Philip David Charles “Phil” Collins, (born January 30, 1951), is an English singer. He gained fame as both drummer and lead vocalist for the rock group Genesis, and he gained worldwide fame as a solo artist.
Collins is one of the most successful songwriters and performers of all time, singing the lead vocals on dozens of hit albums and singles in the United Kingdom and the United States between 1976 and 2010, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. His solo singles, sometimes dealing with lost love and often featuring his distinctive gated reverb drum sound, ranged from the atmospheric “In the Air Tonight”, dance-rock of “Sussudio”, piano-driven power ballad “Against All Odds”, to the political and religious connotations of “Another Day in Paradise”. AllMusic has described Collins as “one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the ’80s and beyond”.
Collins joined Genesis in 1970 as the group’s drummer and became their lead vocalist in 1975 following the departure of original frontman Peter Gabriel. His solo career, which was launched in 1981 and was heavily influenced by his personal life and soul music, brought both himself and Genesis greater commercial success. Collins’s total worldwide sales as a solo artist are 150 million. Collins has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including seven Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards—winning Best British Male three times, three American Music Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and a Disney Legend Award in 2002 for his solo work. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. Collins was listed at number 22 in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time”, number 10 in a countdown by Gigwise and number 9 by MusicRadar.