Phil Collins -

Phil Collins (born Jan. 30, 1951) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the frontman and drummer of Genesis and for his string of pop solo hits during the 1980s.

He shot to fame in 1981 with “In the Air Tonight” and scored more than 20 transatlantic chart hits over the ensuing decade, including “Against All Odds,” “One More Night,” “Sussudio,” “Don’t Lose My Number,” “Take Me Home,” “Another Day In Paradise,” and (with Genesis) “That’s All,” “Invisible Touch,” “Throwing It All Away,” “Land of Confusion,” “In Too Deep,” and “I Can’t Dance.”

Collins first recorded with the pop-psych band Flaming Youth during the late 1960s. In 1970, he took over the drum seat in a then up-and-coming Genesis. He first performed on their 1971 release Nursery Cryme and remained in the lineup for a quarter century. During his first five years with the band, they built an international cult following with their classic five-piece lineup. After the 1975 departure of vocalist Peter Gabriel, Collins assumed the mic and steered the band to global stardom over the subsequent decade.

Just as Collins assumed a dual-role in Genesis, he filled a revolving slot with jazz-rockers Brand X, drumming on the band’s first two albums in 1976/77 and returning for the bulk of their prolific 1979 sessions.

As a session player, Collins drummed on 1973–77 albums by Brian Eno, Peter Banks, and John Cale, and also provided vocals on the debut solo albums by Genesis alumni Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips.

In 1980, he forged a new percussive sound in collaboration with ex-bandmate Peter Gabriel on the latter’s third solo album. This inspired Collins’ own experiments in the studio, culminating with his debut solo album Face Value, which appeared on Virgin/Atlantic in February 1981, followed by Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982) and the blockbuster No Jacket Required (1985). During this period, he cut collaborative singles with Philip Bailey (“Easy Lover”) and Marylin Martin (“Separate Lives”), and also notched production credits on albums by Frida Lyngstad and Adam Ant.

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