163 Facts About Phil Collins

Philip David Charles Collins was born on 30 January 1951 and is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor.

Phil Collins was the drummer and later lead singer of the rock band Genesis and has a career as a solo performer.

Between 1982 and 1990, Collins achieved three UK and seven US number one singles as a solo artist.

Phil Collins then pursued a musical career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel.

Phil Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value, Hello, I Must Be Going, No Jacket Required and.

Phil Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond".

Phil Collins became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings.

Phil Collins resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster.

Phil Collins left Genesis in 1996 to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's animated film Tarzan.

Phil Collins rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007.

Phil Collins then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second reunion tour, ending in March 2022.

Phil Collins has won eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy Award, and a Disney Legend Award.

Phil Collins was awarded six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the International Achievement Award.

Phil Collins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

Phil Collins has been recognised by music publications with induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.

Philip David Charles Collins was born on 30 January 1951 at Putney Hospital in Wandsworth, south-west London.

Phil Collins is the youngest of three children: his sister Carole competed as a professional ice skater and followed her mother's footsteps as a theatrical agent, and his brother Clive was a noted cartoonist.

The family moved twice by the time Phil Collins had reached two; they settled at 453 Hanworth Road in Hounslow, Middlesex.

Phil Collins was given a toy drum kit for Christmas when he was five, and later his two uncles made him a makeshift set with triangles and tambourines that fitted into a suitcase.

Phil Collins practised by playing along to music on the television and radio.

The Beatles were a major early influence on Phil Collins, including their drummer Ringo Starr.

Phil Collins followed the lesser-known London band the Action, whose drummer he would copy and whose work introduced him to the soul music of Motown and Stax Records.

Phil Collins was influenced by jazz and big band drummer Buddy Rich, whose opinion on the importance of the hi-hat prompted him to stop using two bass drums and start using the hi-hat.

Around twelve, Phil Collins received basic piano and music tuition from his father's aunt.

Phil Collins quit school at fourteen to become a full-time pupil at Barbara Speake.

Phil Collins had an uncredited part as an extra in the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night, where he is amongst the screaming teenagers during the television concert sequence.

Phil Collins starred in Calamity the Cow, a film produced by the Children's Film Foundation.

Phil Collins was to appear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as one of the children who storm the castle, but his scene was cut.

Phil Collins auditioned for the role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, but the role went to Leonard Whiting.

Phil Collins travelled the country teaching people the "crunch" dance made popular by a Smith's crisps advertising campaign.

Phil Collins frequented the Marquee Club on Wardour Street so often, eventually the managers asked him to set out the chairs, sweep the floors, and assist in the cloakroom.

Around this time, Phil Collins learned that Yes were looking for a new drummer and spoke to frontman Jon Anderson, who invited him to an audition the following week.

Phil Collins failed to turn up, and later wondered what his life would have been like had he gone ahead with it.

In May 1970, after Flaming Youth split, Phil Collins played congas on George Harrison's song "Art of Dying", but his contribution was omitted.

When Phil Collins apologised, Harrison confessed that the recording was a prank, which Phil Collins accepted in good humour.

Phil Collins recognised Charisma owner Tony Stratton-Smith's name on it, and he and Caryl went for the auditions.

Genesis then took a two-week holiday, during which Phil Collins earned money as an exterior decorator.

From 1970 to 1975, Phil Collins played drums, percussion, and largely sang backing vocals on Genesis albums and concerts.

Phil Collins sang "More Fool Me" on their 1973 album Selling England by the Pound.

In 1974, during the recording of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Phil Collins played drums on Brian Eno's second album Taking Tiger Mountain after Eno had contributed electronic effects to two songs on the album.

In 1976, Phil Collins brought in American drummer Chester Thompson, formerly of Frank Zappa and Weather Report who became a mainstay of Genesis' and Phil Collins' backing bands until 2010.

Phil Collins pursued various guest spots and solo projects from his time as Genesis's drummer.

Phil Collins returned to Old Croft, their home in Shalford, Surrey, and their divorce was finalised in 1981.

Banks and Rutherford were recording their first solo albums during this time, so Phil Collins rejoined Brand X for their album Product and its accompanying tour, played on John Martyn's album Grace and Danger, and started writing demos of his own at home.

In February 1981, Phil Collins released his debut solo album Face Value.

Phil Collins signed with Virgin Records and WEA for American distribution in order to distance himself from the Charisma label, and oversaw every step of its production; he wrote the liner notes himself and by hand.

Phil Collins worked again with John Martyn in this year, producing his album Glorious Fool.

In early 1982, Phil Collins produced and played on Something's Going On, the third solo album by Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA, and performed most of the drum parts on Pictures at Eleven, the first solo album by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant.

In October 1982, Phil Collins took part in the one-off Genesis reunion concert Six of the Best held at the Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, which marked the return of Gabriel on lead vocals and Hackett on guitar.

Phil Collins wrote and performed on "Against All Odds", the main theme for the romantic film of the same name, which demonstrated a more pop-oriented and commercially accessible sound than his previous work.

Phil Collins won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

Phil Collins produced and played drums on several tracks on Behind the Sun by Eric Clapton.

Phil Collins scored three US number one songs in 1985, the most by any artist that year.

The No Jacket Required World Tour saw Phil Collins perform 85 shows between February and July 1985.

Page later said that Phil Collins had not learned his parts for the set.

Phil Collins responded that the band "weren't very good", that a "dribbling" Page had made him feel uncomfortable, and he only continued with the set rather than leave the stage in order to avoid negative attention.

Phil Collins was one of the drummers, backing vocalists, and producers on Eric Clapton's 1986 album August.

Phil Collins took on his first acting role since the late 1960s, starring as Buster Edwards opposite Julie Walters in the romantic comedy drama-crime film Buster which centred around the Great Train Robbery from 1963 in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire.

Phil Collins contributed four songs to the film's soundtrack; his ballad rendition of "A Groovy Kind of Love", originally by the Mindbenders, became his only single to reach No 1 in the UK and the US.

In 1988, Phil Collins was the subject of an episode of the British TV series This Is Your Life.

From April to October 1989, Phil Collins recorded his fourth album.

In February 1990, Phil Collins performed "Another Day in Paradise" at the 1990 Brit Awards which won British Single of the Year, and in September he performed "Sussudio" at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Phil Collins played drums on the 1989 Tears for Fears single, "Woman in Chains".

In 1991, Phil Collins reconvened with Banks and Rutherford to write and record a new Genesis album, We Can't Dance.

Phil Collins co-wrote, sang and played on the 1993 single "Hero" by David Crosby.

Phil Collins worked on his fifth studio album, Both Sides, in 1992 and 1993.

The Both Sides of the World Tour saw Phil Collins perform 165 shows across four legs between April 1994 and May 1995.

Phil Collins turned down the chance to contribute to Tower of Song, an album of covers of Leonard Cohen songs, due to his touring commitments.

Phil Collins had wanted to undertake the project for some time and felt inspired from the Burning for Buddy project that drummer Neil Peart had put together.

In October 1996, Phil Collins released his sixth solo album, Dance into the Light.

Entertainment Weekly reviewed by saying that "even Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins".

Phil Collins toured the album throughout 1997 with his Trip into the Light World Tour, covering 82 dates.

Phil Collins performed "In the Air Tonight" and "Take Me Home" at the Music for Montserrat benefit concert in London alongside Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Sting.

Phil Collins sang his songs in French, Italian, German, and Spanish for the dubbed versions of the film's soundtrack.

Phil Collins performed "Two Worlds" at that year's ceremony and the Disney-themed Super Bowl halftime show.

In June 1999, Phil Collins was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In June 2002, Phil Collins accepted an invitation to drum for the house band at the Party at the Palace concert held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, an event which celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.

On 11 November 2002, Phil Collins released his seventh solo album, Testify.

Disney hired Phil Collins to compose and perform on the soundtrack to its 2003 animated feature Brother Bear, which included the song "Look Through My Eyes".

From June 2004 to November 2005, Phil Collins performed his First Final Farewell Tour, a reference to the multiple farewell tours of other popular artists.

Phil Collins reunited with Banks and Rutherford and announced Turn It On Again: The Tour on 7 November 2006, nearly 40 years after the band first formed.

On 22 May 2008 Phil Collins received his sixth Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors when he was presented the International Achievement Award at a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

In October 2009, it was reported that Phil Collins was to record a Motown covers album.

Phil Collins told a German newspaper, "I want the songs to sound exactly like the originals", and that the album would feature up to 30 songs.

Phil Collins revealed that Collins managed to play the drums on the album despite a spinal operation.

In summer 2010, Phil Collins played six concerts with the music from Going Back.

Phil Collins promoted Going Back with his first and only appearance on the BBC's music series Later.

In March 2010, Phil Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis at a ceremony in New York City.

On 4 March 2011, citing health problems and other concerns, Phil Collins announced that he was taking time off from his career, prompting widespread reports of his retirement.

On 24 January 2014, Phil Collins announced in an interview with Inside South Florida that he was writing new compositions with fellow English singer Adele.

Phil Collins said he had no idea who Adele was when he learned she wanted to collaborate with him.

In May 2014, Phil Collins gave a live performance of "In the Air Tonight" and "Land of Confusion" with young student musicians at the Miami Country Day School in Miami, Florida.

Phil Collins was asked to perform there by his sons, who are students at the school.

In May 2015, Phil Collins signed a deal with Warner Music Group to have his solo albums remastered and reissued with previously unreleased material.

At a press conference held at the Royal Albert Hall in the same month, Phil Collins announced his Not Dead Yet Tour which initially took form as a short European trek from June 2017.

Phil Collins's band included his son Nicolas on the drums.

At the last show, at the O2 Arena in London, Phil Collins said on stage: "It's the last show for Genesis".

Phil Collins was ranked tenth in "The Greatest Drummers of All Time" list by Gigwise and number nine in a list of "The 20 greatest drummers of the last 25 years" by MusicRadar in 2010.

In 1987, Phil Collins looked back at his fast playing in Brand X and early Genesis: "I actually can't play like that anymore".

Phil Collins used a Roland CR-78, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and a vocoder for his voice.

Phil Collins had cameo appearances in Steven Spielberg's Hook and the AIDS docudrama And the Band Played On.

Phil Collins starred in Frauds, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

Phil Collins supplied voices to two animated features: Amblin's Balto and Disney's The Jungle Book 2.

Phil Collins often mentioned the film, though an appropriate script never materialised.

Phil Collins twice hosted the Billboard Music Awards on television, which were produced and directed by his longtime music video and TV special collaborators, Paul Flattery and Jim Yukich of FYI.

Phil Collins appeared in an episode of the series Miami Vice, entitled "Phil the Shill", in which he plays a cheating con-man.

In 2001, Phil Collins was one of several celebrities who were tricked into appearing in a controversial British comedy series, Brass Eye, shown on public service broadcaster Channel 4.

Phil Collins was reported by the BBC to have consulted lawyers regarding the programme, which was originally pulled from broadcast but eventually rescheduled.

Phil Collins said he had taken part in the programme "in good faith for the public benefit", believing it to be "a public service programme that would be going around schools and colleges in a bid to stem child abduction and abuse".

Phil Collins accused the makers of the programme of "some serious taste problems" and warned it would prevent celebrities from supporting "public spirited causes" in the future.

In 2006, Phil Collins played a fictional version of himself in the PSP and PS2 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

The final mission occurs during his concert, where the player must defend the scaffolding against saboteurs while Phil Collins is performing "In the Air Tonight".

Phil Collins has rejected accusations of tax avoidance, and despite confirming that some of the divorce-related correspondence between him and second wife, Jill Tavelman, was by fax, he states that he did not terminate the marriage in that fashion.

Phil Collins has been the victim of scathing remarks in regard to his alleged right-wing political leanings.

Caroline Sullivan, a music critic of The Guardian, referred to his cumulative negative publicity in her 2007 article "I wish I'd never heard of Phil Collins", writing that it was difficult for her to hear his work "without being riven by distaste for the man himself".

Phil Collins denied that his retirement in 2011 was due to negative attention and said that his statements had been taken out of context.

Paul Lester of The Guardian wrote in 2013 that Phil Collins is one of several pop acts that "used to be a joke" but are "now being hailed as gods".

Phil Collins has become an important figure in US urban music, influencing artists such as Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Beyonce.

Phil Collins can seem appalling, but at the same time, he has awesome production values and there's a particular richness to the sound.

Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford has praised Phil Collins's personality, saying that "he always had a bloke-next-door, happy-go-lucky demeanour about him: let's have a drink in the pub, crack a joke, smoke a cigarette or a joint".

Phil Collins has been characterised by favourable critics as a "rock god", and an artist who has remained "down to earth".

Phil Collins is a world-class drummer whose songs immediately lend themselves to being sampled.

The disgrace of a career bogged entirely in the determined dross of No Jacket Required however is simply not justified, regardless of how Phil Collins gained either his fortune, or his public image.

Martin C Strong stated in 2011 that "the enigmatic and amiable Phil Collins has had his fair share of mockers and critics over the years, although one thing is sure, and that is his dexterity and undeniable talent".

In 2016, Bertorelli took legal action against Phil Collins pertaining to his account of their relationship in his autobiography.

The marriage encountered problems that culminated in Phil Collins twice having an affair with Lavinia Lang, a former drama school classmate, while touring with Genesis in 1992.

In 1994, Phil Collins openly stated that he had fallen out of love with Tavelman and had filed for divorce, which finalised in 1996.

In 1999, Phil Collins married Orianne Cevey, a Swiss national who worked as his translator at the start of his 1994 tour when she was 22.

Phil Collins continued to live in Fechy, Switzerland, while he maintained homes in New York City and Dersingham, Norfolk.

From 2007 to 2016, Phil Collins was in a relationship with American news anchor Dana Tyler.

In January 2016, after moving to Miami Beach, Florida in the previous year to be closer to his two youngest sons, Phil Collins reunited with Cevey and they lived together in Miami.

In October 2020, Phil Collins filed an eviction notice against Cevey after she secretly married another man in August.

Phil Collins sold his Miami home in 2021, for $39 million.

Phil Collins used to do Christmas cards and birthday cards for the family.

In 2012, Phil Collins was estimated to be the second wealthiest drummer in the world, surpassed only by Ringo Starr.

The amount that Phil Collins was seeking was halved, and Satterfield and Davis would not have to repay any of it.

In 1999, Phil Collins developed sudden hearing loss in his left ear following a recording session in Los Angeles.

Phil Collins consulted three doctors, who told him that there was nothing they could do and that the chance of a full recovery was slim.

Phil Collins later found that it was caused by a viral infection, and that it resolved after treatment.

In 2010, Phil Collins alluded to feelings of depression and low self-worth in recent years and said he had contemplated suicide, but he resisted for the sake of his children.

In 2014, Phil Collins said that he was still unable to play the drums and that it was not arthritis, but an undiagnosed nerve problem.

Phil Collins's doctor advised him that if he wanted to play the drums again, he would need to practice as long as he took it step by step.

Phil Collins stated that he had been sober for three years.

In January 2017, Phil Collins said he was a type 2 diabetic and had received treatment with a hyperbaric chamber after developing a diabetic abscess on his foot that became infected.

In June 2017, Phil Collins cancelled two shows after he slipped in his hotel room during the night and hit his head on a chair as he fell, resulting in stitches for a severe gash close to his eye.

In 2017, Phil Collins began to use a cane to assist with walking, and performed on stage while sitting in a chair.

Phil Collins has received several honorary degrees in recognition of his work in music and his personal interests.

Phil Collins has often been mentioned erroneously in the British media as being a supporter of the Conservative Party and a critic of the Labour Party.

Phil Collins is often reported in the British press to have left the UK and moved to Switzerland in protest at the Labour Party's victory in the 1997 general election.

Phil Collins is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism and has worked with them on campaigns including radio PSAs.

In October 2020, Phil Collins issued a cease and desist order to Donald Trump and his campaign for playing "In the Air Tonight" at a rally.

Phil Collins has collected hundreds of artefacts related to the famous 1836 battle in San Antonio, Texas, narrated a light and sound show about the Alamo, and has spoken at related events.

On 26 June 2014, a press conference was held from the Alamo, where Phil Collins spoke, announcing that he was donating his entire collection to the Alamo via the State of Texas.

On 11 March 2015, in honour of his donation, Phil Collins was named an honorary Texan by the state legislature.

Phil Collins is an honourary president of Richmond Yacht Club, of which his parents used to be members.

Phil Collins has performed at the Secret Policeman's Ball, a benefit show co-founded by Monty Python member John Cleese on behalf of Amnesty International.

Phil Collins made his first appearance at the 1981 show held in London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and he subsequently became an activist.

Phil Collins was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1994 Birthday Honours, in recognition of his work on behalf of The Prince's Trust, a leading UK youth charity founded by Charles, Prince of Wales which provides training, personal development, business start up support, mentoring, and advice.

Since appearing at the first Prince's Trust's rock concert in 1982 which included a performance as part of singer Kate Bush's backing band, Phil Collins has played at the event numerous times since, most recently at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010.

On 9 April 1989, Phil Collins topped the bill at a benefit concert for the veteran English comic actor Terry-Thomas.

Phil Collins has stated he is a supporter of animal rights and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Phil Collins took the action after receiving letters from children asking him how they could break into the music industry.

Phil Collins donates all the royalties earned from his music sales in South Africa to the organisation.