Billy Ocean has recorded a new song "Chained," for the forthcoming Wilburforce 200 album A Change is Gonna Come, due for a February 25th release.

Billy recently performed at the 2008 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues festival on January 26th, in Montego Bay. This show also featured a controversial appearance by Diana Ross.

Billy Ocean is the biggest selling British black artist of all time.

During a 30+ year career, he has sold in excess of 30 million singles and albums worldwide. Most of his success came in the 1980's.

Billy, birth name: Leslie Sebastian Charles, was born on January 21, 1950, in Fyzabad on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad.

In 1958 his family immigrated to England in search of work, settling in the East End of London.

His first single was released under his own name Les Charles in 1971. In 1975, adopting the name Billy Ocean, he signed a production deal that resulted in little commercial success.

Billy's first album, Billy Ocean, was released in 1976 and contained four singles that generated increasing attention in the UK.

After another 1979 release, an additional record on CBS, and much touring in the early 1980's, Ocean finally exploded in September 1984, renaming the single "European Queen" and re-releasing it as "Caribbean Queen."

"Caribbean Queen" would sell a million copies on the international stage and win a Grammy Award.

A 3rd version of the song called "African Queen" was recorded for the African music market cresting on their charts for 10 weeks.

In 1985, Ocean toured America for the very first time, including a gig at JFK stadium in Philadelphia as part of Live Aid on July 13th.

1986 brought more success with "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" and "Love Zone."

Billy spent most of 1987 recording his next album. One song from the record, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car," caused some controversy when it was released as a single in 1988.

Despite reaching # 3 in the U.K., British radio nearly banned the song because a national newspaper implied that "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" referenced child molestation.

Billy explained that while growing up as a teenager none of his friends drove cars, most of them rode scooters, so a song called "Get outta my dreams, get onto my scooter" just wouldn't have worked.

After years of hard work and well-earned success, Billy decided to take time away from the music business and devote himself to his family.

A "Greatest Hits" collection was released in September 1989, becoming Ocean's biggest selling UK album going platinum.

By 1993 the music scene had changed and Billy's next studio album had changed with it. "Time To Move On" was recorded in Chicago with R. Kelly, who had been a long time admirer.

A new image accompanied the album with a younger looking Billy Ocean sporting dreadlocks following his conversion to the Rastafarian religion.

In September 1998 Jive Records issued Love Is For Ever, a 24 track double album covering much more of Billy's back catalogue.

Ocean continued to stay out of the limelight for the next few years, performing once at the South Africa Freedom Day concert on Sunday, April 29th, 2001.

The Freedom Day concert held in London's Trafalgar Square honored the 7th anniversary of South Africa's free elections.

Billy Ocean continues to live in England and enjoys spending time with his family, gardening at his home in Berkshire and performing around the globe with the Ebony Steel Orchestra.

Visit Billy Ocean's official web site for more Billy Ocean lore.

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