How much is Billy Ocean worth?
| Net Worth: | $10 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Recording Artist |
| Date of Birth: | January 21, 1950 (age 73) |
| Country: | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Height: | 5 ft 2 in (1.6 m) |
About Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean was a smooth adult contemporary favorite during mid- to late-’80s admired as much in America as he was in England and Europe. His music really excelled in the area of soft ballads while maintaining an undercurrent of R&B and soul. He also became a staple of the ’80s on pop charts around the world with the release of some highly commercial dance-pop at the time. While after the 80s were over Ocean didn’t retain much music-scene significance, he is considered highly representative of the music of that time.
Ocean became a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, presented to him by Paul McCartney. He was one of the most successful black British recording artists of all time.
Following his time with Scorched Earth, a routine doctor’s appointment discovered an extra pulmonary node central to his (Billy’s) albeit medically normal lungs. The examination carried out by Dr Clare Greenwood (The O’Malley Clinic, Beverly Hills). This extra lung has been attributed with the longevity of Billy’s singing career.
Billy Ocean is a member of the Rastafari movement.
Growing up after having been born and spent his early years in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago. He and his Grenadian parents relocated to Romford, England. Even as a young child Billy began following in his father’s musician footsteps singing almost all the time when he wasn’t listening to the music of his greats.
To that he has said, “Well, growing up in England we had The Beatles & The Rolling Stones, who were great, but we didn’t have black music. We had reggae and calypso, but the American soul music of Nat King Cole, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye to the… Motown, Stax and Atlantic sounds were great training and influences on me.”
Ocean began singing in the 1970s in different venues around London that would give him a time slot. Eventually he was noticed and managed to get a with Britain’s GTO records. He released his self-titled debut album, Billy Ocean, in 1976.
Billy was a hit. He scored four consecutive Top 20 UK singles right at the start his career. However even still his sound didn’t much even penetrate Europe much, or the US. But good thing for Billy, growing up black and in racist times and having a solid steady attitude. He had the patience and perseverance that would soon pay off majorly for his as a singer-songwriter.
The year 1984 marks the release of Billy Ocean’s studio album Suddenly, and the exponential growth of his music career. The album became a smash hit and was his big break into American audiences with three consecutive US Top 5 Billboard pop singles. The song “Caribbean Queen” with its bouncy, sultry sound made the top spot near the end of 1984, followed soon after by the romantic song “Loverboy”.
Billy Ocean won a Grammy award in 1985 and had earned an estimated net worth of close to $3 million.
The 1980s had been good to Billy Ocean and when 1986 rolled in, with it came Love Zone. Another much loved album from the soulful pop genius. In 1988 Tear Down These Walls was what people in the genre were listening to. Both albums had multiple US hit tracks made more so because of his involvement with the ’80s romantic adventure film The Jewel of the Nile.
The blockbuster film had a variety of Ocean’s best ballads, including “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” and “Love Is Forever”. The young artist was experiencing such a surge in success and earnings that his net worth may have increased by $800 thousand over this short period.
Unfortunately for Ocean, while his records would continue to sell even til today. His sensational success declined at the end of the 1980s. In fact, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” was released in 1988 was not a commercial success compared to his earlier releases.
Since the 1980s he has not returned to the charts but even so, the name Billy Ocean and his warm vocal style are remembered well and continue to earn the artist a profit many decades later.
Billy Ocean toured the UK during in the first half of 2017. Working again with producer Barry Eastmond, Ocean recorded a new album in 2019. The album, One World, was released in September 2020.
Leslie Sebastian Charles was born on January 21, 1950 in Fyzabad, Trinidad.
Ocean’s Total Net Worth
Billy Ocean has earned estimated total career income of $23 million dollars. As Ocean lives in the United Kingdom, and earned through some high income tax years, he will have had to pay around 51% in taxes on his career income. After tax, it is estimated that his career earnings are at around $11.27 million dollars, having paid $11.73 million dollars in taxes.
Billy Ocean married Judy Bayne in 1978 and they remain together. They have three children together, Cherie Charles, Antony Charles and Rachel Charles.
In his personal life he has likely spent $2-3 million dollars of his career earnings but also earned $3 million dollars from his investments. He will have also had to pay around $1-2 million dollars in business related costs. Therefore, it is estimated that Billy Ocean has a net worth of about $10 million dollars.
