Biography
Mike Oldfield is a popular artist who became famous for innovative approaches to the creation of musical compositions in the genres of prog rocks, New Age, Pop Rock and others. Composer-composer melodies became soundtracks for films and transmissions. In addition, Briton's fame brought experiments in combinations of music and computer games.Childhood and youth
Oldfield was born on May 15, 1953 in Reading, which was part of Berkshire county. Parents were distant from the world of art: the father worked as a general practitioner, a nurse's mother. In addition to T-shirt, the elder children were brought up in the family - Daughter Sally and Son Terry. When the future musician turned 8 years old, his brother David appeared.
The baby soon died due to complications caused by Down syndrome. The loss of the child shakeped the mother's psyche, which was subsequently treated in psychiatric clinics. After these events, Oldfield closed in himself and was looking for refuge from family problems in creating music.
Nevertheless, parents have had a positive effect on the formation of a boy's art tastes. Father bought Mike Guitar and taught several chords, and his mother, being an Irish by origin, fascinated her son with old national legends, which further affected the interest of the composer to Folk.
Personal life
Personal life in the biography of the Briton turned out to be turbulent and changeable. Oldfield was married three times. For the first time, the musician took his wife Diana Fuller, who had a relative to the Leader of the Exegesis group. This happened in 1978, and the Union lasted 3 months.After the divorce, the composer has long remained alone. The next year he got married again, now on Sally Cooper. The relationship of spouses turned out to be longer - the pair broke up in 1986. In this marriage, three children were born - sons Dougal and Luke, as well as the daughter of Molly.
After the divorce, Mike became interested in the Norwegian singer Anita Hegherland, together they made a creative tandem, recorded new songs. In civil partnership, which lasted until 1991, the beloved gave the writer to the daughter of Greto and the Son of Noah. After that, the novel composer did not build a serious relationship for a long time, while in 2002 he did not meet the future wife of Fanny Vandekerkhov.
The couple met in Ibiza, where Briton lived at that time. The third marriage lasted a little over 10 years - in 2013, the spouses broke up. During this time, two children appeared in the family - the sons of Jake and Eugene.
Music
Already from nine years, Mike performed in local clubs, where he performed the first compositions. Creativity so fascinated the young musician that in 15 teenager threw school and together with Salley's sister created Sallyangie folk duet. And when the team broke up, played with Terry brother in the Barefoot team. Later, the performer joined the Whole World with soloist Kevin Aers, where he became a bass guitarist.
The leader of the group worked at the Abbey Road Studio, so Oldfield had the opportunity to learn the basics of music. Here the guy met Paul McCartney. Creativity of the legendary Bitla, as well as performers and composers Stevie Wander, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel awakened Mike to write author's instrumental music.
Prepared material, Briton brought a demo to listen to different companies, but received refuses. After the collapse of the group in 1971, a young man was interrupted by part-time engagement as a guest musician. By the lucky chance of recording Oldfield got to Richard Branson, the owner of the recording studio. The originality of the compositions liked the connoisseur, and with Mike signed the first contract.
The debut album of the composer Tubular Bells came out in 1973. The plate was accompanied by bright advertising texts, characterizing the disk with an incredible force, energy and real beauty. Compositions composed by the author were quickly gained popularity and even used in the horror movie "Route Devil".
Sales amounted to 2 million copies per year, release hit the top lines of leading charts. The excitement around the creation of the musician, however, did not lead to star disease. On the contrary, the composer preferred to leave for a time to the village to become an inaccessible for the press.
The following Hergest Ridge disc was also successful, and after the release in 1975, the plates of Ommadawn musical critics called T-shirt "Wizard thousands of overlays", and the composition of the British is a masterpiece. Since 1978, Oldfield, coming out of the navigation, appeared before fans in a new image.
A short haircut came to replace long hair, and instead of unsure statements about creativity - bold interviews. It turned out that earlier the musician was treated with a psychotherapist to get rid of shyness.
Since 1979, discs appeared in the discography of the British with a similar artistic concept. Going to the world tour, the composer came up with the "chip" - in every country where came with concerts, Mike performed a national melody or hit, popular there.
In 1984, Oldfield released the Discovery album, which entered the song to France performed by Maggie Railley. With this performer, the writer collaborated earlier, for example, on the 1983 disc CRISES, she introduced the Moonlight Shadow track. And in 1987, ISLANDS appeared, the title composition of which sang Bonnie Tyler, later a bright clip came out.
The records of the 1990s were successful in the career of the British. In the writings of this period, the author of folklore forms, inspiring the old Irish and Scottish motifs. At the end of the decade, the writer became interested in experiments with electronic music.
At the beginning of zero Mike wrote escort to computer games, which developed with his like-minded people. The work of this period was not so bright as earlier, although hits continued to appear, for example, blackbird.
A new impetus to inspiration was the performance of Oldfield at the opening ceremony of the XXX Summer Olympic Games. Then the Briton fulfilled fragments from Tubular Bells iconic compositions, Far Above the Clouds and others. In 2013, the album of the Tubular Beats was released, which he entered the Hit Never So Far, Sucked by the Finnish vocalist Taruene Tarong.
Mike Oldfield now
In 2020, the composer continues to create. Mike himself does not lead a page in "Instagram", but the fans regularly lay out in the social network photo and video with post-confessions in love writing. Now the official website of the British presents news about his work.Discography
- 1973 - Tubular Bells
- 1974 - Hergest Ridge
- 1975 - Ommadawn.
- 1978 - Incantations.
- 1979 - Platinum
- 1980 - QE2.
- 1982 - Five Miles Out
- 1983 - CRISES.
- 1984 - Discovery.
- 1987 - Islands.
- 1989 - Earth moving
- 1990 - Amarok.
- 1991 - Heaven's Open
- 1992 - Tubular Bells II
- 1994 - THE SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH
- 1996 - Voyager.
- 1998 - Tubular Bells III
- 1999 - Guitars.
- 1999 - The Millennium Bell
- 2002 - TR3S LUNAS
- 2003 - Tubular Bells 2003
- 2005 - Light + Shade
- 2008 - Music of the Spheres
- 2014 - MAN ON THE ROCKS
- 2017 - Return to Ommadawn