Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean is a Trinidadianborn English recording artist who had a string of RampB international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British RampB singersongwriter of the early to mid1980s. After scoring his first four UK Topsuccesses, seven years passed before he accumulated a series of transatlantic successes, including three U.S. number ones. In 1985, Ocean won the Grammy Award for Best Male RampB Vocal Performance for his worldwide hit, Caribbean Queen, and in 1987 was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist.

Ocean was born as Leslie Charles in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago, to Hainsley Charles, a Grenadian musician and his wife Violet. He moved to Romford, Essex, England, with his family at the age of ten. He was exposed to music at an early age from his musician father, and, growing up, Ocean realized he was in line to follow his fathers ambitions. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs while also working as a tailor in Londons Savile Row. He was discovered by his first manager, John Morphew, who recorded a double A side single at Pye Studios in London with a full orchestra, However, the ballad singing style of Les was going out of fashion and Morphew was unable to get any major label to release it. It remains unreleased. Less father, who countersigned the management contract as Les was younger thanasked Morphew to release him from contract, which he did without penalty. In 1969 he joined a local band The Shades of Midnight playing in the Shoreditch area of London

Source: Wikipedia