Philip david charles collins biography template

English musician (born 1951)

For other people named Phil Collins, see Phil Collins (disambiguation).

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number-one singles and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down".

Born and raised in west London, Collins began playing drums at the age of five. During the same period he attended drama school, which helped secure various roles as a child actor. His first major

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1951—Present

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Philip David Charles Collins
BORN: January 30, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: London, England
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius

Who Is Phil Collins?

Phil Collins became one of the most successful musicians in the world during the 1980s after replacing Peter Gabriel as the face of the band Genesis in 1975. Between 1984 and 1990, Collins released 13 U.S. Top Ten hits, including "In the Air Tonight," "You Can't Hurry Love" and "I Don't Care Anymore".

Early Life

Collins was born Philip David Charles Collins on January 30, 1951, in London, England, to parents Greville Collins, an insurance agent, and his wife June, a talent manager. One of three children, Collins grew up in a household that embraced creativity and drive. His older brother, Clive, would go on to become a professional cartoonist, while his sister competed as an ice skater.

From an early age, Collins showed a preference for the stage and music. His love for the drums began at the age of 5 when he was given a toy drum kit. By the age of 12, Collins had a real set of drums and played every chance he could get. When he was 13, Collins, a talented actor, was offered the chance to play the role of the Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver!. To take on the part, Collins left the Chiswick Grammar School with his parents' blessing and enrolled in the Barbara Speake Stage School.

The decision to leave his old school, while not an easy one, proved to be a smart decision. Other acting opportunities came his way, including cameos in the Beatles' A Hard Days Night (1964) as well as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969).

Genesis and Solo Career

More significantly, Collins teamed with a few fellow students to form his first band, The Real Thing. Other opportunities followed, but his first big break came in 1970 when he answered a newspaper advertisement from a Surrey band named Genesis that needed a drummer and backup vocalist. The th

English musician (born 1951)

For other people named Phil Collins, see Phil Collins (disambiguation).

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number-one singles and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down".

Born and raised in west London, Collins began playing drums at the age of five. During the same period he attended drama school, which helped secure various roles as a child actor. His first major role was the Artful Dodger in the West End production of the musical Oliver!. As an accomplished professional actor by his early teens, he pivoted to pursue a music career, becoming the drummer for Genesis in 1970. He took over the role of lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. During the second half of the 1970s, in between Genesis albums and tours, Collins was the drummer of jazz rock band Brand X. Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. He played drums on the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" a

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and 1990, Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. When his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, he had more US top 40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", and "Another Day in Paradise".

Born and raised in west London, Collins played drums from the age of five and completed drama school training, which secured him various roles as a child actor, with his first major role, aged 13, as the Artful Dodger in the West End musical Oliver!. He then pursued a music career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He also became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. In 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He also resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster (1988). In 1996, Collins left Genesis to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's Tarzan (1999) for which he received an Oscar for Best Original Song for "You'll Be in My Heart". He rejoined Ge