Genesis

The English band Genesis originated from Godalming, Surrey, England in 1967 to become one of the world’s most renowned rock bands.

Regarded as one of the best-selling bands in the history of Rock and Roll, their sound has evolved massively over the years.

They gained popularity with their progressive rock style but soon transitioned to a host of other genres as their line-up continued to change.

Their music was inspired by many classic rock artists including The Beatles. The group found their own distinct way of blending their psychedelic, fairytale, fantasy lyrical themes with each element of the rock genre they were experimenting with.

The band gained early success in their career with their second album Trespass making the charts on both the local and international front.

They describe themselves as songwriters before any other role they play. As being one of the most influential bands in their era, Genesis has pioneered many sounds that have been imitated by the next-generation rock bands.

Some artists have even gone the extra mile to organize tribute concerts for the band in recent times.

The group’s line-up has changed over the years but the definitive band members consist of these brilliant musicians:

• Anthony George Banks (popularly referred to as Tony Banks)
• Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (popularly known as Mike Rutherford)
• Philip David Charles Collins (globally known as Phil Collins)

Achievements

Genesis is one of the most influential, commercially successful, and best-selling artists of all time.

The group has released:

• fifteen official studio albums
• six live albums
• three compilation albums
• eight video albums
• thirty-two music videos
• forty-three singles
• two EPs
• eight box sets

Some of these releases have won global Platinum and Gold certifications. In the United States alone, the group has sold over 21 million records. Globally, that figure is believed to be in the region of 120 million.

Notable Awards won by Genesis

1. Between 1988 and 2010, Genesis was nominated for approximately 5 Grammy Awards, winning one.
2. Between 1987 and 1993, the band was nominated for 3 American Music Awards, winning one (Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group) in 1993.
3. In 2008, at the MOJO Awards, the band was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
4. In 2010, Genesis was honored with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
5. Genesis received another Lifetime Achievement Award at the Progressive Music Awards in 2012.

Interesting Facts about Genesis

The band was formed by a group of teenage boys. The founders, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Philips, and Chris Stewart were all teenage students in Charterhouse public school when they decided to form the band.

The band’s name was first suggested by the original manager, Jonathan King.

Despite Phil Collins being the most prominent member of the band, he was not a founding member of the band.

The group’s first disbandment was in the year 2000 which lasted until 2006. Though the band’s hiatus was not necessarily classified as disbandment; they were very inactive from 2007 until 2020. They released no new record, never went on tour, and hardly performed at any show together.

Most of the band members who quit the band have had very successful solo careers.

Phil Collins was the first band member of the group to record a cover of the group’s song.

The band was said to have been plateauing until lead vocalist Collins started singing for the band. The band began excelling both locally and internationally when they released records with Phil as the lead vocalist.

The members of this band have been labeled as “spoilt rich kids”. Compared to many other bands, their story did not involve a group of teen boys from broken and poor backgrounds chasing their dream of becoming musicians. Each of them were from middle-class homes and lived fairly well.

Genesis released their debut single in 1968 which was written by Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks.

In 1970, the band was signed on a record deal of just 10 pounds weekly pay by Tony Stratton-Smith, a Label owner.

Phil Collins became the lead vocalist in 1975 after Gabriel’s departure from the band.

Peter Gabriel’s departure from Genesis came as a result of the other members of the band becoming too frustrated with Gabriel’s flamboyant theatrical performances, which was eating too deep into the purse of the band and leaving them in huge debt.

Over the years, Collins has been repeatedly accused of selling out the band when he took over as lead singer.

The British phonographic Institute certified Genesis gold in the same year the bands’ tenth album which was released in March 28, 1980, titled Duke became their first album to reach the number spot in the United Kingdom.

In 1996, singer Ray Wilson briefly replaced Collins as the lead singer of Genesis after Collins left the band to focus on his career as a solo artist.

The American guitarist, Trey Anastasio, best known for his membership of the band Phish, inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

For decades, Genesis has influenced many famous artists such as Brian May of rock band Queen, Eddie Van Halen of Van-Halen, and Will Smith of Echo and the Bunnymen.

Brief Conclusion

The English Rock band has not only influenced the musical style of artists outside their group but has paved the way for many.

Despite the frequent line-up changes, the band has remained active. They planned a tour in 2020 but had to postpone it to the last quarter of 2021 due to the unsettling wave of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Notable Genesis Songs

• “A Trick of the Tail”
• “A Winter’s Tale”
• “Abacab“
• “Congo”
• “Counting Out Time”
• “Duchess”
• “Entangled”
• “Follow You Follow Me”
• “Go West Young Man (In the Motherlode)”
• “Happy the Man”
• “Hold on My Heart“
• “Home by the Sea“
• “I Can’t Dance”
• “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)”
• “Illegal Alien”
• “In Too Deep”
• “Invisible Touch“
• “Jesus He Knows Me“
• “Keep It Dark”
• “Land of Confusion”
• “Mama“
• “Man on the Corner”
• “Many Too Many”
• “Misunderstanding”
• “Never a Time”
• “No Reply at All”
• “No Son of Mine“
• “Not About Us”
• “Paperlate”
• “Shipwrecked”
• “Taking It All Too Hard”
• “Tell Me Why”
• “That’s All”
• “The Carpet Crawlers”  
• “The Knife”
• “The Silent Sun 2006”
• “The Silent Sun”
• “Throwing It All Away”
• “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight”
• “Turn It On Again“
• “Watcher of the Skies”
• “Where the Sour Turns to Sweet”
• “Your Own Special Way”