Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean is the performing name of Leslie Sebastian Charles, a singer and songwriter born in 1950 in Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago, who is based in the United Kingdom. He is associated with contemporary R&B, dance-pop, disco, pop, pop soul and R&B. He is known for a run of international hit singles in the 1970s and 1980s, and has continued to tour and record.

Early career

Ocean begins his career with local bands including the Shades of Midnight and Dry Ice, and later fronts a studio band called Scorched Earth. Before becoming established as a solo artist, he works as a tailor on Savile Row in London and performs regularly in a nightclub. His early singles include “Nashville Rain”, “Sun in the Morning”, “On The Run” and “Super Woman, Super Lover”. The origin of his stage name is linked to a football team from his Trinidadian hometown called Oceans 11.

Breakthrough and hit singles

Between 1976 and 1988, Ocean achieves major success in the UK and internationally. His best-known songs include “Love Really Hurts Without You”, “Red Light Spells Danger”, “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)”, “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going”, “There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” and “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car”. “Caribbean Queen” reaches number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and helps establish his worldwide profile.

Albums and collaborations

Ocean releases four studio albums between 1976 and 1982: Billy Ocean, City Limit, Nights (Feel Like Getting Down) and Inner Feelings. After Sony Music acquires GTO Records, he moves to Jive Records and has a renewed commercial breakthrough in the 1980s. His fifth studio album, Suddenly, includes “Caribbean Queen” and reaches the top ten in both the UK and the US. He then releases Love Zone, whose singles “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” and “There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” chart in the UK and the US and earn him a Grammy nomination. He also collaborates with Scott Walker on the 1984 album Climate of Hunter.

Later releases and recognition

Tear Down These Walls includes “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” and is certified platinum. Later albums include Time to Move On, Because I Love You, Here You Are and One World. Compilation albums such as Greatest Hits and L.I.F.E. – Love Is for Ever also perform well on the UK Albums Chart. Ocean receives an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Westminster, the MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award, a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and an MBE for services to music. He is also nominated for Best British Male Artist at the Brit Awards in 1987.

Other work

Ocean appears in film in Keith Lemon: The Film and performs on television programmes including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. His music video for “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” is temporarily banned by the BBC because of appearances by non-union actors.