Ocean (band)

Last updated
Ocean
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Gospel rock, soft rock, Christian music
Years active1970 (1970)–1975 (1975)
LabelsYorkville, Kama Sutra
Past members
  • Greg Brown
  • Jeff Jones
  • Janice Morgan
  • Dave Tamblyn
  • Chuck Slater

Ocean was a Canadian gospel/soft rock band formed in 1970 in Toronto, Ontario. They are best known for their 1971 single "Put Your Hand in the Hand", penned by Jeff Jones and Gene MacLellan. [1] The single sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc in the United States from the Recording Industry Association of America, on 3 May 1971. [1] The single peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, [2] and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [3]

Contents

The song was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 2006. [4]

Background

Ocean consisted of Greg Brown (vocals, keyboard), Jeff Jones (bass, vocals), Janice Morgan (guitar, vocals), Dave Tamblyn (guitar), and Chuck Slater (drums). [5] Dave Tamblyn had previously been in the group Natural Gas. [6]

Career

They recorded their debut album, Put Your Hand in the Hand, in Toronto in 1970. The album, originally released on the Yorkville label in Canada, contained eight songs written by such notables as Robbie Robertson and Gene MacLellan. The album was picked up in the U.S. by the Kama Sutra label, which also released the band's second album, Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance, in both the U.S. and Canada.

Ocean managed additional hits in Canada with the songs "We've Got a Dream" and "One More Chance", both written by the British songwriting team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, but they failed to make any further impact in the U.S., and the group disbanded in 1975 after having released two albums. [7] [8]

Later years

Chuck Slater died by his own hand in 1987. [5] [9]

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumChart Positions
CAN US
1971Put Your Hand in the Hand4760
1972Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
CANCAN ACCAN Country US
[10]
US AC
1971"Put Your Hand in the Hand"1063424Put Your Hand in the Hand
"Deep Enough for Me" [11] 5473
"We Got a Dream"478237
1972"Make the Sun Shine"7519Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance
"One More Chance"1217630
1973"I Have a Following"83non-album single

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Willis</span> American R&B singer-songwriter (1926–1958)

Harold "Chuck" Willis was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No.1 on the Billboard R&B chart. He was known as The King of the Stroll for his performance of the 1950s dance the stroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Promised Land (Chuck Berry song)</span> Song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball"

"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December 1964, it was Berry's fourth single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Bell & the Drells</span> American R&B vocal group

Archie Bell & the Drells was an American R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in the late 1960s before to the duo formed their highly successful label Philadelphia International Records in 1971. The group's hits include "Tighten Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing", "There's Gonna Be a Showdown", "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again", "Soul City Walk" (1975), "Let's Groove", "Everybody Have a Good Time" (1977), and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1976).

<i>Blessed Are...</i> 1971 studio album by Joan Baez

Blessed Are... is the twelfth studio album by Joan Baez and her last with Vanguard Records, released in July 1971. It included her hit cover of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and songs by Kris Kristofferson, the Beatles, Jesse Winchester, and The Rolling Stones as well as a significant number of Baez' own compositions. Like its immediate predecessors, the album was recorded in Nashville and had a decidedly country feel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66</span> 1946 single by the King Cole Trio

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues song, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The lyrics relate a westward roadtrip on U.S. Route 66, a highway which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. The song became a standard, with several renditions appearing on the record charts.

"Seventeen" is a popular song, recorded by Boyd Bennett and His Rockets in 1955. It was composed by Bennett, John F. Young, Jr., and Chuck Gorman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Becomes of the Brokenhearted</span> 1966 single

"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who had love that's now departed. The song essentially deals with the struggle to overcome sadness while seeking a new relationship after a breakup.

"Come Go With Me" is a song written by C. E. Quick, an original member of the American doo-wop vocal group the Del-Vikings. The song was originally recorded by The Del-Vikings in 1956 but not released until July 1957 on the Luniverse LP "Come Go With The Del Vikings". The final version of the song was released in the second week of January 1957 and was led by Gus Backus. When Joe Averbach, the owner of Fee Bee Records couldn't handle the demand, he signed with Dot Records in late January 1957; the song became a hit, peaking at No. 5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts. It also reached #2 on the R&B chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)</span> 1973 song composed by Stevie Wonder, performed by Aretha Franklin

"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Love Me</span> 1962 single by the Contours

"Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1988.

"Let's Get Together", also known as "Get Together" and "Everybody Get Together", is a song written in the mid-1960s by American singer-songwriter Chet Powers, from psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. A hit version by the Youngbloods, included on their 1967 debut album The Youngbloods, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Put Your Hand in the Hand</span> 1971 single by Ocean

"Put Your Hand in the Hand" is a gospel pop song composed by Gene MacLellan and first recorded by Canadian singer Anne Murray from her third studio album Honey, Wheat and Laughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melba Montgomery</span> American country music singer-songwriter

Melba Joyce Montgomery is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for a series of duet recordings made with George Jones, Gene Pitney and Charlie Louvin. She is also a solo artist, having reached the top of the country charts in 1974 with the song, "No Charge". Born in Tennessee but raised in Alabama, Montgomery had a musical upbringing. Along with her two brothers, she placed in a talent contest which brought her to the attention of Roy Acuff. For several years she toured the country as part of his band until she signed with United Artists Records in 1963.

The Premiers were an American garage band in the 1960s, best known for their 1964 hit, "Farmer John."

Wadsworth Mansion was an early-1970s American rock band from Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Its members were Steve Jablecki, Wayne Gagnon, Russ Sevigny, Mike Jablecki (drums) and John Poole . The group took its name from Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill in Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Jones (musician)</span> American-Canadian bassist

Jeffrey Robin Jones is an American-Canadian bassist who was a member of Ocean and is a member of Red Rider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cuff Links</span> American rock/pop studio group

The Cuff Links were an American rock/pop studio group from Staten Island, New York, United States. The ostensible band had a US No. 9 hit in 1969 with "Tracy", with rich harmonized vocals provided entirely by Ron Dante. The track was produced as part of a series of recording sessions – sometimes as many as six in a day – by Dante, with the songs released under a variety of band names. Dante left the act after their first album; on later singles vocals were provided by Joey Cord and/or Rupert Holmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Give Up on a Good Thing</span> 1981 single by George Benson

"Never Give Up on a Good Thing" is a song by American R&B singer George Benson, released as a single in December 1981. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 23 January 1982, and reached a peak position of number 14. It remained on the chart for 10 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Is Black</span> 1966 single by Los Bravos

"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK, number four in the US, and number one in Canada. With the recording's success, Los Bravos became the first Spanish rock band to have an international hit single. A dance remix was released as a single in 1986.

<i>The Andy Williams Show</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Andy Williams

The Andy Williams Show is the twenty-sixth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the fall of 1970 by Columbia Records. In his review on AllMusic.com, William Ruhlmann writes that "The Andy Williams Show LP was not a soundtrack recording from the TV series, and it was not really a live album, although it gets categorized as such. What appears to be the case is that Columbia Records took a group of Williams' studio recordings, most of them made during the summer of 1970 and consisting of his versions of recent soft rock hits, and added a lot of canned applause along with some of the kind of musical interludes used to usher numbers on and off on the show, including bits of its "Moon River" theme music at the start and the finish."

References

  1. 1 2 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.  300. ISBN   0-214-20512-6.
  2. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 178.
  4. "Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame: Put Your Hand in the Hand" . Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  5. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1849. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  6. Music Metason - ArtistInfo, Dave Tamblyn
  7. "Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand CD Album Canada". Cduniverse.com. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  8. Bowling, David (31 August 2012). "Put Your Hand In The Hand '45' by Ocean". Muskmellon. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  9. "Canadian Bands.com - Ocean". Canadianbands.com. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 659. ISBN   978-0-89820-188-8.
  11. Ritchie Yorke (17 July 1971). "Content legislation boon for local product". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 47–. ISSN   0006-2510.