Oscar Harrison

Oscar Lloyd Harrison (born 15 April 1965 in Birmingham) is an English musician who currently plays drums with Birmingham-based band Ocean Colour Scene, where he gained prominence. He also plays piano and bass guitar, and occasionally sings lead vocals.

Life and career

Early days

Harrison's first musical career began with an eleven-piece reggae band called Echo Base. Harrison had stated that he knew he wanted to be a musician from the moment he watched Top of the Pops, an English performance show, and that he always admired reggae giant Burning Spear. Echo Base were signed to the same label as fellow Birmingham band UB40 and, despite releasing an album, disbanded after disagreements.

After talking to Echo Base's manager, Harrison met and joined a band called The Fanatics, where he played alongside future friend Simon Fowler. He had replaced Caroline Bullock, who angrily responded by "outing" homosexual Fowler to British tabloid paper The Sun a few years later. After playing together for a while, The Fanatics too disbanded, along with another Birmingham rock band called The Boys.