Mike - or Michael Gordon Oldfield was born on the 15. Of May 1953 in Reading, England. Hismother Maureen Bernadine Oldfield was Irish. She came from the village of Charleville. His father, Raymond Henry Oldfield, was a doctor. He is the youngest of three children. He got an older brother named Terry and a sister called Sally. You might that music lies in the Oldfield-family’s genes. Because Terry is also a composer and Sally is a professional singer. Mike went to school in Reading. First he attended the St. Edward’s school, and later the Presentation College.

After receiving a guitar from his father at age 7, he composed instrumental pieces for acoustic guitar when he was 10. When Mike was 13, the whole family moved to Romford in Essex, and in 1967 Mike left school. Together with Sally, they formed the duo Sallyangie. They played folk voice and guitar tunes. They were signed up with the record label "Transatlantic", and released the album "Children of the Sun" in 1968, and the single "Two Ships" in 1969.

The group was dissolved after a year, and Mike formed a short-lived band called "Barefoot".
When this wasn't a success, he became a bass player in the band "Kevin Ayers & the Whole World". Among other members was David Bedford.

After the period in the band, Mike started to record music of his own. He discovered that he could play one instrument at first, then to play another later, for so to mix them together. After he had made a rough tape of hismusic, he started to visit different record companies. But no one would record and release his music. Mike even thought of moving to the Soviet Union, since the state took care of musicians. But luckily, one man that owned some record shops was thinking of starting a new record label. His name was Richard Branson. He started recording the album at the studio "The Manor". The studio was buildt for Richard Branson by Tom Newman assisted by among others Simon Hayworth.

No one seemed to want to release Tubular Bells. One American company told Branson "slap some vocals on it and I'll give you $ 20.000". So Branson and Draper decided to release it on their new label Virgin Records. It was released on the 25. of May 1973.

It didn't sell good at first, but Branson had contacts in the BBC Radio. A very popular show that presented new albums and artists decided to play Tubular Bells. The host said these words: "Today I will only play one tune. I have never heared anything like it. It's Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells". And the the famous music poured out in thousands of radios all over Britain. And the rest is history.

After some years of making more albums and touring, he met the Norwegian singer Anita Hegerland. They eventually got married, and also got two children named Greta and Noah. But the marriage ended some years later. After the album Heaven’s open, his time at Virgin was over. From now he was to be released by Warner Music.

The first album that would be released by Warner was Tubular bells II. This was also the last Oldfield album that would be advertised in Norway. After the Millennium bell, the album that was the last in the 20th century, he started to work on a completely new project. The Music VR is an interactive game, were you travel trough a world in search for golden rings. And what you do during the search, determines what kind of music you hear.

In 2003 Tubular Bells celebrated it's 30th anniaversary and was re-released as a complete new album. This is more like the album Mike had in mind when he recorded the original in 1973. And for the first time we will be able to listen to this great piece of music in 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS when the DVD-Audio version of the album is released.

2004 gave us the opertunity to have a look at some of Mike's videos like the fantastic "Don Alfonso". Or just watching the bassist in "To Frace" when the Elements DVD was released.

But Mike hadn't made a new album since Tres Lunas in 2002, so when it was announced that there would be a new album in late 2005, the fan's was again pleased. And Mike knows how to make them happy. Becasue this album was to be a double. Mike signed a new contract with Mercury records, and wondered if he should call the album "quicksilver" (wich is another word for mercury). But this was canged to Light & Shade because it would represent how the tune of tis album should be. One up-tuned "light" cd and one darker "shade" cd.

Some information taken from the Elements 4-CD box
Pictures taken from Dark Star and Ralf Erhard
If you have something to attribute, please mail me