For live performances, the trio got American drummer Chester Thompson on board, which led to exciting drum duets between him and Collins, who frequently returned to his previous instrument. The first album with Phil Collins at the mic, 'A Trick of the Tail,' jumped to the Top 40 in the US. While critics were already prophesying the end of Genesis - the opposite happened. Some 400 candidates were casted to fill his shoes, but ultimately the band decided to look to the back of the stage - to drummer Phil Collins - for their new frontman. Tensions in the band arose during production of the album 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.' Singer Peter Gabriel left after the album tour in 1975. In the early 1970s, the band's cumbersome progrock sound made it difficult for them to tackle the US market, but with Collins' powerful drum style and tight songwriting, Genesis gradually nosed their way into the American ear. Musically, he was also active at a young age, performing with the little-known band Flaming Youth.īorn on January 30, 1951, Philip David Charles Collins attended an acting school and even had a small role in the Beatles film, 'A Hard Day's Night.' His big break, however, came in 1970 when he auditioned to become the drummer for the progressive rock band Genesis. Performing was in his blood, and as a child he was an actor and even a model for kids' clothes.
It may be hard to believe now, but Phil Collins did have a life before Genesis.
