Michael Oakland is an American musician, producer, and television host based between Massachusetts and Florida.
He leads Michael Oakland Music and hosts the show It’s The Music, Man. Known for his work on radio jingles and television soundtracks, he has built a career spanning several decades.
Who is Michael Oakland?
Michael Oakland is an American guitarist, producer, and soundtrack composer. He also hosts the television program It’s The Music, Man. Also, he works as a music producer, entertainer, and author.
Oakland has performed alongside respected names in the industry. Musicians such as Michael McDonald, Paul Winter, John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Phoebe Snow, and Tom Rush have shared the stage or studio with him. He splits his time between two coastal regions.
Oakland currently resides in both Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Florida, where he keeps up a steady performance and entertainment schedule. Through his brand, Michael Oakland Music, he continues to book live shows across the eastern United States.
Early Life of Michael Oakland
Michael Oakland was born in Boston, Massachusetts, a city he has described as an intellectual hub. His musical talent surfaced early in his childhood there. He came of age during the 1960s and 1970s.
During that period, Oakland sharpened his guitar skills and began branching into different styles of music. So, by his early adulthood, he had already stamped his own sound onto radio jingles and other audio projects.
Specific details about his parents and siblings remain private. However, his official biography credits this era of cultural change in Boston with shaping his approach to music.
Michael Oakland Age
An exact birth date for Michael Oakland is not publicly confirmed. As a result, his precise current age cannot be calculated with confidence. He came of age professionally during the 1960s and 1970s.
Based on that career timeline, Oakland is widely understood to be a longtime veteran performer rather than an emerging artist. His decades-long body of work, stretching from early jingle recordings to recent live shows, points to a long-established career rather than a recent start.
Michael Oakland Ethnicity and Nationality
Michael Oakland is an American musician. He was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and has spent his career performing across the United States. His professional life has unfolded mainly along the eastern seaboard.
From Boston to Key West, Oakland has built his reputation as a touring and studio musician within that same American music scene. Further ethnic background details are not publicly confirmed.
Michael Oakland Height and Weight
Michael Oakland stands at approximately 5 feet 10 inches, or 1.77 meters. He weighs around 160 lbs, or 70 kg, according to his public profile. He is often pictured with a shaved head.
Photos from his performances show a relaxed, stage-ready presence that matches his long career as a live entertainer. He typically performs in simple attire suited to acoustic and full-band shows alike.
Michael Oakland Musical Style and Influences
Oakland works across a wide range of genres. His own promotional material lists everything from New Age and classical to Brazilian jazz, flamenco, reggae, Motown, and classic rock. That range reflects decades of steady studio and stage work.
Because of this variety, he markets himself as suited to nearly any type of event, from corporate functions to private parties. His guitar playing sits at the center of that style, described on his own site as uniquely voiced and virtuosic.
Beyond performing, Oakland also identifies as a counseling astrologer. This side interest runs alongside his music career rather than replacing it.
Michael Oakland Career
Early Career
Oakland’s professional work began with commercial radio jingles in the 1960s and 1970s. Around that same period, he moved into soundtrack work for television.
His early credits include contributions to soundtracks for the PBS program NOVA. That work later earned him recognition within the industry for his composing skills.
By the early 1980s, Oakland had shifted further into production. He began producing and co-producing audio and video projects, working with independent artists on both individual songs and collective compilation albums.
Notable Projects
Oakland owns and operates a project recording studio called The Ting. Through it, he works as a contributing composer, producer, and engineer on client recordings. His commercial client list is extensive.
Over the years, his band has performed for corporate clients including Volvo, Pfizer, Pepsi-Cola, AT&T, Exxon, Nike, and Prudential, among others. He has also worked as a house band or first-call entertainer for hotels along the eastern seaboard, from Boston to Key West.
As a videographer, Oakland has also shot footage for the Olympic Ski Team. He additionally served as a production manager for the company Sound~Vision.
Recent Work
Oakland continues to perform regularly on Cape Cod and in Florida. He posts show dates through his Michael Oakland Music page, including local venue bookings.
He has also released solo material, including instrumental albums, that are available on platforms such as Bandcamp and Apple Music. His catalog includes releases such as White Water, Receiving, and Witness Tree.
He still records and produces from his home studio today. That ongoing production work runs alongside his continued touring schedule.
Michael Oakland Songs
Oakland has released several solo albums over the course of his career, including:
- White Water
- Receiving
- Witness Tree
- Naked
- New Moon Day
- The Call
- Island Time
- Reality Matinee
- A Spirit Box Christmas
- Papa’s Shoes
Michael Oakland Awards and Recognition
Oakland has received recognition for his soundtrack contributions to the PBS series NOVA. He has also picked up awards connected to his television work. His show, It’s The Music, Man, brought him further honors.
According to his own account, the program earned first and second place awards for video production. Those honors came alongside his NOVA soundtrack credits as part of his broader body of award-recognized work.
Michael Oakland Wife
Details about Michael Oakland’s marital status are limited. Publicly available information indicates that he is married, though his spouse’s name has not been publicly confirmed. Oakland keeps his personal life largely private.
Even so, he remains open about his professional world through his music, his website, and his social media pages. Whether he has children is not publicly confirmed.
Michael Oakland Net Worth
Michael Oakland’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. His income comes mainly from live performances, corporate bookings, production work, and album sales. His studio, The Ting, adds another stream of income.
Through that studio, Oakland works as a composer and engineer for other artists’ projects. Along with hotel residencies and corporate event bookings, that steady stream of work has supported his career for decades.
Michael Oakland Social Media
Oakland maintains a presence across a handful of platforms tied to his music career. His official website, michaeloakland.com, features his bio, albums, and event listings. He also shares updates through Facebook.
Fans can follow his page, Michael Oakland Music, for show announcements and performance clips. His music is additionally available for streaming on Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
The Bottom Line
Michael Oakland built a decades-long career composing soundtracks for NOVA and hosting his own television program, It’s The Music, Man. Along the way, he picked up video production awards tied to that show.
He plays guitar across styles ranging from flamenco to classic rock. Alongside music, he works as a counseling astrologer, splitting his time between Cape Cod and Florida. Today, Oakland still performs regularly and runs his own recording studio, The Ting.
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