Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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OCEAN, Billy

(b '52, Trinidad) UK pop/R&B vocalist. Emigrated to UK late '50s with family, already joining in family singsongs on ukulele. In the East End of London he discovered soul singers Sam Cooke, local heroes the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; he was apprenticed to a tailor and cutter after leaving school, who lent him money to buy a piano, leading to playing and singing with obscure local groups. He completed a college course in tailoring, worked in a Savile Row shop; released flop single under the name of Scorched Earth '74 and lost his job; went to work in the giant Ford factory in East London, combining shift work with musical life: long hours ended with deal with GTO Records. First single under his own name was 'Whose Little Girl Are You'; second 'Love Really Hurts Without You' made top three UK/top 30 USA early '76. His US outlet ran into problems, but hits continued in UK with 'L.O.D. (Love On Delivery)' and 'Stop Me (If You've Heard It All Before)' top 20 '76, 'Red Light Spells Danger' top three '77. Then GTO refused to release 'Who's Gonna Rock You': cover by the Nolan Sisters made top 20 '80, first of a stream of Ocean covers by the Dells, Lenny Williams, Latoya Jackson, as his own career stagnated: 'American Hearts' and 'Are You Ready?' were minor hits '79--80; GTO were bought by clumsy giant CBS, who could not make hits of Ocean albums Nights (Feel Like Getting Down) and Inner Feeling (though title track of Nights was incl. in hugely successful Jane Fonda's Workout Record). Completing obligations to CBS, Ocean signed with London-based Jive label, worked with NYC prod. Keith Diamond on Suddenly '84, a smash hit incl. singles 'Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)' (no. 1 USA/top ten UK, won Grammy), 'Loverboy' (top five USA/UK). He made his first-ever live tour, appeared on Live Aid, was chosen to sing theme from hit film Jewel On The Nile: 'When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going' co-prod. by Wayne Braithwaite (plays with Herbie Hancock) and Barry Eastmond, who co-wrote it with Ocean and Mutt Lange, incl. with next hit 'There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)' in new album Love Zone '86, also a hit in both USA/UK, followed by Tear Down These Walls '88, still in the US top 20 albums. Few artists have persevered in the face of so much adversity and struck so big. He also prod. Ruby Turner, another Jive artist, whose 'If You're Ready, Come Go With Me' charted in UK '86; Time To Move On '93 was on Jive in the USA.