Pianist Walter (King) Fleming was born in Chicago on May 4, 1922. After some years of playing by ear, he got formal instruction in classical and religious music. He graduated from McKinley High School on the West Side, and later at the Midwest College of Music. From 1939 to 1943 he headed his own swing bands around Chicago. After his discharge from the Army in late 1945, Fleming spent some time in Los Angeles, where he got his first recording opportunities accompanying R&B singers for small labels, as well as a few good jazz singers.

Settled again in Chicago, he continued his career playing in clubs for several years trying to achieve a commercial success and developing a more individual approach sometimes reminiscent of an early Ahmad Jamal. Although he was highly praised for his arrangements of two Lorez Alexandria albums, he remained a relatively unsung pianist, and sometimes unfairly dismissed player [...] an unwavering pianist who remained active and involved with the Chicago jazz scene until his death in April 2014 at age 91.