Billy Ocean was one of the first Caribbean singers to be embraced by MTV, resulting in a string of Top Ten hits during the mid-'80s. Born Leslie Charles in Trinidad on January 21, 1950, Ocean moved to England at the age of eight, and by his teenaged years, was singing regularly in London clubs. During this time, Ocean paid the bills by working... [+] Read More

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Bonnie Pointer began her career as one-fourth of the singing Pointer Sisters during the early '70s. She married producer Jeffrey Bowen and started a solo career at Motown in 1978. She released two albums of mostly covers of early Motown hits. Bonnie Pointer left Motown in the '80s, following a dispute over her contract. She moved to Private I... [+] Read More

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One of the greatest lead singers the Motown stable ever had, David Ruffin became one of the artistic cornerstones of the Temptations after his lead vocal on "My Girl" (1965) paved the way for such majestic follow-ups as "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), and "I Wish It Would Rain" (1968).... [+] Read More

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Few celebrity siblings can emerge from the shadows of their already famous relations to become superstars in their own right and with their own distinct personalities. That's exactly what Janet Jackson did in becoming one of the biggest female pop and R&B stars of the '80s and '90s. Since her breakthrough in 1986 with the album Control,... [+] Read More

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Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the '80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time. In his prime, Jackson was an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility,... [+] Read More

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A solo artist, producer, and composer who enjoyed success in both the secular and CCM arenas, Michael Omartian first surfaced during the early '70s as a top session keyboardist, playing on albums by artists ranging from Steely Dan to the Four Tops to Loggins & Messina before making his solo debut with 1974's Myrrh label release White Horse. In... [+] Read More

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Often derided by critics in the early '80s for her starring roles in really bad movies, Pia Zadora found more respect as a singer. A former child actress, Zadora became a favorite target for film reviewers who argued that her acting career was the result of being married to multimillionaire Meshulam Riklis. (Her Golden Globe award in 1982 was... [+] Read More

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Whitney Houston is inarguably one of the of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker are extraordinary; just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" became nothing less than the biggest... [+] Read More

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