Mike Oldfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Oldfield
Oldfield at the Night of the Proms in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Michael Gordon Oldfield
Born	(1953-05-15) 15 May 1953 (age 72) Reading, Berkshire, England
Genres	Progressive rock world folk classical ambient new-age pop experimental minimalist
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter record producer video game designer
Instruments	Guitar bass keyboards percussion vocals
Years active	1967–2023
Labels	Virgin Epic Reprise/Warner Bros. Mercury/Virgin EMI/Universal

Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English musician, songwriter, and producer. He is famous for his first album, Tubular Bells (1973). This album was a big surprise success.

Mike Oldfield mainly plays the guitar. But he also plays many other instruments, like keyboards, drums, and even sings. Throughout his career, he has explored many music styles. These include progressive rock, world music, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new age music.

Oldfield started playing guitar when he was ten. He left school as a teenager to focus on music. From 1967 to 1970, he played folk music with his sister Sally Oldfield in a duo called The Sallyangie. After that, he performed with Kevin Ayers.

In 1971, Oldfield began working on Tubular Bells. This music caught the eye of Richard Branson. Branson agreed to release it on his new record label, Virgin Records. A part of Tubular Bells was used in the scary movie The Exorcist. The album sold over 2.7 million copies in the UK.

After Tubular Bells, Oldfield released other albums. These included Hergest Ridge (1974), Ommadawn (1975), and Incantations (1978). These albums often featured long, mostly instrumental songs.

In the late 1970s, Oldfield started touring and making more popular, song-based music. Albums like Platinum (1979) and QE2 (1980) followed. His very successful album from this time was Crises (1983). It included the global hit song "Moonlight Shadow" with singer Maggie Reilly.

In the early 1990s, Oldfield signed with WEA. His big album of that decade was Tubular Bells II (1992). He also explored virtual reality and gaming with his MusicVR project. In 2012, he performed at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Mike Oldfield has released 26 studio albums. Nine of these reached the top ten in the UK. His last album, Return to Ommadawn, came out in 2017. His record label announced his retirement in 2023.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Oldfield was born on 15 May 1953 in Reading, Berkshire, England. His father, Raymond, was a doctor. His mother, Maureen, was Irish. He has two older siblings, a sister named Sally and a brother named Terence.

Oldfield went to several schools in Reading. When he was thirteen, his family moved to Harold Wood. There, he attended Hornchurch Grammar School. He was already showing musical talent.

Oldfield started playing guitar at age ten. His father gave him a 6-string acoustic guitar. He learned by listening to folk guitarists like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. He tried to learn musical notes but found it difficult. By age 12, Oldfield played electric guitar. He performed in local clubs and dances, earning money for his music. In May 1968, when he was fifteen, Oldfield left school to pursue music full-time.

Music Career Highlights

Early Career (1968–1972)

After leaving school, Oldfield joined his sister Sally to form a folk duo called The Sallyangie. They toured England and Paris. They recorded one album, Children of the Sun (1969). After the duo split, Oldfield played bass for Kevin Ayers's band, The Whole World. This was a new instrument for him, but he learned a lot.

Oldfield played on Ayers's albums Shooting at the Moon (1970) and Whatevershebringswesing (1971). These were recorded at Abbey Road Studios. There, Oldfield learned about many instruments. He explored orchestral percussion, piano, and harpsichord. This is where he started to create his own musical ideas.

The Virgin Years (1971–1991)

The Success of Tubular Bells

By mid-1971, Oldfield had made a demo tape. It was a long instrumental piece called "Opus One." He tried to get a record deal, but no one was interested. In September 1971, Oldfield was a session musician. He was playing bass for the Arthur Louis Band. He went to The Manor Studio, owned by Richard Branson.

Engineers Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth heard Oldfield's demos. They showed them to Branson. Branson agreed to give Oldfield one week to record at The Manor. Oldfield finished "Part One" of his composition, which became Tubular Bells. He recorded "Part Two" later, from February to April 1973. Branson decided to release Tubular Bells as the first record on his new Virgin Records label. He also signed Oldfield to a six-album deal.

Tubular Bells was released on 25 May 1973. Oldfield played over twenty different instruments on the recording. He used a technique called multi-layered recording. The album's music moved through many different styles. It sold 2,630,000 copies in the UK. This makes it one of the best-selling albums in the country. The main theme became a top 10 hit in the US. This happened after it was used in the film The Exorcist in 1973. Today, it is seen as an important album for the new-age music movement.

From Hergest Ridge to Incantations

In 1974, Oldfield's next album, Hergest Ridge, came out. It reached No. 1 in the UK for three weeks. Like Tubular Bells, it was a two-part instrumental piece. It was inspired by the countryside in Herefordshire.

In 1975, he released Ommadawn. This album was a new kind of world music. That same year, Oldfield recorded a Christmas song, "In Dulci Jubilo." It reached No. 4 in the UK. In 1975, Oldfield won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for "Tubular Bells – Theme from The Exorcist."

In 1976, Oldfield's song "Portsmouth" became his most successful single. It reached No. 3 in the UK. Oldfield recorded the double album Incantations between 1977 and 1978. It featured more singing from Sally Oldfield, Maddy Prior, and a girls' choir. When it was released in December 1978, it reached No. 14 in the UK. It sold 300,000 copies.

In 1979, Oldfield toured Europe to support Incantations. This tour was shown in the live album and film, Exposed. During the tour, he released the song "Guilty." It was influenced by disco music. He went to New York City to work with top musicians on it. "Guilty" reached No. 22 in the UK. Oldfield performed it on the TV show Top of the Pops.

Oldfield's music was used in The Space Movie (1980). This film celebrated ten years since the Apollo 11 mission. In 1979, he recorded a version of the theme song for the BBC children's TV show Blue Peter. It was used for 10 years.

From Platinum to Heaven's Open

Oldfield's fifth album, Platinum, came out in November 1979. This album showed his move towards more mainstream pop music. He toured Europe in 1980.

In 1980, Oldfield released QE2, named after the famous ocean liner. It featured guest musicians like Phil Collins. In 1981, Oldfield performed at a free concert. It celebrated the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. He wrote a new song, "Royal Wedding Anthem," for the event.

His next album, Five Miles Out, came out in March 1982. It included the long track "Taurus II." The Five Miles Out World Tour followed in 1982. Crises continued his pattern of one long song and shorter pop songs. The first single, "Moonlight Shadow" with Maggie Reilly, was Oldfield's most successful. It reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 1 in nine other countries. The Crises Tour in 1983 ended with a concert at Wembley Arena. This celebrated the tenth anniversary of Tubular Bells.

His album Discovery followed in 1984. It included the single "To France". Oldfield also wrote the music for the film The Killing Fields. His album Islands (1987) also had an instrumental side and pop songs. "Islands", sung by Bonnie Tyler, was a major hit.

Earth Moving, released in 1989, was Oldfield's first album with only rock and pop songs. It featured seven different singers. In February 1991, Oldfield released his last album for Virgin, Heaven's Open. He sang all the lead vocals on this album.

The Warner Years (1992–2003)

In early 1992, Oldfield signed with WEA Warner. He recorded Tubular Bells II with producer Trevor Horn. The album was released in August 1992 and went to No. 1 in the UK. Its first live performance was at Edinburgh Castle. Oldfield toured to support the album in 1992 and 1993. By April 1993, the album had sold over three million copies worldwide.

Oldfield continued to try new music styles. The Songs of Distant Earth (1994) had a softer, new-age sound. It was based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke. In 1994, an asteroid, 5656 Oldfield, was named after him.

In 1995, Oldfield made the Celtic-themed album Voyager. In 1998, he released Tubular Bells III. This album was inspired by dance music from Ibiza, where he lived.

In 1999, Oldfield released two albums. Guitars used only guitar sounds for all instruments, even drums. The second, The Millennium Bell, featured music styles from different historical periods. This work was performed live in Berlin for the millennium celebrations.

He also created the MusicVR project. This combined his music with a virtual reality computer game. His first game, Tr3s Lunas, came out in 2002. It was a game where players could explore a world filled with new music.

In 2002 and 2003, Oldfield re-recorded Tubular Bells. He used modern equipment for its 30th anniversary. This new version, Tubular Bells 2003, was released in May 2003. It featured John Cleese as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Mercury Years (2004–Present)

On 12 April 2004, Oldfield launched his next virtual reality project, Maestro. It included music from Tubular Bells 2003 and new relaxing melodies. These games are now available for free online.

In 2005, Oldfield signed with Mercury Records UK. He released his first album with them, Light + Shade, in September 2005. It was a double album with contrasting moods: relaxed ("Light") and upbeat ("Shade"). In 2006 and 2007, Oldfield performed at the Night of the Proms tour across Europe. In 2007, Oldfield released his autobiography, Changeling.

In March 2008, Oldfield released his first classical album, Music of the Spheres. It topped the UK Classical chart and reached No. 9 on the main UK Album Chart.

In 2008, the rights to Tubular Bells and his other Virgin albums returned to Oldfield. They were then transferred to Mercury Records. In 2009, Mercury released the album The Mike Oldfield Collection 1974–1983, which reached No. 11 in the UK.

In 2012, Oldfield performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. His performance included parts of Tubular Bells and other songs. This music appeared on the official soundtrack album Isles of Wonder. Later in 2012, the album Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield was released and reached No. 6 in the UK.

In October 2013, the BBC aired Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story. This was a documentary about his life and music. Oldfield's rock album, Man on the Rocks, was released on 3 March 2014. The song "Nuclear" from this album was used in a trailer for the video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

In 2015, Oldfield began working on a sequel to Ommadawn. The album, Return to Ommadawn, was finished in 2016 and released in January 2017. It reached No. 4 in the UK.

A 50th anniversary edition of Tubular Bells was released on 26 May 2023. It included a new version of the original album. It also had an unreleased 8-minute track called "Introduction to Tubular Bells 4." This demo was recorded in 2017. His record label said he decided not to continue with Tubular Bells 4. They also said this might be the last music Oldfield ever recorded.

How Mike Oldfield Makes Music

Oldfield's early recordings often featured many instruments. He played most of them himself. He also used guitar effects to make them sound like other instruments.

In the 1980s, Oldfield became skilled with digital synthesizers. These instruments started to shape the sound of his music. From the late 1990s, he used software synthesizers. However, he often returned to projects with detailed, acoustic instruments.

While he often uses guest singers, Oldfield has also sung lead and backup parts himself. He has also created experimental vocal effects.

Guitars

Oldfield has used many different guitars over the years. He uses a unique playing style. He uses his fingers and long right-hand fingernails. He also uses different ways to create vibrato, a wavering effect in the sound. Oldfield says his playing style comes from his background in folk music and bass guitar.

Keyboards

Oldfield has owned and used many synthesizers and keyboard instruments. He used a Fairlight CMI to compose the music for The Killing Fields. He has used instruments like Sequential Circuits Prophet-5s and Korg M1. In recent years, he has used software synthesizers. He also uses Steinway pianos.

Recording Music

Oldfield has often recorded and produced his own albums. He plays most of the instruments himself, usually in his home studios. In recent years, he has used computer programs like Apple Logic and Avid Pro Tools for recording. For writing orchestral music, he uses the software Sibelius. He also used FL Studio for his 2005 album Light + Shade.

Personal Life

Family Life

Mike Oldfield has been married and has children. He met his first wife, Diana Fuller, in 1978. He later had three children with Sally Cooper. He also has two children with Norwegian singer Anita Hegerland. From 2002 to 2013, Oldfield was married to Fanny Vandekerckhove. They have two sons.

In 2015, his son Dougal passed away in London.

Other Interests

Oldfield and his siblings were raised Catholic.

In 1980, Oldfield, who loved model aircraft, got his pilot's license. He also enjoys motorcycles. He has owned various models, including BMW, Suzuki, and Yamaha.

Since 2009, Oldfield has lived in Nassau, Bahamas. He is also a Bahamian citizen. He has also lived in Spain, Los Angeles, and Monaco. In 2012, Oldfield said he decided to leave England.

Awards and Recognitions

Honours

• In 1981, Oldfield received the Freedom of the City of London.

Discography

Studio albums

Concert Tours

• Tour of Europe 1979 (March–May 1979)
• In Concert 1980 (April–December 1980)
• European Adventure Tour '81 (March–August 1981)
• Five Miles Out World Tour 1982 (April–December 1982)
• Crises Tour 1983 (May–July 1983)
• Discovery Tour 1984 (August–November 1984)
• Tubular Bells II 20th Anniversary Tour (March–October 1993)
• Live Then & Now '99 (June–July 1999)
• Nokia Night of the Proms (December 2006)
• Night of the Proms Spain (March 2007)