Phil Collins

Philip David Charles Collins! Since 1969, for the beginning of the Genesis, Phil Collins was around music and drums. Phil was born in Chiswick, London on 30th of January 1951. He started his career with the popular pop band, Genesis. Phil got his first drum set for Christmas when he was five years old, afterward he started playing the drums in his free time as a hobby, when he turned 14 he started learning music and musical notations in Barbara Speake Stage School, in the school he enter his first band “The Real Thing”. He also learned acting, and he also had little roles in school shows. But Phil despite of an acting career, so he turned fully on musical career and join his first professional band Flaming Youth and after that Ark 2, which didn’t make quite a success, they released 2 albums, but it didn’t sell in big amounts, so the band dissolved after the unsuccessful albums. In 1970 Phil noticed an ad with was in a search of a drummer for a band call Genesis, after losing three drummer. The audition was at Peter Gabriel’s parents, and it was a success, Phil became the drummer for Genesis. For five year they were playing around and then suddenly Peter Gabriel left the band to start his own. After many unsuccessful searches for a singer, Phil took the Peters place and the found Chester Thompson for the drums. The first album with Phil was in the UK’s Top 30 at nr.3 on the charts. Phil also played at a jazz drummer at a jazz band called Brand X but the Genesis was at first place. From the 70 to the 80 Genesis released many albums but they started to change their alternative rock style to pop, but it was not a bad thing because the first song was a success, in 1991 “We Can’t Dance” was on the tops. Phil also started his solo career which was also very successful, with big hits like “You Can’t Hurry Love”, “Againts All Odds”, and the biggest hit of all time “Another Day in Paradise” on which he received Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1990. Phil also worked on music soundtrack most known on Tarzan in 1999, the album was in top 10 in the US and for the song “You’ll Be in My Heart” he received an Oscar! He was living in Switzland, but know he is living in New York as his is will be touring in 2007 around Europe with his formal band, Genesis.

Some links:
Phil Collins Official Website
Phil Collins at Drummerworld