WILMINGTON — Pop and soul artist from the 1970s and ’80s, Billy Ocean is performing at downtown’s Wilson Center this fall.
Originally from Trinidad, the artist was raised in the U.K. yet the sounds of Calypso manage to punctuate his music, along with soul, pop and rock he admired in acts like Otis Redding, Sam Cook, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
Ocean had his first hit in 1976 with “Love Really Hurts Without You,” followed by “Red Light Spells Danger.”
The next decade brought numerous number-one radio hits and top-sellers, including “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on The Run),” “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry),” “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” and “When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.”
He is Britain’s most commercially successful Black artist, having sold more than 30 million records worldwide. He has released 11 albums to date, including 2020’s “One World.”
Stateside, the singer won a Grammy in 1985 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Ocean will perform at Wilson Center on Oct. 9; tickets will be available online for members only on May 3, 10 a.m. They open to the general public on Friday, May 5, 10 a.m. Ticket Central box office. is open for telephone and in-person sales from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday: 910-362-7999.
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