Leslie Sebastian Charles, (born 21 January 1950), better known by his stage name Billy Ocean, is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British R&B singer-songwriter of the early to mid-1980s. After scoring his first four UK top 20 singles including two No. 2 hits in 1976 and 1977, seven years passed before he accumulated a series of transatlantic successes, including three US number ones. His 1985 hit " When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" reached in the UK and in the US. In 1985, Ocean won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his worldwide hit "

Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" is a 1984 song by Trinidadian-British singer Billy Ocean. Co-written and produced by Keith Diamond, it climbed to number one on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and the ''Billboard'' Black Sing ...

" and in 1987 was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist. His 1988 hit " Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" reached in the US and in the UK. His 1986 hit " There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" also reached No. 1 in the US. In 2002, the University of Westminster, London, awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. In 2010, Ocean was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards. On 29 July 2011, Ocean became a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, presented to him by Sir Paul McCartney. He is a member of the

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

movement.

Early life and stardom

Ocean was born on 21 January 1950 in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago, to Hainsley Charles, a Grenadian musician, and his wife Violet. He moved to Romford, England, when he was ten years old, just before Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962. He was exposed to music at an early age. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

while also working as a tailor in London's Savile Row. He was discovered by his first manager, John Morphew, who recorded a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single at Pye Studios in London with a full orchestra. However, the ballad singing style of Ocean was going out of fashion and Morphew was unable to get any major label to release it. It remains unreleased. Ocean's father — who had countersigned the management contract as Ocean was underage — asked Morphew to release him from the

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

, which he did without penalty. In 1969, he joined a local band, the Shades of Midnight, playing in the

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

area of London. He recorded his first single, "Nashville Rain", backed with "Sun in the Morning" in 1971 for

Spark Records Spark Records was a record label started by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller around 1954 in Los Angeles, California. Artists released on Spark Records included Willy & Ruth, The Sly Fox, Ervin "Big Boy" Groves, and The Robins. Leiber and Stoller ev ...

as Les Charles, and for two years fronted a studio band called Scorched Earth, with whom he released "On the Run" backed with "Let's Put Our Emotions in Motion" in 1974. In an interview with Myfanwy Warhurst on ABC Radio Melbourne, Ocean stated that the story of him having taken his stage name from the local "Ocean Estate", Stepney in London's

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, where he was living at the time, was in fact not correct. According to the interview, the name was derived from a local football team that was in his home town in Trinidad and Tobago, who called themselves "Oceans 11". In 1976, he recorded his debut studio album, ''Billy Ocean'', with its first single release, " Love Really Hurts Without You", charting at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 22 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He enjoyed club success from the songs "Are You Ready" and "Stay the Night" from the album ''City Limit'' — both of which were later covered by La Toya Jackson. More successes ensued, including "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)". He also wrote and composed songs for other artists. In 1981, he scored the US R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

with "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)."

International success

Between 1976 and 1982, Ocean released four studio albums (''Billy Ocean'', ''City Limit'', ''Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)'' and ''Inner Feelings'') through his record label GTO, none of which scored success on any musical charts, aside from his biggest single up to that point, 1976's " Love Really Hurts Without You", which was a top 40 and a top 10 hit in both the UK (No. 2) and the US (No. 22). As Sony Music acquired GTO Records in 1978, Ocean was shifted to Jive from

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

, in which he received a second breakthrough in his career in the early 1980s. Late 1984 saw the release of his fifth studio album '' Suddenly'' and its main single, "

" becoming successes on the charts. "Caribbean Queen" became Ocean's first number one single on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

charts in late 1984, and the album debuted in the top ten, peaking at No. 9 on both the US ''Billboard'' 200 and the UK Albums Chart simultaneously in the US and UK. ''Suddenly'' reached gold in the UK, and was certified double platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). He also recorded with Scott Walker in 1984, singing harmony vocals on "

Track Three "Track Three" (informal title: "Delayed") is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Scott Walker in 1983. This was Walker's eighth solo single in the UK and was released in March 1984 to promote his 'comeback' solo album ''Clim ...

" from Walker's eleventh studio album ''

Climate of Hunter ''Climate of Hunter'' is the eleventh studio album by the American solo artist Scott Walker. It was released in March 1984 and reached number 60 on the UK Albums Chart. It includes the single "Track Three". It was his only album of the 1980s. ...

''. “Caribbean Queen” scored Ocean two Grammy Award nominations, and won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the

1985 Grammy Awards The 27th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1985, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live in the United States by CBS. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1984. Award winners Record of the ...

. Ocean was later presented his award by Jeffrey Daniel of vocal group

Shalamar Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group active since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic line-up on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, together with dancer ...

on ''620 Soul Train'', a UK incarnation of the American music dance show ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

''. The album's title track also became a success, peaking at No. 4 in both the US and the UK and the song "

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...

", while also being a No. 2 US success in 1985 was also featured in the first scene of the popular UK BBC One TV series '' Casualty'', in 1986. Ocean appeared at

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

in 1985, singing "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy", from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. His sixth studio album ''

Love Zone ''Love Zone'' is the sixth studio album by British R&B singer and songwriter Billy Ocean, released in April 1986 through Jive Records. Three singles were released from the album including Ocean's second US No. 1 hit "There'll Be Sad Songs (To M ...

'' (1986) also sold well. It included the successful singles " When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", the theme from the film '' The Jewel of the Nile'' (1985); this was a No. 1 success in the UK and a No. 2 in the United States; and " There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (a US No. 1, and also a major UK success). Also included were the title track and "Love Is Forever", which were No. 10 and No. 16 US successes for Ocean, respectively. It also earned Ocean a second nomination for

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...

at the

1987 Grammy Awards The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Paul Simon won Album of the Year for ''Graceland'', and Burt Bacha ...

. In February 1986, Ocean's video for "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" was banned by the BBC, owing to such non- union members as the American actors Michael Douglas,

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely k ...

and Danny DeVito, all three of whom were cast members of '' Romancing the Stone'' (1984) and ''The Jewel of the Nile'' (1985),

miming A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

to the backing vocals. At the 1987 Brit Awards, Ocean was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male. Ocean's next studio album, ''

Tear Down These Walls ''Tear Down These Walls'' is the seventh studio album by British recording artist Billy Ocean, released in February 1988 by Jive Records and Arista Records as the follow-up to Ocean's critically and commercially successful 1986 album '' Love ...

'' (1988), featured another No. 1 single, " Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", while the album was certified platinum.

Later career

Ocean's eighth studio album '' Time to Move On'' (1993) failed to produce any major successes, but his 1989 '' Greatest Hits'' collection has been a steady seller over the years, and his 1997 compilation album ''L.I.F.E. – Love Is for Ever'' made No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Ocean's last studio album for

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

was ''Time to Move On'', which he recorded in Chicago with R&B star

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

. In 2002, the University of Westminster in London awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. The awards ceremony took place in the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

, in London. He continues to tour and record in Europe. Ocean is now a patron for

Tech Music School The British and Irish Modern Music Institute, now styled as the BIMM Institute, is a group of eight independent colleges which specialise in the provision of creative education in Brighton, Bristol, London, Dublin, Manchester, Berlin, Birmingha ...

s in London, made up of Drumtech, Vocaltech, Guitar-X and Keyboardtech. He regularly visits to hold clinics and seminars for the students. In 2004, "Caribbean Queen" was re-released as a digital single for its 20th anniversary, shooting up to No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' digital singles chart and garnering radio play across the United States and UK. A remix of the single by

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

was released in 2005. In February and March 2008 he toured Australia and the Far East. His ninth studio album ''Because I Love You'' was released on 2 February 2009. In April 2010, an 18-track

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

was released in the UK by Sony Music titled ''The Very Best of Billy Ocean'' to tie in with a 30-date tour of the UK and Ireland. Featuring Ocean's biggest hits, the album debuted in the UK Albums Chart at No. 17. Cmglee Cambridge Billy Ocean

In October 2007, Ocean commenced his first UK tour in more than 15 years. On 20 October 2010, Ocean was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards in London. On 29 July 2011, Ocean became a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. His title was presented by former

Beatle The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development ...

Paul McCartney. In 2012, Ocean made a cameo appearance in the British comedy movie '' Keith Lemon: The Film'' as Lemon's father. In January 2016, Ocean appeared on '' The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'' to perform some of his classic hits as part of a promo tour for his new album. Ocean toured the UK during March and April 2017. Ocean recorded a new studio album in mid-2019 at Eve Studios in

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

, working again with producer Barry Eastmond as co-writer. The album, ''One World'', was to be released on 17 April 2020. After a delay, it was later released 4 September 2020.

Personal life

Ocean has lived in Sunningdale,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, England, with his wife Judy, since 1978. They have three children. His son played rugby sevens at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

for Barbados. Ocean decided to become vegetarian after the loss of his mother in 1989, who died from ovarian cancer.

Honours

Ocean was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to music.

Awards and nominations

ASCAP Pop Music Awards

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Caribbean Queen "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" is a 1984 song by Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidadian-British people, British singer Billy Ocean. Co-written and produced by Keith Diamond (songwriter), Keith Diamond, it climbed to Record chart#Chart hit, ...

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''Billboard'' Music Awards

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Grammy Awards

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" ,

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, ''

'' ,

Ivor Novello Awards

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Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

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Soul Train Music Awards

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'' , Album of the Year – Male ,

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Billy Ocean'' (1976) *''City Limit'' (1980) *''Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)'' (1981) *''Inner Feelings'' (1982) *'' Suddenly'' (1984) *''

'' (1986) *''

'' (1988) *'' Time to Move On'' (1993) *''Because I Love You'' (2009) *''Here You Are'' (2013) *''One World'' (2020)

References

External links

*
Billy Ocean official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocean, Billy 1950 births Living people English soul singers English dance musicians English male singer-songwriters 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers 21st-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers Grammy Award winners 20th-century Black British male singers Epic Records artists Jive Records artists Trinidad and Tobago people of Grenadian descent English Rastafarians People from Siparia region People from Romford People from Sunningdale Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom English people of Grenadian descent Members of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century Black British male singers