland in September 1979. Fleming's was the first concert of its kind to be held there.
PBS began broadcasting the recording of the concert under the title
Voice of Hope in the United States in August 2005.
Voice of Hope was his first album to be released in North America. In 2007, Fleming recorded his new live show,
A Journey Home, at Ireland's National Events Centre in
Killarney to an audience of 2,000. Released on CD and DVD in 2008, it features 22 songs from Ireland's most celebrated and acclaimed writers and poets.
A Journey Home includes classical Irish songs such as "
The Cliffs of Dooneen", "
Isle of Innisfree" (the theme of the film,
The Quiet Man, written by
Dick Farrelly), and "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears". Upon the release of
A Journey Home, Fleming was asked in an interview what would be next for him. He stated that he's going to work on his next studio album, as well as writing an autobiography. He participated in season 4 of
Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2011, managing St Patrick's GAA Club Dromard, Sligo. In November 2014, Fleming participated in the inaugural cruise of the Australian performing arts on the along with, among others,
Cheryl Barker,
David Hobson,
Colin Lane,
Teddy Tahu Rhodes,
Simon Tedeschi,
Elaine Paige,
Marina Prior, and
Jonathon Welch. ==Personal life==