Billy Ocean

Leslie Sebastian Charles MBE (born 21 January 1950), known professionally as Billy Ocean, is a Trinidadian-English recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular Trinidad–British R&B singer-songwriter of the early to mid-1980s. After scoring his first four UK Top 20 successes, seven years passed before he accumulated a series of transatlantic successes, including three US No. 1's. His 1985 hit "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 2 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)" 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 No. 1 in the US and No. 3 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 movement.

Ocean was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago, to Hainsley Charles, a Grenadian musician and his wife Violet. His family moved to Romford, London, England, when he was ten years old in 1960, just before Trinidad and Tobago became independent. He was exposed to music at an early age. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs 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 single at Pye Studios in London with a full orchestra. However, the ballad singing style of Les was going out of fashion and Morphew was unable to get any major label to release it. It remains unreleased. Les's father—who had countersigned the management contract as Les was underage—asked Morphew to release him from contract, which he did without penalty. In 1969, he joined a local band, The Shades of Midnight, playing in the Shoreditch area of London. He recorded his first single, "Nashville Rain", backed with "Sun in the Morning" in 1971 for Spark Records 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 Myf 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, 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 first album, Billy Ocean. Although the album failed to chart, he scored his first hit with its lead single, "Love Really Hurts Without You", charting at #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #22 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The album produced two additional top 20 hits in the UK, before Ocean achieved a second #2 hit there in 1977 with "Red Light Spells Danger". His second album City Limit produced no major hits, although the songs "Are You Ready" and "Stay The Night" were later covered by La Toya Jackson. He also wrote and composed songs for other artists. In 1981, he scored his first hit on the US R&B chart with "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)", from the album of the same name. Both this album and its follow-up Inner Feelings were released on the Epic label, however neither were commercially successful.

Following a move to Jive from Epic, Ocean received a second breakthrough with the release of his fifth studio album Suddenly. It produced the hit single "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" which became Ocean's first number-one single on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Black Singles charts in late 1984, as well as a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, his first in seven years. The album peaked at number nine on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. It produced two additional top ten hits in "Loverboy", which reached #2 in the US, and the title track, which reached #4 in the UK and US. The album was certified gold in the UK, and double platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). He also recorded with Scott Walker in 1984, singing on his album Climate of Hunter.

At the 1985 Grammy Awards, Ocean earned two Grammy Award nominations for "Caribbean Queen", ultimately winning the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. He was later presented his award by Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel on 620 Soul Train, a UK incarnation of the American music dance show Soul Train. Ocean appeared at Live Aid in 1985, singing "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy", from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

In late 1985 Ocean released "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", the theme from the film The Jewel of the Nile; which reached #2 in the United States and became his sole #1 hit in the UK. It was later included on his 1986 album Love Zone which became the highest charting of his career. It produced his second US #1, "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (also a major UK success), while the title track reached the US top ten. It also earned Ocean a second nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1987 Grammy Awards.

In February 1986, Ocean's video of "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 and Danny DeVito, all three of whom were cast members of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, miming to the backing vocals. At the 1987 Brit Awards, Ocean was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male.

Ocean's next album, Tear Down These Walls (1988), produced his third and last US #1 single, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", which also reached #3 in the UK. The album was certified platinum in the US, and spawned additional singles including "Calypso Crazy" and "The Colour of Love", the latter of which reached #17 in the US. In 1989, he achieved his final US charting hit to date with the single "License To Chill", which reached #32. It was released to promote his 1989 Greatest Hits album, which has since been certified Platinum in both the US and UK. Following this release, Ocean took a four-year hiatus from recording.

Ocean returned to music with the 1993 album Time to Move On, on which he worked with several new producers including R&B star R. Kelly. However, the album failed to chart in both the US and UK, and yielded no hit singles. It ultimately became Ocean's last studio album for Jive Records. He would eventually return to the charts when his 1997 compilation Love Is For Ever peaked at #7 on the UK album chart.

In 2002, the University of Westminster in London awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. The awards ceremony took place in the Barbican Centre, in London. He continues to tour and record in Europe. Ocean is now a patron for Tech Music Schools 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 was released in 2005.

In October 2007, Ocean commenced his first UK tour in more than 15 years. In February and March 2008 he toured Australia and the Far East. The album Because I Love You, Ocean's first of new material in sixteen years,was released on 2 February 2009.

In April 2010, an 18-track compilation album 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 #17.

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 Paul McCartney.

In 2012, Ocean made a cameo appearance in the British comedy movie Keith Lemon: The Film as Lemon's father, before releasing the covers album Here You Are in 2013. Ocean appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in January 2016 to perform some of his classic hits. In 2016, his album Here You Are was re-released as Here You Are: The Best of Billy Ocean which included a second disc featuring his greatest hits. It reached #4 in the UK, his highest charting release since 1989. Ocean had a Spring Tour 2017 in the UK during March and April 2017.

His latest album One World is set for release in April 2020. The album features new songs written with long-time collaborator Barry Eastmond, who previously co-wrote and produced several of Ocean's biggest hits.

Ocean lives in Sunningdale, Berkshire, with his wife Judy, and has done so since 1978. They have three children. His son played rugby sevens at the 2014 Commonwealth Games for Barbados.

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

Ocean was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to music.

Grammy Awards

Billy Ocean has been nominated a total of three career Grammy Awards, with one win.

Ivor Novello Awards

Soul Train Music Awards

Studio albums

• Billy Ocean (1976)
• City Limit (1980)
• Nights (Feel Like Getting Down) (1981)
• Inner Feelings (1982)
• Suddenly (1984)
• Love Zone (1986)
• Tear Down These Walls (1988)
• Time to Move On (1993)
• Because I Love You (2009)
• Here You Are (2013)
• One World (2020)