Happy 65th birthday, Phil Collins!
Phil Collins was just five when he got his first drum. He later rose to fame with the band Genesis and as a solo artist. The humorous star is turning 65 on January 30.
The start of an illustrious career
In 1970, the progressive rock band Genesis was on the lookout - once again - for a new drummer. Phil Collins was one of over a dozen candidates in the audition - and was convincing. In 1971, "Nursery Cryme" was the first album Collins released with Genesis.
From drummer to singer
After the tour for the album "The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway" (1974), singer Peter Gabriel left Genesis. Phil Collins stepped out from behind the drum set and took the mic - and the limelight.
The face of the band
After Gabriel's departure, Genesis continued as a trio made up of Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford and Phil Collins. As the new frontman, Collins increasingly became the leader of the troupe, both in the studio and onstage.
Start of a solo career
In 1981 Phil Collins went solo with his first album, "Face Value." On the record, he emotionally works through his divorce from his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. His solo albums have sold 100 million copies worldwide. Including the Genesis discs, the number climbs to over 250 million.
The workaholic
In addition to Genesis, Phil Collins also played with the jazz fusion band Brand X from 1976-1980 and made guest appearances on a variety of other recordings - including Philip Bailey's debut album and two with his long-time friend Eric Clapton: "Behind the Sun" and "August."
Phil overkill?
By the mid-1990s, Collins seemed to have passed his peak. Many critics grew tired of his sound. Nevertheless, his celebrity status remained solid, and in 1999, he was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
You'll be in my heart...
One of the most successful projects of Collins' career came with the soundtrack to the Disney animated film "Tarzan." He won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack and an Oscar for Best Song in 2000. That's enough to move even a seasoned star, pictured here at the Oscar ceremony.
Hard to call it quits
In 1996, Phil Collins announced he would be leaving Genesis. In 2007 - 40 years after the band was founded - they got back together for a reunion tour. Meanwhile, Collins had been on his ironically-named "First Final Farewell Tour." In 2011, he ended his musical career... but now a Phil Collins retrospective is in the works, allegedly to be accompanied by one last tour.