Phil Collins Biography
Who is Phil Collins, and why is he among the most successful musicians of the past four or five decades?
Philip David Charles Collins, born on January 30, 1951, in London, England, came from a working-class family with deep creative tendencies.
His mother, June, served as a theatrical booking agent, while his father, Greville, was an insurance man. The youngest of three siblings, Phil was inspired to venture into performance even as a small child.
His sister Carole went pro with figure skaters, while his brother Clive became a renowned cartoonist. Collins developed interest in the beat when he got a toy drum set when he was aged five, later trading up to decent sets as his dexterity increased.
His hours were spent playing with records as well as TV musical offerings, citing Ringo Starr, Buddy Rich, and the soul-inspired music of Motown as well as Stax Records for influence. Phil went to Nelson Primary School before transferring to Chiswick County Grammar School, where he developed deep passion for both music and performing arts.
His training occurred at the Barbara Speake Stage School, leading to performing on screen, including the character of the Artful Dodger for Oliver! along with minor roles on the silver screen for the movie A Hard Day’s Night. By the time he hit adolescence, it were music, music, music, with him being a member of several bands before the recruitment by Genesis as the drummer for them in 1970.
Upon the departure of Peter Gabriel in 1975, Collins reluctantly assumed the leading vocalist, leading to the transformation of Genesis to cult progressive rock favourites to world megastars. Simultaneously with the Genesis career, Collins began a solo career with the release of Face Value back in the early 1980s, the album whose famous song included the song, “In the Air Tonight” with the unique gated drum sound being the focal outline of it.
The 1980s saw him release after another global mega-hit, among them the ones with titles like “Against All Odds,” followed by another titled “One More Night” along with another titled “Sussudio,” with the albums No Jacket Required along with another titled.
But Seriously ruling every chart across the globe. By this, he became among the few musicians with over 100 million or so record sales both as an individual musician as well as with the band, the company he shared with Paul McCartney along with the late Michael Jackson.
Collins’s career extended far beyond music—he starred in the film Buster, provided Oscar-winning songs for Disney’s Tarzan, and played historic dates like Live Aid, famously playing both the Philadelphia and the London dates within the course of the day.
His drumming provided generations of musicians with inspiration, and his production skills were summoned by musicians from Eric Clapton to Philip Bailey. Despite titanic success, Collins endured intense media scrutiny within the UK, where overexposure and personal scandal—such as high-profile divorces—gave birth to popular backlash.
In ensuing years, medical issues, including nerve damage and back troubles, reduced the extent to which he could drum, leading to semi-retirement in 2011. Collins resumed touring with the Not Dead Yet shows (2017–2019) and rejoined Genesis for the latter’s farewell trip, The Last Domino? (2021–2022), performing seated due to mobility issues.
Throughout, Collins remained an indelible presence within pop and rock legend, legendary for emotional songcraft, soul-felt voice, and centrality to countless cultural happenings.
His life story is one of tireless industriousness, versatility, and overwhelming fondness for melody and rhythm—a testament extended by record sales of more than 150 million worldwide, eight Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as a member of Genesis.
Contents
Phil Collins Top Songs
- In the Air Tonight
- Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
- One More Night
- Sussudio
- Another Day in Paradise
- You Can’t Hurry Love
- Two Hearts
- I Wish It Would Rain Down
- Easy Lover (with Philip Bailey)
- Take Me Home
Phil Collins Discography (Studio Albums)
- Face Value (1981)
- Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982)
- No Jacket Required (1985)
- …But Seriously (1989)
- Both Sides (1993)
- Dance into the Light (1996)
- Testify (2002)
- Going Back (2010)
Phil Collins Top Albums
- No Jacket Required – Diamond-certified in the US, featuring multiple chart-topping singles.
- …But Seriously – Socially conscious themes, home to “Another Day in Paradise.”
- Face Value – His groundbreaking solo debut with “In the Air Tonight.”
- Hello, I Must Be Going! – Includes the hit cover “You Can’t Hurry Love.”
- Tarzan: Original Soundtrack – Oscar-winning Disney soundtrack with global appeal.
Phil Collins Awards
- 8 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year (No Jacket Required) and Record of the Year (“Another Day in Paradise”).
- 6 Brit Awards, three for Best British Male Artist.
- Academy Award for Best Original Song (“You’ll Be in My Heart” – Tarzan).
- 2 Golden Globe Awards.
- Disney Legend Award.
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Genesis, 2010) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2003).
- Multiple Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting excellence.
Phil Collins — Singles (Lead Artist)
| Year | Single | Album / Source | UK Peak | US Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | In the Air Tonight | Face Value | 2 | 19 |
| 1981 | I Missed Again | Face Value | 14 | 19 |
| 1981 | If Leaving Me Is Easy | Face Value | 17 | — |
| 1981 | This Must Be Love | Face Value | — | — |
| 1982 | Thru These Walls | Hello, I Must Be Going! | 56 | — |
| 1982 | You Can’t Hurry Love | Hello, I Must Be Going! | 1 | 10 |
| 1983 | I Don’t Care Anymore | Hello, I Must Be Going! | — | 39 |
| 1983 | Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away | Hello, I Must Be Going! | 45 | — |
| 1983 | I Cannot Believe It’s True | Hello, I Must Be Going! | — | 79 |
| 1983 | Why Can’t It Wait ’Til Morning | Hello, I Must Be Going! | 89 | — |
| 1983 | It Don’t Matter to Me | Hello, I Must Be Going! | — | — |
| 1984 | Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | Against All Odds (OST) | 2 | 1 |
| 1984 | Easy Lover (with Philip Bailey) | Chinese Wall (Philip Bailey) | 1 | 2 |
| 1985 | Sussudio | No Jacket Required | 12 | 1 |
| 1985 | One More Night | No Jacket Required | 4 | 1 |
| 1985 | Don’t Lose My Number | No Jacket Required | — | 4 |
| 1985 | Take Me Home | No Jacket Required | 19 | 7 |
| 1985 | Separate Lives (with Marilyn Martin) | White Nights (OST) | 4 | 1 |
| 1988 | In the Air Tonight (’88 Remix) | Non-album single | 4 | — |
| 1988 | A Groovy Kind of Love | Buster (OST) | 1 | 1 |
| 1988 | Two Hearts | Buster (OST) | 6 | 1 |
| 1989 | Another Day in Paradise | …But Seriously | 2 | 1 |
| 1990 | I Wish It Would Rain Down | …But Seriously | 7 | 3 |
| 1990 | Something Happened on the Way to Heaven | …But Seriously | 15 | 4 |
| 1990 | Do You Remember? | …But Seriously | 57 | 4 |
| 1990 | That’s Just the Way It Is | …But Seriously | 26 | — |
| 1990 | Hang in Long Enough | …But Seriously | 34 | 23 |
| 1991 | Who Said I Would (Live) | Serious Hits… Live! | — | 73 |
| 1993 | Both Sides of the Story | Both Sides | 7 | 25 |
| 1994 | Everyday | Both Sides | 15 | 24 |
| 1994 | We Wait and We Wonder | Both Sides | 45 | 125 |
| 1996 | Dance into the Light | Dance into the Light | 9 | 45 |
| 1996 | It’s in Your Eyes | Dance into the Light | 30 | 77 |
| 1997 | No Matter Who | Dance into the Light | — | — |
| 1997 | Wear My Hat | Dance into the Light | 43 | — |
| 1997 | The Same Moon | Dance into the Light | — | — |
| 1998 | True Colors | …Hits | 26 | 112 |
| 1999 | You’ll Be in My Heart | Tarzan (OST) | 17 | 21 |
| 1999 | Two Worlds | Tarzan (OST) | — | — |
| 1999 | Strangers Like Me | Tarzan (OST) | — | — |
| 2000 | Son of Man | Tarzan (OST) | — | — |
| 2002 | Can’t Stop Loving You | Testify | 28 | 76 |
| 2003 | Wake Up Call | Testify | 86 | — |
| 2003 | The Least You Can Do | Testify | — | — |
| 2003 | Look Through My Eyes | Brother Bear (OST) | 61 | — |
| 2004 | No Way Out | Brother Bear (OST) | — | — |
| 2004 | On My Way | Brother Bear (OST) | — | — |
| 2010 | (Love Is Like a) Heatwave | Going Back | — | — |
| 2010 | Going Back | Going Back | — | — |
Phil Collins — Singles (Featured Artist)
| Year | Single | Primary Artist / Album | UK Peak | US Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Band Aid) | Band Aid | 1 | 13 |
| 1993 | Hero | David Crosby — Thousand Roads | 56 | 44 |
| 2001 | In the Air Tonite | Lil’ Kim — Urban Renewal | 26 | — |
| 2003 | Home | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony — Thug World Order | 19 | — |
Notes: UK peaks are from the Official Charts Company; US peaks are from Billboard’s Hot 100. Joint hits such as “Easy Lover” (with Philip Bailey) and “Separate Lives” (with Marilyn Martin) are included in the lead-artist table due to Collins being credited as an artist on those singles. Re-entries, format or airplay-only chart entries, and Adult Contemporary/Rock airplay peaks are excluded for concision.