Phil Collins

Phil Collins is a British singer-songwriter, drummer and musician, known both as a solo artist and as a member of the storied band Genesis.

Born in Chiswick, a district in southwest London, on 30 January 1951, Philip David Charles Collins discovers his musical "calling" at the age of 5, when his uncles give him a toy drum kit for Christmas; later, his parents buy him real drum kits, each more complete than the last. At 12 he forms his first band. At 14 he joins the Barbara Speake Stage School, launching a career as an actor and model. He makes a brief, few-seconds-long appearance in the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night". In 1970 he plays percussion on "Art Of Dying", included on George Harrison's album "All Things Must Pass". With his group The Freehold, he writes his first song, "Lying Crying Dying".

His first recording comes with Flaming Youth, for whom he plays drums on the album "ARK 2", a concept album inspired by the Moon landing. It is not a success, however, and after a year the band splits up.

The turning point in his career comes when he answers an ad in a music magazine (Melody Maker), landing an audition to join Genesis.

His skill on the instrument makes him the ideal drummer for Peter Gabriel's band. Collins becomes the drummer for Genesis starting with "Nursery Cryme" (1971). The band is moving through the most visionary, theatrical strains of progressive rock, and Collins stands out for his energetic, sophisticated playing style. A year after the release of the concept album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" (1974), Gabriel decides to leave the group, and Collins takes the reins, becoming singer and frontman starting with "A Trick Of The Tail" in 1976, while also keeping his role as studio drummer (for live shows, Genesis will call in first Bill Bruford and later Chester Thompson). With Collins's input, the band's sound gradually shifts toward a more accessible, melodic dimension, without losing the refined touch that had characterised Genesis from the start. Albums like "A Trick Of The Tail", "Duke", "Mama" and "Abacab" mark this evolution, while the worldwide success of "Invisible Touch" (1986) firmly plants them in pop-rock territory.

At the same time, in the 1980s, Phil Collins launches an enormously successful solo career. His 1981 debut "Face Value" contains "In The Air Tonight", a track that has become iconic for its dramatic build and unforgettable drum solo. The album marks the start of a run of extraordinary hits that will carry him to the top of the international charts with works like "Hello, I Must Be Going!", "No Jacket Required" and "...But Seriously". His emotive voice, catchy melodies and blend of pop, rock and R&B make him a defining figure of music in the 1980s and 1990s. Songs like "Against All Odds", "Sussudio", "One More Night" and "Another Day In Paradise" become true anthems of the era.

In 1985 Collins produces the third solo album by Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey, "Chinese Wall", which includes a duet between the two artists, "Easy Lover", which reaches number one in the UK. In November 1984 he joins Bob Geldof's charity project Band Aid, playing drums on the single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", released to raise funds to fight food shortages in Ethiopia.

His versatility also leads him to compose highly impactful film scores, such as the one for the 1999 Disney film "Tarzan", which includes the celebrated "You'll Be In My Heart", winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Collins's talent is not limited to music: over the years he also tries his hand as a producer and actor, working with major artists such as Eric Clapton, Robert Plant and Philip Bailey.

Shortly after the tour supporting the 1991 album "We Can't Dance", in 1995 Collins announces his definitive departure from Genesis, who, without him, will record only one more album, with little success. The following year, he releases "Dance Into The Light". The ensuing tour is a huge success, crowned in 1998 by the release of the compilation "Best Of".

In the 2000s, health problems and a gradual decline in his physical condition force him to give up drumming and slow down his musical activity.

On October 19, 2009, Collins announced that he could no longer play drums, having lost sensation in his hands following spinal surgery. His return to the stage with the self-deprecatingly titled "Not Dead Yet" tour in 2017 showed just how much audiences still loved him. Unfortunately, though, his condition worsened, and on March 26, 2022, during the final show of the tour at London's O2 Arena, Collins walked onstage with the aid of a cane and announced his definitive retirement, due to back problems that no longer allowed him to play. "Ok, let's play something before I get all teary-eyed," an emotional Collins told the crowd.