Collins, Phil (1951-…), is an English pop and rock singer, composer, drummer , and occasional motion-picture actor. Collins began his music career as a drummer with the English rock band Genesis in 1970. After the band’s lead singer, Peter Gabriel, left the group in 1975, Collins took over as vocalist. His singing greatly increased the band’s popularity. Collins recorded many hit songs both with Genesis and under his own name. He finally left the band to pursue a solo career in 1996. Collins won an Academy Award for best original song for “You’ll Be in My Heart” from the animated motion picture Tarzan (1999). He also wrote the score for the 2006 Broadway musical adaptation of the film, which included five songs from his movie score.
Philip David Charles Collins was born on Jan. 30, 1951, in London. He entered show business as a child stage actor but, as a teenager, he gave up acting for music. In addition to his early work with Genesis, Collins made several jazz recordings with the group Brand X from 1976 to 1980. He made his first solo album, Face Value, in 1981, which included the hits “I Missed Again” and “In the Air Tonight.” His single “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” from the motion-picture Against All Odds (1984) was also a best seller. Hit songs from his albums include “One More Night” and “Sussudio” from No Jacket Required (1985), and “Another Day in Paradise” and “Do You Remember?” from But Seriously (1989). In 1993, he released the album Both Sides, which contained darker and edgier music than most of his previous work. An album of his best-known songs was issued as Hits (1998). Going Back, which re-creates the Motown sound that influenced Collins, was released in 2010.
Collins made his debut as a motion-picture actor in the comedy thriller Buster (1988). He also performed on the sound track, recording the hits “Groovy Kind of Love” and “Two Hearts.” He later acted in the films Hook (1991) and Frauds (1993) and was the voice of Lucky the vulture in the animated film The Jungle Book 2 (2003).
Collins continued his concert and recording career into the early 2000’s. His later hits include “Can’t Stop Loving You” from the album Testify (2002). Collins made an international reunion tour with Genesis in 2006 and 2007. Genesis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Collins retired from performing in 2011. His daughter Lily Collins is a motion-picture actress.
