Then: Billy Ocean was born Leslie Sebastian Charles, and moved to London at the age of 10. He began singing in night clubs as a teenager, and made a name for himself in the local scene. In 1976, after a few short, unsuccessful ventures, Ocean recorded his first official solo album, which was self titled. The hit single from that album, “Love Really Hurts Without You,” charted at No. 2 in the UK. He would release three more albums before 1983, but it wasn’t until 1985 when he saw true worldwide success with his 5th studio album, Suddenly. “Caribbean Queen”, the lead single on the album, became Ocean’s first number one single on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Black Singles charts in late 1984, and the album debuted in the top ten, peaking at No. 9 on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart simultaneously in the US and UK.
Now: In January of 2016, Ocean appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform some of his classic hits as part of a promo tour for a new album he was working on. Ocean toured the UK during March and April 2017. Ocean recorded the new album in mid-2019 at Eve Studios in Stockport, working again with producer Barry Eastmond as co-writer. The album, One World, was to be released in April of 2020. After a delay, it was later released that September.
