Billy Ocean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Ocean
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Ocean performing at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leslie Sebastian Charles |
| Born | 21 January 1950 Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago, British West Indies |
| Origin | Romford, East London, England |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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Leslie Sebastian Charles, known as Billy Ocean, is a British singer and songwriter. He was born in Trinidad on January 21, 1950. Between 1976 and 1988, he had many hit songs in the UK and around the world.
He became famous with his 1976 song "Love Really Hurts Without You". This song reached number 2 in the UK. Later, in 1984, his song "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" became a huge hit. It reached number 1 in the U.S. and number 6 in the UK. Billy Ocean won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for this song in 1985. He continued to have international hits like "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (number 1 in the UK) and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (number 1 in the U.S.). In 1988, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" also reached number 1 in the U.S.
Billy Ocean has received many awards for his music. In 2002, he was given a special music degree from the University of Westminster. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards in 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Billy Ocean was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago. His father, Hainsley Charles, was a musician. When Billy was 10, his family moved to Romford, England. He grew up surrounded by music. As a teenager, he sang regularly in a London nightclub. He also worked as a tailor.
He joined a local band called the Shades of Midnight in 1969. He released his first single, "Nashville Rain," in 1971. For two years, he was the lead singer of a band called Scorched Earth.
Billy Ocean shared that his stage name did not come from a place in London. Instead, it came from a football team in his hometown in Trinidad and Tobago. That team was called "Oceans 11."
Rise to International Stardom
From 1976 to 1982, Billy Ocean released four studio albums. These included Billy Ocean (1976) and City Limit (1980). His song "Love Really Hurts Without You" was a big hit during this time. It reached number 2 in the UK.
In the early 1980s, Billy Ocean's career took off again. His fifth album, Suddenly, came out in late 1984. The main song from this album, "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)", became a huge success. It was his first number 1 song in the U.S. The album Suddenly also did very well. It sold millions of copies.
"Caribbean Queen" earned Billy Ocean a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The album's title song, "Suddenly", also became a hit. Another song, "Loverboy", reached number 2 in the U.S. in 1985. Billy Ocean performed "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy" at the famous Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985.
His sixth album, Love Zone (1986), was also very popular. It featured the hit song "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going". This song was the theme for the film The Jewel of the Nile. It reached number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the U.S. Another hit from the album was "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", which was a number 1 hit in the U.S.
In 1987, he was nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Male Artist. His album Tear Down These Walls (1988) included the number 1 song "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car". This album also sold very well.
Later Career and Achievements
Billy Ocean's 1989 Greatest Hits collection has remained popular over the years. In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Westminster in London. He continues to tour and record music in Europe.
In 2004, "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" was re-released digitally for its 20th anniversary. It became popular again on digital charts. A remixed version of the song was released in 2005.
In 2008, he toured Australia and the Far East. His ninth album, Because I Love You, was released in 2009. In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards in London. In 2011, he became a special member of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Paul McCartney presented him with this honor.
Billy Ocean appeared in the British comedy film Keith Lemon: The Film in 2012. In 2016, he performed some of his hits on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He toured the UK in 2017.
His latest studio album, One World, was released on September 4, 2020.
Personal Life
Billy Ocean has lived in Sunningdale, England, with his wife, Judy, since 1978. They have three children. His son played rugby sevens for Barbados in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Billy Ocean became vegetarian after his mother passed away in 1989. He is also a member of the Rastafari movement.
Honours
Billy Ocean was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2020. This honor was for his services to music.
Discography
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)
See also
In Spanish: Billy Ocean para niños
- Lists of UK Singles Chart number ones
- List of Billboard number-one singles
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- List of Eastern Caribbean people
