Billy Ocean Net Worth

What Is Billy Ocean's Net Worth?

Billy Ocean is a Trinidadian–British singer and songwriter who has a net worth of $12 million. Billy Ocean rose to international fame in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of soulful pop and R&B hits. After moving to England as a child, Ocean began performing in London clubs before releasing his self-titled debut album in 1976, which featured the UK hit "Love Really Hurts Without You." His global breakthrough came in the 1980s with chart-topping singles like "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)," which won him a Grammy Award, as well as "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going," and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car." His smooth vocals, catchy hooks, and slick production helped him become one of the most successful British R&B artists of the decade.

Throughout his career, Ocean sold over 30 million records worldwide and maintained crossover appeal across pop, soul, and adult contemporary audiences. He continued to tour and record into the 21st century, earning honors such as a Lifetime Achievement Award from MOBO and being named a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2020.

Early Life

Billy Ocean was born Leslie Sebastian Charles on January 21, 1950, in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago. Ocean's parents, Violet and Hainsley (a musician), both worked, so his eldest sister often took care of Billy and his siblings. When Ocean was 10 years old, the family relocated to Romford, England, and as a teenager, Billy performed in London clubs and worked as a tailor. He was discovered by John Morphew, who became his manager and recorded a single at Pye Studios. Morphew couldn't get any major labels interested in the single, so Ocean's father asked him to release Billy from his contract. Morphew complied, and Ocean joined the London-based band The Shades of Midnight in 1969. In 1971, Billy recorded the single "Nashville Rain"/"Sun in the Morning" for Spark Records under the name Les Charles, and he spent two years as the frontman of the studio band Scorched Earth, releasing the single "On the Run"/"Let's Put Our Emotions in Motion" in 1974. He has said that he chose the name "Billy Ocean" because of the Trinidad and Tobago football team Oceans 11.

Career

Ocean's self-titled debut album was released in 1976, and the single "Love Really Hurts Without You" went Gold in the U.K. He followed his debut with 1980's "City Limit," 1981's "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)," and 1982's "Inner Feelings." His fifth album, 1984's "Suddenly," was certified Gold in the U.K., 2x Platinum in the U.S., and 3× Platinum in Canada, and it reached the top 10 on the charts in the U.S., the U.K., and Finland. The single "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts as well as the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and the singles "Loverboy" and "Suddenly" were also hits. Billy's 1986 album, "Love Zone," reached #6 on the Billboard 200 chart and #2 on the UK Albums Chart and went 2× Platinum in the U.S. and Canada. The single "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going," which served as the theme song for the 1985 film "The Jewel of the Nile," reached #1 on the charts in several countries and was certified Gold in the U.K.

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Ocean had another #1 single with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car," which was featured on the 1988 album "Tear Down These Walls." That album was certified Platinum in the U.S. and Canada and Gold in the U.K. and Australia, and it reached #2 on the UK Albums Chart. In 1989, Billy released "Greatest Hits," which went Platinum in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. He only released one studio album in the '90s, 1993's "Time to Move On," and it included the singles "Pressure," "Pick Up the Pieces (Put It Back)," and "Everything's So Different Without You." It would be sixteen years before Ocean released his next studio album, 2009's "Because I Love You," which was followed by 2013's "Here You Are." In 2012, Ocean had a cameo in the comedy "Keith Lemon: The Film" as the title character's father, and in 2016, he performed a few of his hits on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." In 2020, Billy released his eleventh studio album, "One World," and it reached #14 on the UK Albums Chart.

Personal Life

In 1978, Billy married Judy Bayne, whom he met when he was 15. The couple lives in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, and they have three children: daughters Rachel and Cherie and son Antony. After his mother passed away from ovarian cancer, Ocean decided to follow a vegetarian lifestyle. He told the "Daily Mail" in 2012, "When my mother died from ovarian cancer in 1989, it transformed my life. I looked at how she'd lived — an honest, incredibly hard-working woman — only to die just three years after I was successful enough to buy her a house and take care of her. I realized I had to take care of myself. So I took a five-year break from music to spend time with my wife and three children. I became more spiritual and just went off meat."

(Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Awards and Nominations

Ocean has been nominated for three Grammys, winning Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for "Caribbean Queen" in 1985. His other nominations were for Best Rhythm & Blues Song for "Caribbean Queen" and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for "Love Zone." Billy has won ASCAP Pop Music Awards for Most Performed Songs for "Caribbean Queen," "Loverboy," "Suddenly," "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going," "Love Is Forever," and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car." He has earned more than 20 "Billboard" Music Award nominations, winning Top Hot 100 Artist – Male and Top Adult Contemporary Artist in 1986. In 2018, Ocean won an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement, and "Caribbean Queen" and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" were both nominated for International Hit of the Year.

Billy was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 MOBO Awards, and in 2002, he received an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Westminster, London. He earned three American Music Award nominations in 1987: Favorite Soul/R&B Video for "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Video Artist. Ocean has also received nominations from the Soul Train Music Awards (Album of the Year – Male for "Love Zone," 1987) and the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards (Comeback of the Year, 1985).

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