Phil Collins

Phil Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor from Hounslow, United Kingdom. He is best known as a member of Genesis, where he starts as drummer and backing vocalist before becoming the band’s lead singer after Peter Gabriel leaves in 1975. His work with Genesis and as a solo artist gives him a long run of UK and US chart success, especially during the 1980s.

Early life and first bands

Born in 1951, Collins begins playing drums at the age of five. He also attends drama school and appears in stage and screen work, including productions such as Oliver!, where he plays the Artful Dodger. He is influenced by The Beatles, Motown, Stax Records and jazz drummers including Buddy Rich. In his school years he forms early groups including the Real Thing and the Freehold, and he also works with the Cliff Charles Blues Band, the Gladiators, Hickory and Flaming Youth.

Genesis and other group work

Collins joins Genesis in 1970, playing drums and singing backing vocals. After Gabriel’s departure, he takes over as lead singer while continuing as part of the band’s core identity. He also performs with the jazz-rock group Brand X in the late 1970s. Over the years he is associated with several other groups and projects, including The Freehold, The Phil Collins Big Band, Phenix Choir, The Crawling King Snakes, Phil Collins & The Serious Band, The House Band, Wild Connections and R.A.D.D. (Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving).

Solo career

Collins launches a solo career in the 1980s with albums such as Face Value, Hello, I Must Be Going!, No Jacket Required and ...But Seriously. These records mix personal themes with pop and soul influences and produce a series of major singles, including “In the Air Tonight”, “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”, “One More Night”, “Sussudio”, “Another Day in Paradise”, “Two Hearts”, “I Wish It Would Rain Down” and “You Can’t Hurry Love”. His later solo albums include Both Sides, on which he plays all instruments himself, Dance into the Light, Testify and Going Back, a Motown covers album.

Collaborations, film work and charity projects

Collins contributes to other artists’ recordings and works with musicians including George Harrison, Brian Eno, Peter Banks, Anthony Phillips, Thin Lizzy, Eric Clapton, Howard Jones and David Crosby. He also plays on charity and collaborative projects such as “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, Band Aid and Live Aid. Outside music, he returns to acting and appears in Miami Vice and the film Buster. He also writes songs for Disney films, including Tarzan and Brother Bear, and wins an Academy Award for “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan.

Later career and recognition

After leaving Genesis in 1996 to focus on solo work, Collins forms the Phil Collins Big Band and performs jazz versions of his material. He later reunites with Genesis for the “Turn It On Again Tour” and again for The Last Domino? Tour in 2021–2022. His honours include eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, six Ivor Novello Awards, a Disney Legend Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also recognised by Rolling Stone among the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time and is inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and Classic Drummer Hall of Fame.

Style and discography

Collins is associated with pop, pop rock, pop soul, art pop, easy listening and aor, and his recordings are also linked with the soft rock and classic rock audience. He is known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many recordings. His studio albums include Face Value, Hello, I Must Be Going!, No Jacket Required, ...But Seriously, Both Sides, Dance into the Light, Testify and Going Back.