Information/Write-up
Ocean emerged at the turn of the 1970s from the Ontario club and coffeehouse circuit, coalescing around longtime friends Greg Brown and Dave Tamblyn, who had grown up in London, Ontario before relocating to Toronto. The band took shape within the Yorkville scene as Canadian pop and rock artists were beginning to gain sustained international attention.
The group’s lineup consisted of Greg Brown on vocals and keyboards, Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, Janice Morgan on guitar and vocals, Dave Tamblyn on guitar, and Chuck Slater on drums. Recording in Toronto’s professional studio environment, Ocean signed to Yorkville Records in Canada, with U.S. releases handled through Kama Sutra.
Ocean achieved international success in 1971 with their recording of ‘Put Your Hand In The Hand,’ written by Gene MacLellan. Although the song had already been recorded by Anne Murray, Ocean’s version became the definitive hit, reaching No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, charting across Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and establishing the band’s profile well beyond the Canadian market. The song’s overtly spiritual theme drew attention from both popular and religious audiences, generating an unusual cultural crossover for a Canadian pop single of the period.
The group’s debut album paired ‘Put Your Hand In The Hand’ with original material and selected covers, recorded at Bay Studios in Toronto and mastered at Bell Sound. Ocean followed with a second album, Give Tomorrow’s Children One More Chance, which broadened their repertoire to include material by Cook–Greenaway, Robbie Robertson, Stephen Stills, and others, alongside songs written within the band.
Between 1970 and 1973, Ocean maintained a steady radio presence through a series of singles, including ‘Deep Enough For Me,’ which also charted, as well as ‘We Got A Dream,’ ‘One More Chance,’ and ‘Make The Sun Shine.’ In addition to their two albums, Ocean recorded six singles for the Yorkville label, reflecting continued studio activity during their peak years.
Ocean toured extensively following their breakthrough, though the pressures of international success and management challenges eventually curtailed the group’s momentum.
Subsequent reissues, foreign-language releases, and split-credit singles kept ‘Put Your Hand In The Hand’ in circulation for decades, long after the band’s original recording period had ended.
-Robert Williston
Musicians
Greg Brown: vocals, keyboards
Jeff Jones: bass, vocals
Janice Morgan: guitar, vocals
Dave Tamblyn: guitar
Chuck Slater: drums
Songwriting
‘Put Your Hand In The Hand’ written by Gene MacLellan
‘Pleasure Of Your Company’ written by Wayne Faro
‘We Got A Dream’ written by Cook–Greenaway
‘Deep Enough For Me’ written by Richard Erbe and Richard Gilliland
‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ traditional, arranged by Greg Brown
‘The One Who’s Left’ written by Gene MacLellan
‘Stones I Throw’ written by J. R. Robertson
‘No Other Woman’ written by P. Craigie
Production
Produced by Greg Brown in association with Bill Gilliland
Produced for Ahed Music Corp.
Engineered by Frank Bertin
Recorded at Bay Studios, Toronto, Ontario
Mastered at Bell Sound Studios
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