Phill Collins (real name - Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, and actor. He was born on January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London. He is best known as the lead singer and drummer of progressive rock group “Genesis” and as a Grammy and Academy Award winning solo artist. Phil is also an accomplished actor, having starred in numerous films.

Collins was given a toy drum kit for Christmas when he was five. Later, his uncle made him a makeshift one that he used regularly, and his drumming skills improved. He practiced by playing alongside the television and radio, and never learned to read and write conventional musical notation.

He began a career as a child actor and model, and won his first major role as The Artful Dodge in a London production of “Oliver”. He appeared in The Beatles’ “A Hard Day's Night” as one of hundreds of screaming teenagers during the climactic concert sequence. He also auditioned for the role of Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet” (1968). In 1970, Phil Collins played drums on the George Harrison song “The Art of Dying”. Harrison credited him in the liner notes to the reworked CD version of the album released in 2000.

Collins's professional career began as a drummer, first with obscure rock group “Flaming Youth” and then more famously with "Genesis". In "Genesis", Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel, singing lead on only two songs; it was not until Gabriel's departure in 1975 that he became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed, Genesis's first international hit, "Follow You, Follow Me", demonstrated a drastic change from the band's early years.

Collins sang the lead vocals on eight American chart-toppers between 1984 and 1989: seven as a solo artist and one with "Genesis". His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight” to the dance pop of "Sussudio", to the political statements of his most successful song, "Another Day in Paradise".

His international popularity transformed "Genesis" from a progressive rock group to a regular on the pop charts and an early MTV mainstay.

His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and "Genesis" commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins's total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were over 100 million.

www.philcollins.co.uk