Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean holds the prestigious title of being the biggest selling British black artists of all time. During a career spanning over 25 years, he has sold in excess of 30 million singles and albums worldwide, reaching his pinnacle throughout the 1980’s.

Ocean’s period of greatest success began with Suddenly in 1984 and its main single “Caribbean Queen”. The song’s title and lyrics were changed for different regions, such that the song is also known as “African Queen” or “European Queen”. The album’s title track also became a hit. His 1986 album Love Zone also sold very well. It included the hit singles “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going” (the theme from the film The Jewel of the Nile, this was a number one hit in the UK and a number two in the U.S.; and “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” (a U.S. number one, and also a major UK hit). Ocean’s next album, Tear Down These Walls (1988) featured another number one single, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car”.