"With a remarkable combination of middle-of-the-road appeal and talent and vision that has produced some of the better music of his time, composer-singer-drummer-actor Phil Collins has made an indelible impact on the entertainment industry. Truly one of the hardest working men in show business, he has written for and performed with two legendary and vastly different bands, found great success as a solo artist and nursed a budding acting career, all at the same time. While considering himself a drummer above all else, the musician has written some of the most memorable songs in contemporary pop music and has proven a powerful and universally recognizable singer. Because of his unfaltering dedication to his craft and his place in Genesis, one of the most influential rock bands of the day, Collins managed to win both popular success and the respect of fellow musicians, hitting the top of the pop charts while also being called upon to perform with such modern legends as Eric Clapton, Sting, Robert Plant and Quincy Jones. His musical credibility and capability have served well many a film that has procured his songwriting services.

"After a short 1969 stint with the band Flaming Youth, the London-born Collins auditioned for Genesis, then an up-and-coming progressive rock band fronted by promising musical visionary Peter Gabriel. Hired as the band's drummer in 1970, he debuted on their 1971 album "Nursery Cryme". The drummer first sang lead with the moving ballad "More Fool Me" from Genesis' 1973 concept album "Selling England By the Pound". Despite the positive reaction to the track and the reality that Collins' voice was in many ways technically superior to Gabriel's, when the front man left the art-rock outfit to embark on his solo career, the remaining band members auditioned hundreds of singers unsuccessfully before finally giving Collins lead vocal duties in 1974. Genesis' first album without Gabriel was not released until two years after his departure, but Collins kept busy as drummer of the fusion jazz project Brand X, another experimental and influential combo. At varying times throughout his career, the industrious Collins managed to record with Genesis and Brand X concurrently, even while undertaking huge world tours with the former as well as working on solo material.

"Collins' work with Genesis began to move away from the band's original epic laden art-rock foundation and into a more radio-friendly pop/R&B inflected sound. This change grew more and more evident, and by 1981 Genesis had scored a veritable pop hit with the brass-heavy "No Reply at All" off their release "Abacab". That same year, Collins made his solo debut with the album "Face Value", featuring the haunting and timeless "In the Air Tonight". The album was a hit, and the following year's follow up "Hello, I Must Be Going" was also a success. A 1983 hit record for Genesis came next, and in 1984 Collins would pen the love theme to "Against All Odds", a composition that became a hugely successful single and garnered the songwriter an Oscar nomination and Grammy award. Soon he would release the hit album "No Jacket Required" (1985) featuring no less than four certified hit singles. That summer, the now-superstar was the only artist to play on Live Aid stages in both London and Philadelphia.

"While all of this solo success certainly kept Collins busy, it didn't keep him from his original band - Genesis. 1986 saw Genesis release the chart-topping album "Invisible Touch", an unprecedented success for the band, with five of the album's eight tracks becoming top selling singles. In the five years between "Invisible Touch" and Genesis' next release, 1991's "We Can't Dance", Collins released his fourth solo album, 1989's "...But Seriously", and earnestly tried his hand at an acting career. The 1991 Genesis release and the two live albums chronicling the supporting tour released that year would be Collins' swan song with the band. His 1993 solo album "Both Sides" didn't turn out hit singles like his previous works had, but it was a notable and truly solo effort: in addition to writing and singing all of the songs, Collins also played every instrument on the album. In 1996 Collins stunned many fans by announcing his departure from Genesis after 26 years. He decided that a solo career was all he needed, plus the odd soundtrack, world tour etc., and he released another album. The album, titled "Dance Into the Light" failed to radiate much Top 40 heat, and Collins used this opportunity to try something new; indulging his lifelong dream of playing in a jazz band, he formed the Phil Collins Big Band. The project, with Collins on drums, performed standards and jazz instrumental versions of some of his biggest hits. The Phil Collins Big Band did a successful world tour in 1998, including two dates at the prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival. All the while, Collins was working on songs for Disney's "Tarzan" (1999), an animated project that would help to firmly reinstate him on the top of the charts.

"An unquestionably gifted musician, Collins first pursued an acting career, enrolling in a stage school with which his talent agent mother was affiliated. From here, he landed an uncredited extra role as a screaming fan in The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). He abandoned acting for many years to focus on music, but those who watched Collins' stage theatrics and hammy music video performances were not surprised when he began taking small guest acting parts, notably a featured role in a 1985 episode of the impossibly hip "Miami Vice" (NBC) that came hot on the heels of the singer's chart-topping.

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