Mike Oldfield

Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English musician, songwriter, and producer best known for his debut studio album Tubular Bells (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success.

Though primarily a guitarist, Oldfield plays a range of instruments, which includes keyboards and percussion, as well as vocals.

He has adopted a range of musical styles throughout his career, including progressive rock, world, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new age music.

Oldfield took up the guitar at age ten and left school in his teens to embark on a music career.

Oldfield was born on 15 May 1953 in Reading, Berkshire, to Raymond Henry Oldfield (1923–2016), an English general practitioner, and Maureen (née Liston), an Irish nurse.

His mother, originally from Charleville, County Cork, Ireland, emigrated to England to enter the nursing profession.

He has two elder siblings, sister Sally and brother Terence.

When Oldfield was seven, his mother gave birth to a younger brother, David, who had Down syndrome and died in infancy.

His mother was prescribed barbiturates, to which she became addicted.

From 1967 to 1970, he and his sister Sally Oldfield were a folk duo The Sallyangie, after which he performed with Kevin Ayers.

In the late 1970s, Oldfield began to tour and release more commercial and song-based music, beginning with Platinum (1979), QE2 (1980), and Five Miles Out (1982).

In 1971, Oldfield started work on Tubular Bells which caught the attention of Richard Branson, who agreed to release it on his new label, Virgin Records.

Its opening was used in the horror film The Exorcist and the album went on to sell over 2.7 million copies in the UK.

Oldfield followed it with Hergest Ridge (1974), Ommadawn (1975), and Incantations (1978), all of which feature longform and mostly instrumental pieces.

She had mental health problems and would spend much of the rest of her life in mental institutions, dying in early 1975, shortly after Oldfield had started writing Ommadawn.

His childhood was a complex blend of solitary interests and familial challenges, all under the roof of his family home at 35 Western Elms Avenue in Reading.

Oldfield's early years were marked by his mother's recurring health issues, which cast a shadow over the family.

Amidst this, there were brief moments of joy, such as when his father gifted him a Bob Dylan album, sparking an interest in music.

However, the family also faced tragedy with the birth of Oldfield's brother David, who had Down syndrome and a heart condition, leading to a short and hidden life away from the family.

Music became a solace and a point of connection for Oldfield.

He was introduced to the guitar by his sister Sally's boyfriend, and his fascination with the instrument grew.

Every Christmas, his father would play a guitar that knew only three chords, igniting Oldfield's passion for the instrument.

He also found an affinity for the piano, tinkering and creating tunes on a small, white grand piano in their living room.

Sally's record player was a gateway to the modern music world for Oldfield, where he discovered the sounds of Elvis and bands like The Shadows.

Despite these musical influences, Oldfield often felt isolated, a feeling that was exacerbated by his experiences at a Catholic convent school, St Joseph’s on Upper Redlands Road, where he felt like a fish out of water.

At Western Elms Avenue, the attic workshop was a haven for young Oldfield, where he and his father bonded over building model aeroplanes.

This shared activity was a respite from his usual solitude and an early indicator of his meticulous nature.

Oldfield’s adventurous spirit was evident in his homemade parachute jump off the roof, a testament to his fearless character.

Despite the idyllic setting, life at Western Elms Avenue had its share of childhood antics and learning experiences.

Oldfield would lay pennies on the nearby railway to be flattened by passing trains, a simple pleasure that brought him a sense of wonder.

He also built a camp by the railway with friends, which was destroyed by other boys, an incident that stayed with him over the years.

A poignant memory from this period was the golf club incident at Western Elms Avenue, where a well-intended swing during a playful moment resulted in an accident with a young friend, an event that led to a lasting estrangement.

Oldfield’s education continued at a junior school called Highlands, which was a gentler environment compared to St Joseph’s.

It was here, amidst the natural setting, that he could enjoy lessons outdoors and where his creativity was nurtured.

His most successful album of this period was Crises (1983), which features the worldwide hit single "Moonlight Shadow" with vocalist Maggie Reilly.

After signing with WEA in the early 1990s, Oldfield's most significant album of the decade was Tubular Bells II (1992) and he experimented with virtual reality and gaming content with his MusicVR project.

In 2012, he performed at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games held in London.

Oldfield's discography includes 26 studio albums, nine of which have reached the UK top-ten.

His final album, Return to Ommadawn was released in 2017.

Oldfield's label announced his retirement in 2023.