|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 07-07-2006 20:02 | 0 reaction(s) | add reply |
Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult-contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to many others. Balding and diminutive, Collins was almost 30 years old when his first solo single, "In the Air Tonight," became a #2 hit in his native U.K. (the song was a Top 20 hit in the U.S.). Between 1984 and 1990, Collins had a string of 13 straight U.S. Top Ten hits.
Long before any of that happened, however, Collins was a child actor/singer who appeared as "the Artful Dodger" in the London production of Oliver! in 1964. (He also has a cameo in A Hard Day's Night, among other films.) He got his first break in music at the end of his teens, when he was chosen to be a replacement drummer in the British art-rock band Genesis in 1970. (Collins maintained a separate jazz career with the band Brand X, as well.) Genesis was fronted by singer Peter Gabriel. They had achieved a moderate level of success in the U.K. and the U.S., with elaborate concept albums, before Gabriel abruptly left in 1974. Genesis auditioned 400 singers without success, then decided to let Collins have a go.
The result was a gradual simplifying of Genesis' sound and an increasing focus on Collins's expressive, throaty voice. And Then There Were Three ... went gold in 1978, and Duke was even more successful. Collins made his debut solo album Face Value in 1981, which turned out to be a bigger hit than any Genesis album. It concentrated on Collins' voice, often in stark, haunting contexts such as the piano-and-drum dirge "In the Air Tonight," which sounded like something from John Lennon's debut solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
During the '80s, Collins balanced his continuing solo work with Genesis with enormous success. In 1992, Genesis released We Can't Dance and began an extensive tour. Upon its completion, Collins released Both Sides in 1993, and the record became his first album not to produce a major hit single or go multi-platinum. In 1995, he announced that he was leaving Genesis permanently. The following year, he released Dance into the Light. Although the album was a flop, its subsequent supporting tour was a success. The Hits collection followed in 1998, and a year later Collins made his first big band record, Hot Night in Paris.
|
|
|
|
TOP ARTISTS:
Coldplay, Rihanna, Jonas Brothers, Jason Mraz, Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne, Leona Lewis, Avril Lavigne, Chris Brown, Katy Perry, Paramore, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey, Pussycat Dolls, The, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Jordin Sparks, Secondhand Serenade, Akon, Eminem, Lifehouse, Usher, Nickelback, Ne-Yo, Colbie Caillat, Abba, Evanescence, Simple Plan, Takida, Metro Station, Kanye West, Lars Winnerbäck, Håkan Hellström, Sara Bareilles, Jesse McCartney, Avenged Sevenfold, Christina Aguilera, John Mayer, Boys Like Girls, Natasha Bedingfield, OneRepublic, Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Fall Out Boy, Carrie Underwood, Death Cab For Cutie, Metallica, Aerosmith, Alanis Morissette, Beatles, The |
| Copyright © 1998-2008 LetsSingIt | add to bookmarks | disclaimer | privacy policy | advertise on this site |
|
|
