Ocean (band)

Ocean
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Gospel rock, soft rock, Christian music
Years active 1970–1975
Labels Yorkville, 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. 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. The single peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

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

Background

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

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.

Later years

Chuck Slater died by his own hand in 1987.

Discography

Albums

Year Album Chart Positions
CAN US
1971 Put Your Hand in the Hand 47 60
1972 Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
CAN CAN AC CAN Country US
US AC
1971 "Put Your Hand in the Hand" 10 6 34 2 4 Put Your Hand in the Hand
"Deep Enough for Me" 54 73
"We Got a Dream" 47 82 37
1972 "Make the Sun Shine" 75 19 Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance
"One More Chance" 12 1 76 30
1973 "I Have a Following" 83 non-album single