Leslie Sebastian Charles began his musical career in his twenties, after he had moved from his native Trinidad to England when he was just eight years old. While he was trying to make it in the music industry, Les Charles was singing on the side and working various odd jobs to get by. Then, as suddenly as a rogue wave, he changed his name to Billy Ocean and found a soulful R&B sound that caught on quickly. "Love Really Hurts Without You," from his self-titled debut album, released in 1975, was his first hit single. It took almost a decade before Billy Ocean's appeal was able to fully cross the Atlantic Ocean and crash down on the shore of America, but in 1984 Suddenly arrived with multiple singles sensations. "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" moved Billy Ocean to a pop-oriented style of R&B that was more radio-friendly than his earlier work. Suddenly also contained the tracks "Loverboy," "Mystery Lady" and "Suddenly," all of which went on to de well in both the U.S. and U.K. charts.Not only did Billy Ocean get plenty of air time on the radio, but his music videos were a hit with the burgeoning MTV crowd as well. Further positioning himself on the screen, Billy Ocean co-wrote and performed "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going," the theme song for the soundtrack of the 1985 Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner feature film The Jewel of the Nile.In 1986 Billy Ocean scored a number one hit single with "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" from the album Love Zone. His last real hurrah, Tear Down these Walls, featured the single "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car," yet another Billy Ocean song to reach No. 1 in the U.S. Hot 100 Charts. He would go on to make a Greatest Hits album in 1989 and Time to Move On in 1993.