John Oakley-Smith

Last updated
John Oakley-Smith
OriginZimbabwe
GenresFolk & Rock music
Instrument(s)Piano & Guitar
LabelsWEA
Formerly ofThe Elastic Head Band

John Oakley-Smith was a Rhodesian-born musician that obtained success in South Africa during the 1970s. Oakley-Smith performed at several South African venues such as the Troubadour and Chelsea Theatre but shied away from big stages. He released an album in 1976 called Matinees on Saturdays. Oakley-Smith was the musical director for productions of And Green And Golden, [1] Cop-Out, [2] Torch Song Trilogy, [3] Madame Butterfly, [4] Twelfth Night, or What You Will [5] and performed in Ain't We Got Fun. [6]

Contents

Biography

John Oakley-Smith was born in 1950 in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and lived a short time in Angola before coming to Cape Town, South Africa in 1970. [7] At the age of 5, Oakley-Smith had an interest in playing the piano. He was encouraged to play by his mother who was also a pianist. [8] However, at the age of 14, he broke his leg and could not play the piano for two years. At this point, he taught himself to play the guitar and despite his proficiency in the string instrument he still prefers the piano. [8]

Career

Oakley-Smith went to the University of Cape Town where he began an arts degree. [8] Before he could complete his degree, he was offered a job to write music for a witches' dance in a very obscure ballet production of "Dark of the Moon." [8] By 1970, Oakley-Smith started living in Johannesburg and has since written the music for several plays, TV shows and films. Muff Andersson lists these ventures ""People" ... , "Stephan Bouwer's film "'n Bars Loop Deur die Wasbak" and "Katinka Heyns "'n Rand 'n Droom", "Story Time", "Lysistrata"" [9] [7]

In 1976, he released his début album entitled Matinees on Saturdays, which was according to Leigh Hitchcock "met with wide acclaim even though it failed to get much airplay because the SABC placed a restriction on six of the songs." [8] It is very difficult to categorise John Oakley-Smith's music, but Mike Waddacor attempted by stating that he "executes a hybrid folk style divorced from mainstream contemporary idioms." [10] His lyrics ultimately consisted of a blend of social criticism, sarcasm and humour which was frowned upon by South African authorities. [8]

Three years later, Oakley-Smith signed a songwriting contract with Warner Brothers and even performed at an international music convention on the Virgin Islands. [9] The late-1970s and 1980s are marked by sporadic performances. During the 1970s John Oakley-Smith along with Gikas Marks, David Marks, Mac, Leonie Hofmeyr and Mike Dickman also performed in a band called the Elastic Head Band. [11] In the start of the 1980s, John Oakley-Smith performed in the "Roots and Shoots" show and the "Tribute to John Betjemen" in which he co-starred with actor Richard Haines at the Laager. [9] [12] In 1983 John Oakley returned to the stage after a two-year absence only to be met with an audience of 40 fans. [10] His performance was met well by the audience with Oakley-Smith performing some of his songs from the Matinees on Saturday Collection as well as some new material. [10]

Throughout his career John Oakley-Smith performed at venues such as Mangles Theatre, The Troubadour, The Chelsea Theatre, and Market Theatre Café. [13] [14] Waddacor remarked that "Oakley-Smith may play music that could become increasingly inaccessible with changing musical tastes, but he remains, nevertheless, an admirable individualist playing beautiful music." [10] Oakley-Smith went back to Zimbabwe in the 1980s and there retired from public life as a performing musician. [15]

Despite his obscurity as a performer in his own right, he continued with numerous works in various fields.

In the early and late 1990s John spent time working with renowned theatre director Glen Walford in London, consulting on and composing for numerous productions in London, Ludlow and Vienna. These included Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (produced under the Royal Shakespeare Company), and a reimagining of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and others.

In the easy 2000s John worked as a music and cultural teacher at Hillcrest College in Phenalonga in Zimbabwe.

After retiring as a teacher John completed a book titled "If I Should Die Before I Wake" which is awaiting publication. It was an investigative piece examining the massacre of some young men in Sea Point, Cape Town in the same decade. He further went on to assist various authors with proofing and editing work including Andrew Brel and his book "The Emergency Bizouki Player". His last two draft works focused on at corruption in and around his hometown of Mutare Zimbabwe ("Diamond City Blues") as well as a biographical looking at a prominent Rhodesian family he was commissioned to assist with as a non credited author.

Personal life and death

He was married to Terry Oakley-Smith and had one son Lucien Oakley-Smith. [16] Oakley-Smith was found murdered at his home in Mutare, Zimbabwe after a home invasion in 2021. [17] [18] He served as a mentor to many young pianists and musicians in Mutare until the time of his death.

Archive

Oakley-Smith donated his archival material including photographs, vinyl records, letters and documents, to the Hidden Years Music Archive, preserved at the Documentation Centre for Music, Stellenbosch University in 2017.

Discography

John Oakley-Smith produced an album through WEA in 1976 called Matinees on Saturdays. [19] [20]

Track Listing
No.TitleLength
1."The lady from the Odeon"3:30
2."Comedy morning"2:20
3."Saturday night"1:58
4."Interlude"1:13
5."Sunday"2:14
6."Song to Lago"3:10
7."Invisible poem/Celebration"2:38
8."Snakes and ladders"2:17
9."The Drifter And The Light Bill"2:36
10."Dogs"3:23
11."God Keep The People (Who Stay Awake At Night)"2:20
12."The March Of The Kleenies"2:20
13."Benjamin Street"3:54

Reference List

  1. ↑ "And Green And Golden". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Cop-Out". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Torch Song Trilogy". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Madame Butterfly". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Twelfth Night, or What You Will". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ain't We Got Fun". ESAT. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. 1 2 Jasiukowicz, Tom (11 November 1981). "He plays like Astaire dances". Rand Daily Mail. p. 8.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hitchcock, Leigh (8 October 1981). "The prolific art of John Oakley-Smith". Rand Daily Mail. p. 20.
  9. 1 2 3 Andersson, Muff (5 June 1980). "Music man in mid-exploration". Rand Daily Mail. p. 9.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Daniel, Raeford (8 December 1983). "Surreal colours from troubadour poet". Rand Daily Mail. p. 11.
  11. ↑ Minervini, Rina (18 January 1979). "Getting out of the vinyl groove". Rand Daily Mail. p. 9.
  12. ↑ Minervini, Rina (26 March 1979). "Poet Laureate at the Laager". Rand Daily Mail. p. 9.
  13. ↑ Andersson, Muff (29 May 1980). "Oakley Smith back at Market". Rand Daily Mail. p. 9.
  14. ↑ "Oakley Smith at the Chelsea". Rand Daily Mail. 3 November 1981. p. 9.
  15. ↑ Opperman, AJ (19 January 2021). "'Skerp waarnemer' laat nalatenskap agter". Die Burger. p. 8.
  16. ↑ "John Oakley-Smith". ESAT. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ↑ Zhakata, Abel (15 January 2021). "Grandpa murdered during home robbery". The Manica Post. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Mpofu, Muza (25 January 2021). "SAD NEWS: Senior citizen found dead in his house with his hands and legs tied". My Zimbabwe News. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Charity concert man wins fame". Rand Daily Mail. 26 May 1977. p. 7.
  20. ↑ "John Matinees on Saturdays". www.discogs.com. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Rice</span> English lyricist and author (born 1944)

Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita; Chess ; Aida ; and for Disney Aladdin, The Lion King, both the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and the live-action film adaption. He also wrote lyrics for the Alan Menken musical King David, and for DreamWorks Animation's The Road to El Dorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mutare</span> Largest and Admistration City of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is a heavily populated city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 in the surrounding districts, Mutare adds to the wider metropolitan area a total population of over 500,000 people. Mutare is also the capital of Manicaland Province and the largest city in eastern Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abel Muzorewa</span> First and only prime minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979-80)

Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa, also commonly referred to as Bishop Muzorewa, was a Zimbabwean bishop and politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia from the Internal Settlement to the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979. A United Methodist Church bishop and nationalist leader, he held office for less than a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Gilbert (musician)</span> American musician (1966–1996)

Kevin Matthew Gilbert was an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer and producer. He was best known for his solo progressive rock projects, Toy Matinee and his contributions to Tuesday Night Music Club (1993), the debut studio album by Sheryl Crow.

Sir Stephen Lewis Courtauld was an English philanthropist associated with geographical exploration, the restoration of Eltham Palace in south-east London, and cultural and education causes, both in the UK and in Southern Rhodesia, where he and his wife Virginia also donated to organisations promoting racial equality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market Theatre (Johannesburg)</span> Theatre situated in Newtown, Johannesburg est. 1976

The Market Theatre, based in the downtown bohemian suburb of Newtown in Johannesburg, South Africa, was opened in 1976, operating as an independent, anti-racist theatre during the country's apartheid regime. It was named after a fruit and vegetable market that was previously located there. It was also known as the Old Indian Market or the Newtown Market, which closed after 60 years. The Market Theatre was renamed John Kani Theatre in 2014 after the renowned South African stage actor John Kani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Tekere</span> Zimbabwean politician (1937–2011)

Edgar Zivanai Tekere, nicknamed "2 Boy", was a Zimbabwean politician. He was the second and last Secretary General of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) who organised the party during the Lancaster House talks and served in government before his popularity as a potential rival to Robert Mugabe caused their estrangement.

Weston's Music Hall was a music hall and theatre that opened on 16 November 1857 at 242-245 High Holborn in London, England. In 1906, the theatre became known as the Holborn Empire.

Christopher Chindoti Mushohwe was a Zimbabwean politician. He held several posts, including minister of information and broadcasting services.

Sefton Henry Parry was a Victorian theatre manager, and remarkably versatile. He was a competent actor, comedian and playwright, could paint scenery, cut out dresses, and do stage-carpentering. He was also an innovator, successful theatre manager, speculator and builder of theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clem Tholet</span> Musical artist

Clem Tholet was a Rhodesian folk singer who became popular in the 1970s for his Rhodesian patriotic songs. He reached the height of his fame during the Rhodesian Bush War.

Oakley "Tad" Hall III was an American playwright, director, and author. The co-founder and first artistic director of Lexington Conservatory Theatre, in 1978 he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fall from a bridge; he spent decades in recovery and in the process of creating a new life. He is the subject of the 2004 documentary The Loss of Nameless Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marda Vanne</span> South African actress (1896–1970)

Marda Vanne was a South African actress who found fame in London.

Marmaduke Arundel "Duke" Wetherell was a British–South African actor, screenwriter, producer, film director and big-game hunter. He was responsible for the hoax "surgeon's photograph" of the Loch Ness Monster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wood (actor, born 1909)</span> Australian actor

John Wood was an Australian who acted on the stage and briefly became a film star in Hollywood and Britain in the late 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington Conservatory Theatre</span>

Lexington Conservatory Theatre was an equity summer theatre company in the Catskills town of Lexington, New York. Co-founded in 1976 by a group of professional theatre artists including Oakley Hall III, Michael Van Landingham and Bruce Bouchard, the theatre operated for five seasons at the historic Lexington House, a former hotel turned artist retreat. Hall was seriously injured in a fall from a bridge during the summer of 1978. That summer and Hall's life in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury were the subjects of the documentary The Loss of Nameless Things.

The Mayor of Mutare is the executive of the government of Mutare, Zimbabwe. The Mayor is a member of the Mutare City Council, and is assisted by a deputy mayor. The Mayor uses the style "His Worship". The current mayor is Simon Chabuka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Learnmore Jonasi</span> Zimbabwean comedian, actor and MC

Learnmore Mwanyenyeka formerly known as Long John the Comedian and now known professionally as Learnmore Jonasi, is a Zimbabwean stand-up comedian, actor and MC. He is also known as "The Village Boy" and has won the 2019 National Arts Merit Awards as the Outstanding Comedian of the Year and the 2019 Savanna Comic Choice Awards as the Pan African Comic of the Year. He was people's choice award winner in Steve Harvey's Stand Up Spotlight competition in 2019. In 2020 he won the National Arts Merit Awards as the Outstanding Comedian of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hidden Years Music Archive</span> South African music archive

The Hidden Years Music Archive is an archive and interdisciplinary research project dedicated to the preservation and study of alternative and popular South African music. Established by David Marks in 1990, the archive holds a collection of around 175 000 items, which includes sound recordings, photographs, posters, programs, documents, press cuttings, notebooks, and diaries... The Hidden Years is a repository of urban folk tunes, township jazz expressions, country rock music, choir works, maskanda, and various traditional musics. In 2013 the archive was donated to the Documentation Centre for Music at Stellenbosch University and has since been managed by Dr Lizabé Lambrechts as the principal researcher and project leader. From 2017 the project has been hosted by the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University.

Silver Creek Mountain Band is a South African music group that was founded in East London during the early 1970s. Rod Dry, one of the founding members of the band has kept the band alive over the years by appointing new members. Throughout the years more than 30 musicians have been part of the group. In 1981 they released their first album called, Silver Creek Mountain Band. The group has performed in pubs and clubs, weddings, parties, rallies, theatres and self-run venues. The group is known for its formidable range of instruments which includes, among others, the double bass, mandolin, banjo, violin, flute, accordion, tin whistle, guitar and mouth organ.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.