Billy Ocean
Under The Bridge, Fulham
21 July 2012
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Biography
Billy Ocean is the biggest black recording star
Britain has ever produced, one who has sold over 30 million records
in his lifetime.
He has collected a pile of Gold and Platinum records
across the world and hit the number one spot worldwide on pop charts
including the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, and the UK. Ocean
has achieved extraordinary success as both an artist and a songwriter.
Born in Trinidad, Ocean settled in London’s
East End when just seven years old. The calypso crazy kid soon got
turned on to soul singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, as well
as pop groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, leading him
to spend much of his study time in the music room.
Ocean got his first break when he signed to GTO
records, for whom his second single was the Motown-ish “Love
Really Hurts Without You,” which reached No. 2 in the UK charts
and No. 12 in the US.
Two top twenty singles followed; “Love on
Delivery” and “Stop Me,” then “Red Light
Spells Danger” became a smash in both the UK and the US.
Ocean changed record labels and his move to Jive
Records provided instant success, with the million selling American
number one single “Caribbean Queen” (for which he won
a Grammy for best R&B Vocal), followed by “Loverboy,”
and “Suddenly,” which became the first of Ocean’s
killer ballads. The album from which these singles came from spent
a year in the US Charts selling double platinum (triple in Canada).
Ocean also performed on the American half of Live Aid, making 1985
a truly incredible year for him.
1986 wasn’t bad either; opening with “When
the Going gets Tough (the tough get going),” the theme song
to the Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner/Danny Devito movie Jewel
of the Nile. Ocean then launched the “Love Zone” album,
which went straight to No. 2 in the UK charts, staying in the top
40 for six months. In the US, there was a No. 1 single with “There’ll
be Sad Songs (to make you cry).”
More Hits were to follow with the now classic
“Get Outta my Dreams; Get into my Car,” giving Ocean
yet another US No. 1 hit.
More hits followed as Ocean also proved himself
to be one of the most hardworking artists on the live stage, touring
the world to ever growing enthusiastic audiences.
After huge worldwide success and with a young
family at home, Ocean decided to take a break to spend some well
earned time with them. In 2007, with the kids all grown up, Ocean
went back out to perform his hits again, this time with his daughter
Cherie on backing vocals, with live dates in the UK and Europe,
USA, Canada, and the Caribbean. The tour was a great success and
culminated in him getting the bug once more for writing and recording.
2008 saw Ocean back in the studio for the first time in 15 years,
recording his brand new album “Because I Love You.”
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