SUBJECT: Billy Ocean
VITAL STATISTICS: Singer and songwriter. Born Leslie Sebastian Charles on Jan. 21, 1950, in Trinidad; grew up in London.
SOUND: Soul/pop
CLAIMS TO FAME: Grammy Award, 1984, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song ”Caribbean Queen.” The song sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. and reached No. 1 on the pop, black and dance charts. Ocean also had a No. 1 U.S. pop hit single in 1986 with ”There`ll Be Sad Songs”; his most recent hit, ”Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” made it to No. 1 on the pop and black charts. Two multimillion-selling albums, 1984`s ”Suddenly” and 1986`s ”Love Zone.”
NEW SINGLE: ”The Colour of Love.”
LATEST ALBUM: ”Tear Down These Walls,” released in March on Arista.
EARLY INFLUENCES: Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, the Beatles, Rolling Stones.
PREVIOUS JOBS: Tailor in a fashionable London shop; assembly line worker at a Ford Motors factory.
FOR THE RECORD: Recorded his first single in 1974 under the name Scorched Earth.
STARTING OUT: Began performing with local groups while working as a tailor. Later worked nights at a factory to have his days free for writing and recording, but soon quit the factory job for a fulltime career in music. Signed to GTO Records, he released his first single as Billy Ocean in 1975. The song, ”Whose Little Girl Are You,” did well enough for him to record a second song, ”Love Really Hurts Without You,” which was a 1976 hit in the U.K. and made the U.S. Top 30. Soon after, the record company folded and Ocean`s career was put on hold in America, though he continued to have success in Britain. Returned to the U.S. market in 1982 with the single ”Nights (Feel Like Getting Down),” and an album by the same name, which established him as a soul newcomer to watch.
JIVING AROUND: After a discouraging experience with CBS/Epic-which released his second album, a flop called ”Inner Feeling”-Ocean signed with Jive Records. His 1984 Jive debut album, ”Suddenly,” launched him as a soul/ pop star.
WHERE TO CATCH HIM: Friday at Poplar Creek.
