Born in Palmers Green, North London, Oldfield and his siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith of their mother, Maureen.
His earliest musical experiences were in the myriad of folk clubs that sprang up in the UK during the late 1960s and early 1970s, listening to the songs of Leonard Cohen, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Bob Dylan.
Mike later went on to record the highly successful Tubular Bells and Terry played the flute in the live performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 25 June 1973.
Terry also appears on Mike's albums Hergest Ridge (woodwind – uncredited), Ommadawn (pan-pipes) and extensively on Incantations (flute).
[citation needed] Oldfield's career began in earnest when he was asked by the BBC to compose music for a series called Great Railway Journeys of the World.