Music

Phil Collins was born in London on January 30, 1951. As a young boy, he was already particularly interested in the drums.

He was barely five years old and didn't know it yet, but he was already setting the pace for a future international career. Fascinated by Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer, the self-taught teenager continued to perfect his skills, playing by ear, since he had never learned to read or write music in the traditional way.

In the early '70s, the progressive rock band Genesis posted a classified ad in a magazine following the departure of their drummer: “Group seeks drummer sensitive to acoustic music.” Collins went to the audition and got the job. He recorded five albums with his bandmates, as the drummer but also as second singer, backing up Peter Gabriel. When Peter Gabriel left the band, a new ad was posted, this time to find THE singer to replace their leader. Audition after audition followed, without finding the rare pearl. Until everyone turned to their drummer. “A Trick of the Tail” is the band's first album with Collins at the microphone, and the success is immediate. “Rolling Stone” magazine wrote: ‘The band has managed to turn the catastrophe of Peter Gabriel's departure into its first large-scale commercial success’. 

Outside the band, Phil Collins accompanies other artists such as Brand X, happily returning to his place behind the drum kit. He also began work on his first solo album, “Face Value”, which was released in 1981 and sold over five million copies in the USA alone. A second solo album soon followed. “Hello, I Must be Going”, in turn, takes over the top spot on the ‘You Can't Hurry Love’ hits list. Unstoppable, the singer continued to work with Genesis but also with other artists, this time as a producer, with Eric Clapton and Philip Bailey. 

In 1985, he released what remains the best-selling album of his career. “No Jacket Required” featured two surprise guest stars on backing vocals: Peter Gabriel and Sting. But the indefatigable Englishman never abandoned Genesis, film sets or the studio, returning four years later for his fourth opus, for which the single “Another Day In Paradise” remains the best-known track. 

In 1996, the singer left Genesis after more than 25 years, explaining that it was becoming difficult for him to reconcile his different careers. He then released a few new solo tracks, but his health stopped him in his tracks. After long periods sitting behind his drums, his vertebrae were in poor condition, and following an operation, he lost all feeling in his fingers.

In 2011, he announced the end of his career. A few years later, however, following a successful back operation, he was back, accompanied on drums by his son Nicholas. Today, at the age of 74, Phil Collins confesses in a documentary (“Phil Collins: Drummer First”), released in late 2024: “If I wake up one day able to hold drumsticks, I'll gladly play the drums. But I think I've used up all my energy." Let's hope he surprises us in the years to come...

(MH with CMa - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Phil Collins on the set of “Génération 80” in Brussels (Belgium) in early 1981.