R&B/Soul
Billy Ocean taught himself music on £23 piano because parents couldn't afford lessons
Billy Ocean has revealed how his determination to pursue his passion for music helped him overcome financial obstacles on his journey to stardom.
Billy Ocean has revealed he taught himself to play music on a £23 piano because his parents couldn't afford to pay for lessons.
The music legend, who is celebrating 50 years of his hit Red Light Spells Danger, admitted he wasn't particularly academic growing up and always knew he wanted to pursue a career in music.
Appearing on ITV's This Morning on Friday (13.11.26), Billy recalled how he had to learn to play instruments by himself because his family didn't have the money for formal tuition.
He said: "I bought a piano for 23 pounds. Learned to play."
Asked whether he could already play the piano when he bought it, he replied: "No, I just, I just, you know, learned. Had a little go."
The Caribbean Queen hitmaker also taught himself other instruments, including guitar, bass and drums, and explained that his passion for music drove him to develop his skills.
He said: "I had the guitar, the bass, the drums, everything, I think. My parents couldn't afford to send me for lessons, but I love music enough to teach myself certain things."
Billy, who trained as a tailor before finding fame, admitted music had always been his calling despite his lack of academic confidence.
He said: "I'm not very academic. Music is all I ever wanted to do."
The singer also credited his musician father with inspiring his love of performing from an early age.
Recalling his childhood in the Caribbean, Billy explained that his dad wrote calypsos and regularly entertained people, with the future star joining him to sing.
He said: "My father was a musician. He used to write calypsos, so I really had a taste for it early on."
Billy added: "I was singing with my father, since I was... as long as I can remember. And I used to go with my father. My father was, like, pretty much an entertainer."
Growing up in Trinidad meant that music played a central role in his upbringing, particularly through the church and his local community.
He said: "We never had much, like, TVs, but it was, like, you know, you had, you know, all entertainment. Yeah. From church, basically."
Billy went on to develop his songwriting skills by listening to other artists and experimenting at the piano.
He recalled: "I was a great listener of other people's music, but, you know, it came out, it went in with whatever it came out as the Ocean, basically. And I just learned to write songs."
Billy is preparing to head out on his Red Light Spells Danger 50th-anniversary tour, with his eldest daughter Cherie Charles, whom he shares with his wife Judy, joining him as one of his backing singers.
The couple, who have three children together, have kept music in the family, with Cherie having performed alongside her famous father for years.
At 76 years old, Billy admits he still gets a thrill from performing for fans of all ages.
The singer, who is celebrating five decades in music, spoke about the happiness he gets from entertaining audiences and seeing his songs enjoyed by three generations of fans.
And Billy isn't just looking back on his incredible career, as he has also been busy working on new material.
The hitmaker revealed: "Yeah, I just finished an album."
However, Billy is keeping fans guessing for now, with no title or release date announced for the upcoming record.
