Mike Oldfield
| Mike Oldfield | |
|---|---|
Oldfield at the Night of the Proms in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Gordon Oldfield |
| Born |
15 May 1953 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, world, folk, pop, classical, new-age, ambient, experimental, minimalist |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer, game designer |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass, banjo, piano, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer, mandolin, vocals, harp, tympani, vibraphone, drums, tubular bells |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Virgin, Reprise/Warner Bros., Mercury/Virgin EMI/Universal |
| Associated acts | Maggie Reilly, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Alex Harvey, David Bedford, Anita Hegerland, Pekka Pohjola |
| Website | www |
Michael Gordon "Mike" Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English musician and composer. His work blends progressive rock with world, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new-age music. His biggest commercial success is the 1973 album Tubular Bells – which launched Virgin Records and became a hit in America after its opening was used as the theme for the film The Exorcist. He also recorded the 1983 hit single "Moonlight Shadow" and a rendition of the Christmas piece "In Dulci Jubilo".
Oldfield has released more than 20 albums with the most recent being a sequel to his 1975 album Ommadawn titled Return to Ommadawn. It was released on 20 January 2017.
Mike Oldfield's parents were Raymond Oldfield, a general practitioner, and Maureen Liston, an Irish nurse. His older sister Sally and older brother Terry are also successful musicians and have appeared on several of Mike's albums. He also had a younger brother, David, who had Down syndrome and who died in infancy.
Oldfield was born in the Battle Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, and attended St. Joseph's Convent School, Highlands Junior School, St. Edward's preparatory school, and Presentation College in Reading. The family lived in Western Elms Avenue, Reading. When he was 13, he moved with his parents to Harold Wood in Essex and attended Hornchurch Grammar School, where, having already begun his career in music, he took one GCE examination, in English.
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