Many rock fans and peers call Phil Collins an "intellectual rocker", which is not at all surprising. His music can hardly be called aggressive. On the contrary, it is charged with some kind of mysterious energy.
The celebrity's repertoire includes rhythmic, melancholy, and "smart" compositions. It is no coincidence that Phil Collins is a living legend for hundreds of millions of quality music lovers around the world.
Childhood and youth of the artist Phil Collins
January 30, 1951 in the capital of Great Britain, London, the future legend of "intellectual" rock music was born. My father worked as an insurance agent, and my mother was looking for talented British children.
In addition to Phil, his brother and sister were brought up in the family. It was thanks to the mother that from an early age, each of them showed an attraction to art.
Perhaps the beginning of a musical career was the celebration of Phil's fifth birthday. It was on this day that the parents gave the boy a toy drum kit, which they later regretted more than once.
The kid was so addicted to the new toy that for days on end he beat rhythms to the music from feature films and television programs.
Due to constant noise in the house, dad was forced to give him his garage, where the future rocker could safely practice drumming, using old books and textbooks dedicated to music.
At the age of 13, Collins and several of his friends were offered to play extras in a film that was being shot in London. Naturally, the guys did not think long and quickly agreed to the proposal.
As it turned out, later Phil and his friends played episodic roles in the cult film A Hard Day's Evening, in which the main roles were played by members of the famous Liverpool four of the Beatles.
As a teenager, the young man simultaneously studied music and attended drama school. However, before the final exams, he left the walls of the school and decided to give preference to musical creativity.
At 18, he became the drummer for the Flaming Youth. True, during its existence, the band managed to record only one album at the studio, which, unfortunately, did not become popular for Phil. The group toured for some time, after which they announced their breakup.
"Runway" in the musical career of Phil Collins
In 1970, Collins accidentally saw an ad that said that the young group Genesis was looking for a drummer with a great sense of rhythm.
Phil was familiar with the work of the group and knew that their style is a combination of rock, jazz, classical music and folk. The new drummer easily fit into Genesis, but he had to rehearse a lot, because the group became known for its detailed arrangements and virtuoso playing of musical instruments.
For five years in the band, Phil Collins not only played percussion instruments, but also played the role of a backing vocalist. In 1975, its leader Peter Gabriel left Genesis, explaining to numerous fans that he did not see any prospects in the development of the group.
After numerous auditions in search of a new vocalist, Phil's wife Andrea suggested to the band that her husband could perform the songs, this was a turning point in the fate of the musician.
After the first performance, the audience warmly welcomed Collins as a performer. Over the next twelve years, Phil Collins and the Genesis team became famous not only in the UK, but throughout the world.
Phil Collins: solo career
In the 1980s, most of the band's musicians decided to go solo. Of course, Phil understood that he was taking a big risk if he decided to record a solo album.
In addition, before starting work in a recording studio, he divorced his wife not without scandal, began to often go on heavy sprees with Eric Clapton.
During the recording of the album, Collins spent many sleepless nights in the recording studio and fell into a creative depression.
Despite everything, the musician, author and performer of his own songs still managed to make a hit record Face Value. It was replicated in such quantity that it covered all circulations of Genesis records.
True, Phil Collins was not going to leave the band, thanks to which he became a professional musician, composer and singer.
In 1986, the band got together and recorded the group's best-selling album, Invisible Touch. After 10 years, Collins left the band, deciding to devote himself entirely to his solo career.
Filmography and personal life
In addition to performing songs at concerts and in clubs, Collins acted in films. He was invited to shoot in such films as:
- "Buster";
- "The Return of Bruno";
- "It's Morning";
- "Room 101";
- "Dawn".
In addition, he wrote the soundtrack for the cartoon "Tarzan", for which he was awarded an Oscar.
Phil Collins was officially married 3 times. The first wife of Andrea Bertorelli was his classmate at the theater school. She gave birth to the musician's son Simon, and a few years later the couple decided to adopt the girl Joel.
Phil's second wife, Jill Tevelmann, gave the rocker a daughter, Lily. True, this marriage was not destined to last long. The third wife of the singer, Orianna, bore him two sons, but in 2006 the couple broke up. True, in recent years, rumors have not subsided that the rocker and his third wife have resumed their close relationship again.
