To truly understand the contribution that Phil Collins has made to contemporary music you must first look beneath the suffocating layers of gold records, industry awards and chart topping hits. There, in an unassuming and modest niche, dwarfed equally by the accolades of faithful fans and the scorn of blighted critics, you will find the nucleus of an illustrious career. At his musical core, Phil Collins is an exceptionally gifted drummer and master musician. His impressive resume spans nearly four decades of collaboration with dozens of similarly accomplished artists and branches into virtually every style of music.
Born in Chiswick , England in 1951, Collins' began playing drums at the age of five upon receiving his first drum kit for Christmas. Despite his early beginnings as a child actor, Collins was continually attracted to the music around him and often credits his exposure to the Beatles and The Buddy Rich Big Band as major influences.
After forming several bands during his early career, Collins released an album with the band Flaming Youth in 1969 called Ark II, a conceptual album that received critical acclaim though failed to generate any commercial success. After a year of touring, the promising band eventually dissolved.
In 1970, Collins responded to an ad in Melody Maker magazine for "...a drummer sensitive to acoustic music and acoustic twelve-string guitar". The ad was placed by Genesis and shortly thereafter Collins auditioned and was enthusiastically welcomed into the group. Between 1971 and 1991 he would release 12 studio albums with the band as both drummer and later lead vocalist subsequent to the departure of Peter Gabriel in 1975.
While being part of Genesis was a full-time job in and of itself, Collins always found time for other projects, most notable being his parallel career with the jazz fusion band Brand X. He recorded several albums and toured with the eclectic group during gaps between Genesis projects from the mid-seventies to early 1980's and it was during this period that Collins' drumming was perhaps it's most adventurous and complex.
In what would ultimately become the watershed work of his career, Collins released his first solo effort, the very personal and poignant Face Value. The album shed much of the sonic and structural complexity that defined his work with Genesis and as a result drums and rhythm dominated the canvas. The album spawned the instantly recognizable classic In the Air Tonight and launched Collins to world-wide success. However, it was this same success that would overshadow much of Collins' brilliant work as a session drummer. Over the course of the decade Collins recorded and toured with dozens of artists. He was in great demand for not only his technical skills but for his extraordinary musical sensibilities. Within a few short years — again alternating between Genesis and solo projects — Collins established himself as a remarkable musician and talented producer, partnering with the likes of Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, John Martyn, Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), Philip Bailey, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, Howard Jones, Stephen Bishop and others.
Collins unique talents also afforded him the distinction of participating in several prestigious events such as Live Aid and the Prince's Trust concerts. Most recently, Collins served as the house drummer for the Queen's Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace in 2004. Three outstanding performances from that event are featured here and add an exclamation point to a truly remarkable career.
In June of 2007, Phil Collins will again take to the kit for series of 'selected shows' in Europe and North America with his Genesis band-mates following a nearly 15 year absence.
