Andrea
Anyone who watches “Tarzan” probably remembers the iconic original soundtrack titled “You’ll Be in My Heart.” It was a song that everyone sang at that time, and Phil was the singer of it.
Before becoming a singer, Phil Collins was the drummer from Genesis. Other than being a singer and drummer, Collins is also a songwriter and actor. He released many songs that charted in the US top 40 singles. It proves how multi-talented he is and is respected as a musician.
Collins’s Early Life
Phil Collins (or Philip David Charles Collins) was born in London on January 30th, 1951. He was the son of Greville Philip Austin Collins and Winifred June Collins. His father was an insurance agent, while his mother worked as a stage actress. Although neither of his parents surfed in the music world, Collins already showed interest in music when he was five. Two years later, he got a drum kit and started playing gigs with school bands at an early age.
His environment supported him with his interest. He got a drum kit from his parents, piano practices from his father’s aunt, and even joined a stage school where his mother worked at. Afterward, he was accepted into Chiswick County Grammar School and met Andrea Bertorelli and Lavinia Lang. They formed a band named The Real Thing. However, his first self-writing song was when he was with The Freehold.
Career with Genesis
He started pursuing a music career in 1970 when he joined Genesis as a drummer. Phil regularly played drums and sang backing vocals on Genesis albums. However, five years later, one of their singers, Peter Gabriel, left the group, and Phil became the lead singer to fill his place. He’s become of those drummers who sing. “A Trick of the Tail” is Genesis’ first album, where Collins was their lead vocalist. That album was doing well, either in the commercial or critical areas. Even Rolling Stones said that the band (Genesis) could turn their crisis with a member left into an American success.
During the band hiatus in 1978, Collins started doing solo and personal activities, like trying to save his marriage and rejoining Brand X for their album “Product.” In 1981, Phil Collins released his first solo album as a singer-songwriter, “Face Value.” The album performed well on the chart, including number one on the UK Albums Chart and seven on the US chart, selling about 5 million copies.
Phil Collins and His Achievements
Whether with genesis or as a solo artist, he wrote and sang so many hit songs. It’s proven by the number of records he has on the UK charts or international charts like Billboard 100. Some of those songs are “In the Air Tonight,” “Against All Odds,” “Jesus He Knows Me,” “I Can’t Dance,” and “One More Night.”
His career as a drummer or musician keeps thriving. His many hit songs bear the fruits of awards and honors. He won the Best Pop Vocal Performance Male and Best Original Song at Grammy, Academy, and Golden Globe Awards. Of course, he still has many awards and hits out there, but these achievements show how big he is as a one of best drummers and musician.
