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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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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