At the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad (October 2002)

BILLY  OCEAN DATE OF BIRTH: January 21, 1950 PLACE OF BIRTH: Fyzabad, Trinidad EDUCATION: .... CAREER:                                 Ocean's birth name was Leslie Sebastien Charles and he migrated with his family to England when he was 8 years old. He began performing in London as a teenager and cut his first record in 1974. He wrote and recorded songs while working at the Ford Motor Company, but quit after his song "Love Really Hurts Without You" rose to No. 2 on the British hit parade chart in 1976. During the rest of the 1970s through the early 1980s, he continued to produce hits, such as "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)" and "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)," as well as write songs for other artistes such as LaToya Jackson. However, in 1984, he finally rose to the top of the Pop and R&B charts with "Caribbean Queen" which was a hit around the world. In 1986, his song "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" rose to No. 2 and, later that year, he reached the top of the charts for the second time with "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)." He achieved his third No. 1 song in 1998 with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car." At the end of 2001, Ocean continued to perform and record in Europe. AWARD: 2002 - Honorary Doctor of Music, University of Westminster, London, England Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit