Phil Collins

Biography

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known as the drummer and later lead vocalist of the rock band Genesis, and for his highly successful career as a solo artist. Between 1982 and 1990, Collins achieved three UK and seven US number-one singles as a solo performer. His work with Genesis, his solo material, and collaborations with other prominent musicians resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s.

Born and raised in West London, Collins began playing drums at age five and completed training at a professional drama school. As a child actor, he secured stage and film roles, most notably playing the Artful Dodger in the West End production of the musical Oliver!. He transitioned fully to a professional music career in 1970 upon joining Genesis as their drummer. Following the departure of original frontman Peter Gabriel in 1975, Collins assumed lead vocal duties for their most commercially successful era, spanning progressive rock into mainstream pop rock until his departure in 1996 to pursue solo projects. He returned for their reunion tours in 2007 and in 2021–2022, their final as a band. Concurrently, he performed as the drummer for the jazz fusion band Brand X (1975–1979) and formed the Phil Collins Big Band in 1996.

Collins launched his solo career with the release of Face Value (1981), an album heavily influenced by his first marital breakdown and a deep affinity for soul music. This was followed by the multi-platinum albums Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982), No Jacket Required (1985), and ...But Seriously (1989), as well as international hit singles such as "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "Sussudio", and "Another Day in Paradise". He also became widely recognised for his distinctive "gated reverb" drum sound, which became part of 1980s pop and rock production. Following a five-year hiatus to focus on his family life, Collins returned in 2016 to release his memoir and completed the Not Dead Yet Tour.

One of the world's best-selling music artists, Collins has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide across his solo and group career. He is one of only three recording artists, along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, to have sold over 100 million albums both as a solo entity and separately as a principal member of a band. His extensive accolades include eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards and Ivor Novello Awards, two Golden Globes, and an Academy Award for the music of Disney's Tarzan (1999). Ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012. Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010 and will be inducted as a solo artist in November 2026.

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