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Olly Oakley

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Olly Oakley (1877–1943) (also known as Joseph or James Sharpe)[1][2] was a British banjo player and composer. He was considered a prominent zither-banjo player in England.[3][4][5] His music made up a part of early banjo recordings on the phonograph,[6][7] and during his life, he became "the most widely recorded English banjoist".[3] Other than his performing name of Olly Oakley, he alternately recorded under the pseudonyms Fred Turner, Signor Cetra, Jack Sherwood, Mr F Curtis, Frank Forrester, and Tim Holes.[8]

Life and career

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Joseph Sharpe was born in Birmingham, England[9][10] in 1877.[3] He started to play the banjo around age 12 after hearing the Bohee Brothers' music.[3] Sharpe's music was influenced by minstrel songs, with a style of playing that was similar to the Bohee Brothers'.[11] He played ragtime music,[8] sentimental songs and original pieces.[11]

From the late 1890s to the 1930s, Sharpe made hundreds of recordings[3] on various labels and performed at British music halls.[12] During the 1910s, his compositions for banjo were played at various concert programs in England.[3] In 1915, he toured South Africa, performing on the banjo.[13]

He made recordings including with Pathé and was filmed on Phonofilm.[citation needed]

In 1922, Sharpe published a statement in the London Gazette stating that he had applied and intended to legally change his name to Olly Oakley.[14]

Sharpe died in 1943.[3]

Discography

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  • "Rugby Parade March" G & T (1901)[15]
  • "Oakley Quickstep", Edison[16]
  • "Poppies and Wheat"[17]
  • "Sweet Jessamine" No.2046 on The Winner label (Poppies & Wheat is on the other side)
  • "Whistling Rufus"
  • "The College Rag"[18][19]
  • "Queen of the Burlesque" (1912) - phonograph, music by A. Tilley[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897 – 1942. Mainspring Press. 2001. p. 1262. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ Heier, Uli; Lotz, Rainer E. (1993). The Banjo on Record: A Bio-Discography. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-313-28492-2. Retrieved 4 January 2025 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Winans, Robert B.; Kaufman, Elias J. (1994). "Minstrel and Classic Banjo: American and English Connections". American Music. 12 (1): 18–22. doi:10.2307/3052489. ISSN 0734-4392. JSTOR 3052489.
  4. ^ "Banjo and Mandoline Concert in Derby". The Derby Mercury. 1 November 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Llandudno Pier Company's Popular Concerts". North Wales Chronicle. 14 April 1900. p. 7. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ^ Gammond, Peter (1991). The Oxford companion to popular music. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-19-311323-7. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  7. ^ Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music. Schirmer Books. 1985. pp. 351–352. ISBN 978-0-02-871650-3. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. Penguin. p. 511. ISBN 978-0-14-100646-8. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  9. ^ Whitcomb, Ian (1988). Irving Berlin and Ragtime America. Limelight Editions. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-87910-115-2. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  10. ^ ""Hick's" Banjo Chat". BMG; Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar. Vol. 70. D. K. Keogh. October 1972. p. 9 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b Woolfe, Geoff (16 October 2018). "Banjo brilliance: Bohee Brothers inspired generation of Bristolians". Western Daily Press. p. 4. ProQuest 2120119760. Retrieved 16 August 2021 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ Rust, Brian (6 August 1973). "British Dance Bands, 1912-1939". Storyville Publications – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Meadows, Eddie S. (1995). Jazz research and performance materials : a select annotated bibliography. Garland Pub. p. 688. ISBN 978-0-8153-0373-2. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  14. ^ "The London Gazette". Great Britain: H.M. Stationery Office. 30 May 1922. p. 4205.
  15. ^ Marco, Guy A. (6 August 1993). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States. Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824047825 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ "Oakley Quickstep". The Edison Phonograph Monthly. Pennant Litho, Incorporated: 18. September 1909 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ University of California, Santa Barbara Library Department of Special Collections (16 November 2005). "Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project". cylinders.library.ucsb.edu.
  18. ^ Rust, Brian (6 August 2002). Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942: L-Z. Mainspring Press. ISBN 9780967181929 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Woodhouse, Robert (29 February 2012). York Book of Days. The History Press. ISBN 9780752485959 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Queen of the Burlesque". The Edison Phonograph Monthly. National Phonograph Co.: 19 February 1912. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
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