Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean achieved a string of rhythm and blues pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring four UK top 20 successes and three US number ones. Billy took his stage name from the Ocean Estate, Stepney where he was living at the time.

He appeared at Live Aid in Philadelphia 1985, singing "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy". His 1986 album Love Zone included the successful singles "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (the theme from the film The Jewel of the Nile); In February 1986, Ocean's video of this track was banned by the BBC, owing to non-union members (including Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito) miming to backing vocals.

In 2004, "Caribbean Queen" was re-released as a digital single for its 20th anniversary. In October 2007, Billy commenced his first UK tour in over 15 years. In 2010, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards.