Phil Collins

Origin: Chiswick, London, England
Born: 30.1.1951
Years active: Solo: 1980 — present; with Genesis: 1970 — 1996, 2007 — present

Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer-songwriter, drummer and actor.
He is best known as the lead singer and drummer of progressive rock group Genesis and as a
Grammy and Academy Award-winning solo artist. He is also an actor, having starred in numerous films.
Collins sang the lead vocals on eight American chart-toppers between 1984 and 1989;
seven as a solo artist and one with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love,
ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight", to the dance pop of "Sussudio",
to the political statements of his most successful song, "Another Day in Paradise".
His international popularity transformed Genesis from a progressive rock group to a regular on the
pop charts and an early MTV mainstay. Collins' professional career began as a drummer,
first with obscure rock group Flaming Youth and then more famously with Genesis.
In Genesis, Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel,
singing lead on only two songs, namely "For Absent Friends" from 1971's Nursery Cryme
album and "More Fool Me" from Selling England by the Pound, which was released in 1973.
On Gabriel's departure in 1975, Collins became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed,
Genesis's first international hit, "Follow You, Follow Me", demonstrated a drastic change
from the band's early years. His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life,
brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins'
total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were over 100 million.

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