Phil Collins

by SMF · Published March 29, 2017 · Updated April 25, 2017

Phil Collins

Phil Collins is a multiple Grammy-award winning English singer, songwriter and drummer known the world over for being the drummer and lead singer of the renowned English rock band Genesis as well as for his massively successful solo career. Some of Phil’s best known solo songs include One More Night, Another Day in Paradise, In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now).

Facts about Phil Collins

Collins was born in Chiswick, London, England on January 30, 1951 to Winifred (popularly called June) who worked as a theatrical agent and Greville Philip Austin Collins who worked as an insurance agent.
He began playing drums when he was only 5 years old.
He began his career in the entertainment industry as a child actor before going on to join Genesis in 1970 as the band’s drummer.
His solo music career officially began in 1981 with the release of his debut solo album Face Value – an album which went on to sell several millions of copies all over the world.
Having sold hundreds of millions of records as a solo artist and as a member of Genesis, Collins is considered one of the most successful musicians of all time. In addition to being one of the world’s best-selling music artists, he is also one of the most decorated artists of his generation having won several Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Brit Awards, among several other prestigious awards throughout his remarkable career.
Between 1985 and 2000, Collins received three Academy Award nominations, winning one in 2000 for his song You’ll Be in My Heart from the hit Disney animated film Tarzan.
Collins’ fourth solo studio album titled …But Seriously was the most successful album in the United Kingdom in 1990.
Phil has several honorary degrees, including an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Berklee College of Music.
He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2010, he and the other members of Genesis were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Collins has been married multiple times and has five children, including singer and drummer Simon Collins and Lily Collins, who grew up to become a successful Hollywood actress.
Phil Collins and daughter Lily Collins.
According to the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List, Collins had a personal wealth of £115 million, making one of the wealthiest music artists in Britain.
In 2010, Collins shocked his fans by confessing that “in recent years” he battled with low self-esteem and depression that he contemplated committing suicide, and would have gone ahead and done that had it not been for the sake of his kids.
Collins supports animal rights and is a staunch supporter of PETA.
Collins has appeared in a number of films and TV series, including Miami Vice, Buster, Hook and The Jungle Book 2.
In 2015, Collins made headline news when he bought singer and actress Jennifer Lopez’s mansion in Miami, Florida for $33 million.
In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Collins revealed that the black American community fell in love with after he produced, co-wrote and performed the song Easy Lover with Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire in 1984.