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
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]
