Olly Oakley

James Sharpe (1877–1943), also known as Olly Oakley,[1] was a British banjo player and composer. He was considered a prominent zither-banjo player in England.[2][3][4] His music made up a part of early banjo recordings on the phonograph,[5][6] and during his life, he became "the most widely recorded English banjoist".[2] 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.[7]

Life and career

James Sharpe was born in Birmingham, England[8] in 1877.[2] He started to play the banjo around age 12 after hearing the Bohee Brothers' music.[2] Sharpe's music was influenced by minstrel songs, with a style of playing that was similar to the Bohee Brothers'.[9] He played ragtime music,[7] sentimental songs and original pieces.[9]

From the late 1890s to the 1930s, Sharpe made hundreds of recordings[2] on various labels and performed at British music halls.[10] During the 1910s, his compositions for banjo were played at various concert programs in England.[2] In 1915, he toured South Africa, performing on the banjo.[11]

He made recordings including with Pathé and was filmed on Phonofilm.

Sharpe died in 1943.[2]

Discography
  • "Rubgy Parade March" G & T (1901)[12]
  • "Oakley Quickstep", Edison[13]
  • "Poppies and Wheat"[14]
  • "Sweet Jessamine" No.2046 on The Winner label (Poppies & Wheat is on the other side)
  • "Whistling Rufus"
  • "The College Rag"[15][16]
  • "Queen of the Burlesque" (1912) - phonograph, music by A. Tilley[17]

See also

References
  1. Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897 – 1942. Mainspring Press. 2001. p. 1262. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. "Banjo and Mandoline Concert in Derby". The Derby Mercury. 1 November 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  4. "Llandudno Pier Company's Popular Concerts". North Wales Chronicle. 14 April 1900. p. 7. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. Gammond, Peter (1991). The Oxford companion to popular music. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-19-311323-7. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music. Schirmer Books. 1985. pp. 351–352. ISBN 978-0-02-871650-3. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  7. Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. Penguin. p. 511. ISBN 978-0-14-100646-8. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. Whitcomb, Ian (1988). Irving Berlin and Ragtime America. Limelight Editions. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-87910-115-2. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. Rust, Brian (6 August 1973). "British Dance Bands, 1912-1939". Storyville Publications – via Google Books.
  11. 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.
  12. Marco, Guy A. (6 August 1993). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States. Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824047825 – via Google Books.
  13. Inc, Thomas A. Edison (6 August 1909). "Edison Amberola Monthly". Pennant Litho, Incorporated – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. University of California, Santa Barbara Library Department of Special Collections (16 November 2005). "Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project". cylinders.library.ucsb.edu.
  15. Rust, Brian (6 August 2002). Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942: L-Z. Mainspring Press. ISBN 9780967181929 – via Google Books.
  16. Woodhouse, Robert (29 February 2012). York Book of Days. The History Press. ISBN 9780752485959 – via Google Books.
  17. "The Edison Phonograph Monthly (Jan-Dec 1912)". National Phonograph Co. February 1912: 19. Retrieved 17 August 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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