Biography of Phil Collins

Genesis of a great artist

January 30, 1951 Born
the January 30, 1951
in Chiswick, England, one of the most famous and loved singer in the world, Philip David Charles Collins is also a drummer amazing and extremely versatile, able to range both in the field of rock and pop music as well as more sophisticated than the jazz. His first approach to the instrument dates from the earliest years, when Phil had just five years. Of course, it was just a battery toy given to him by his uncles, but sufficient to allow him to express his talent. Between artistic experiences that served as Dete, we count an appearance as "the Artful Dodger" in the London production "Oliver!" in 1964 and an appearance in "A Hard day's Night", as well as other lesser films.
Therefore, thanks to parents, his tune and familiarity with the world of the show begin very soon. Anyway, the little Phil felt that his way was represented only by the music. Passionate about sound and energy that the battery can convey, at the age of twelve he founded a local pop group, devoted to classic play most Rockstars standards arrived. Afterwards will also experiences with other groups, until, after some years of apprenticeship, he recorded his first album with the "Flaming Youth", a band today forgotten but which at the time had much to discuss. Now introduced into the environment, gets a hearing that will change your life, one with Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford, who had founded the Genesis, a strange Group intent on making "art-rock", which is a type of rock music, particularly sophisticated and complex (a genre later also called progressive rock).
Got the place from drummer in Genesis, Collins began to unleash his vèrve invention and technique by making the rhythm section so virtuosic, inserting odd combinations in many of the songs (and anyway, Collins maintained a separate jazz career with the band "Band X"). Despite the style for anything commercial, the group reaches a moderate success in the uk and the X men, until in 1974 Gabriel left the band suddenly. Unfortunately, the histrionics of Peter Gabriel, his theatrical talent (he used to disguise himself so bizarre onstage, giving his performances an aura of theatricality decadent), and his strong personality were hardly replaceable, so much so that still remembers the period Gabriel of Genesis with nostalgia. His style has left no doubt a unique impression in the history of rock. Genesis did so about four hundred auditions to find a worthy successor, but finding one to match.
They decided to give Phil Collins a chance even as a singer. At this point, down to three, there was a surplus of attentions on the expressiveness of the voice of Collins and the result was a gradual simplification of sound of Genesis, which led them to gold in 1978, with "The Duke". But Collins had been simmering within him the desire to solo projects. So over the years ' 80 begins his solo career, proving in this new role a success truly flattering. His style is simple, direct, commercial but not vulgar or needlessly provocative. Certainly, we are far from elaborate suite of Genesis, but the drummer and singer has the sense to never fall into bad taste. The 1984 is the year of soundtracks composed "A groovy Kind Of Love" for "Buster" and "Against All Odds (" Take a look me now ") for the same film, which also features as an actor. It also produces "Chinese Wall" by Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire "of") with which a Duet in "Easy Lover".
The 1985 instead sees the release of "No Jacket Required", third solo work. Phil is also the protagonist of the mega-concert Live Aid, organized by musician of "Boomtown Rats" and actor Bob Geldolf: sings in London in the early afternoon and then fly to Philadelphia and perform in the evening along with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones or the "Led Zeppelin" gathered for the occasion. In 1986, with the stunner denies the Genesis "Invisible Touch": the group now, at least in the eyes of older fans, it is the spectre of himself, because of the much-disputed "breakthrough" commercial. However, their publications do not stop, like that of ' 92, "We can't Dance" (a title that speaks volumes about their new musical concept), and also undertake extensive touring. At the end of one of these, Collins publishes "Both Sides", his first album to not get even a platinum record (and thus not a "hit"). In 1995 Phil Collins decides to leave Genesis.
The following year, he published "Dance into the light". Although the album was reduced in a resounding flop, the tour that followed was a huge success. At that point it was time to take stock and so leave the classic "Best Of", released in 1998. Phil Collins has played with many important artists as Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Gary Brooker, Frida, Chaka Khan, John Martyn, Philip Bailey, Tears For Fears, Howard Jones, Quincy Jones and many others. You have to give Collins some battery technique and especially the use of "gated reverb", experimented with Gabriel in the recording of her first three albums. He also composed the soundtrack for the Disney movie "Tarzan" with which he won the Academy Award, relaunching it in the film and the soundtrack.
Summer 2007 sees Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford reform Genesis to play together again for a tour in Europe and America: the peak is the free concert at Circo Massimo in Rome in front of over half a million spectators, published later in the DVD "When in Rome" in 2008. In 2009, following an operation on cervical vertebra, Phil Collins loses sensation in the fingers consequently declares he could no longer play the drums. Is operated, decides to leave and to withdraw from public musical activity, but still in 2010 a new soul music disc, entitled "Going Back".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.