• Philip David Charles Collins, or better known as Phil Collins, was born on January 30, 1951 in London, England. He is best known for his work with the band Genesis, an English progressive rock band, as their drummer. Once the lead singer, Peter Gabriel, left the band, Collins picked up the microphone, and stepped out into the spotlight. Though Genesis was a successful start for Phil Collins, he is most remembered for his solo career.
    When Phil was five years old he was given a toy drum for Christmas. Later, he was presented with a makeshift one that he used religiously. He was quite famous for his drumming, but he had no idea how to read sheet music. Instead of taking the time to learn this trait, he created his own way of remembering music and playing his instrument, by ear. Many, most certainly, would not believe that this was the case after hearing his astounding playing, but it is indeed the truth.
    Phil Collins eventually went from being the lead singer of Genesis, to being a solo artist, when he preformed solo for the first time at a charity show. He also accompanied, The Secret Police, led by Sting on the chorus of Bob Dylan’s finale, I Shall Be Released. In 1984, Collins teamed up with the Secret Police’s Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to play the drums on the Band-Aid single, Do They Know It’s Christmas, written about starving humans, and how people should give money to them at Christmas time.
    Not only was Phil Collins around twenty to thirty years ago, but he also has played a major role in children’s lives by performing songs in some of the most loved Disney movies including Tarzan and Brother Bear. His single, You’ll Be In My Heart, feature on the Tarzan soundtrack, spent nineteen weeks at number one on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and eventually earned him an Oscar. This was to be the third time he had been nominated in the songwriter’s category, the previous times being 1985 and 1989.
    Many people have seen Phil Collins, but don’t really know who he is. The next time some one plays, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the player should see him in three missions, where he has to be rescued from a gang that is trying to kill him. Another thing some people many not know is that his hit single, In The Air Tonight, appears in the movie Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. The next occurrence some one may have had with Collins’ work may have been in the Disney movie, Balto, where he plays to polar bears named Muk and Luk.
    It is a little odd that most people have heard him speak or sing, but truly have no idea who Phil Collins is. Most of the songs today have been covered from Phil Collins, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Fleetwood Mac, or other older artists. These people are the key to unlocking who the nation’s citizens are in this decade, but so many people are too blind to see it. There is a shimmer of hope that articles like this will open closed eyes to the past so that they may fully embrace the present and future.