Today's birthdays:
Phil Collins, 73.
Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number one singles and seven US number one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists, and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down".
Born and raised in west London, Collins began playing drums at age five. During the same period he attended drama school which secured him various roles as a child actor. His first major role was the Artful Dodger in the West End production of the musical Oliver!. As an accomplished professional actor by his early teens, he pivoted to pursue a music career, becoming the drummer for Genesis in 1970, at age 19. He took over the role of lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. During the second half of the 1970s, in-between Genesis albums and tours, Collins was also the drummer of jazz rock band Brand X. Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He also became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings.[9] He played drums on the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?, and in July 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He also resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster (1988).
Collins left Genesis in 1996 to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's animated film Tarzan (1999). He wrote and performed the songs, "Two Worlds", "Son of Man", "Strangers Like Me" and "You'll Be in My Heart", the latter of which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007. Following a five-year retirement to focus on his family life, Collins released his memoir in 2016 and completed his Not Dead Yet Tour in 2019. He then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second reunion tour, ending in March 2022.
Collins's discography includes eight studio albums that have sold 33.5 million certified units in the US and an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. He is one of only three recording artists, along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, who have sold over 100 million records both as solo artists and separately as principal members of a band. He has won eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards (winning Best British Male Artist three times), two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy Award, and a Disney Legend Award. He was awarded six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the International Achievement Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. He has also been recognised by music publications with induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
On this day today:
1956 - Elvis Presley records "Blue Suede Shoes," "My Baby Left Me," "One-Sided Love Affair," and "So Glad You're Mine."
1958 - Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" enters the UK chart at #1, the first single ever to do so.
1961 - The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" hits #1 in America. It's the first big hit for the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
1968 - Cilla Black's BBC show Cilla debuts, adding another Britgirl to the UK television lineup. Unlike the shows of Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, and Lulu, Cilla has longevity, lasting until 1976. This series makes her one of the most popular television personalities in the UK until her death in 2015.
1969 - The Beatles stage their famous rooftop concert on the roof of Apple Records in London. After performing a few songs, including "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down," the police shut them down as a large crowd gathers. It is The Beatles' last public performance.
1971 - Neil Young performs "The Needle and the Damage Done" at UCLA's Royce Hall. The song is recorded and released on the Harvest album a year later.
1973 - Kiss play their first concert, performing at the Popcorn Club in Queens, New York. They wear makeup onstage, but not the look they become known for.
1979 - Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand's duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" becomes the first 12-inch single certified Gold by the RIAA.
1984 - Kid Cudi is born Scott Mescudi in Cleveland, Ohio. His first two albums take off but send him into a swirl of drug abuse and depression. He becomes one of the first hip-hop stars to openly discuss his struggles with mental health.
1988 - INXS land their first and only US #1 with "Need You Tonight."
1989 - With Steven Adler in rehab, Don Henley fills in on drums for Guns N' Roses when they play "Patience" at the American Music Awards. Axl Rose had recorded vocals for Henley's song "I Will Not Go Quietly," which appears later in the year.
1994 - Natalie Cole sings the US national anthem at Superbowl XXVIII in Atlanta, Georgia. Halftime is country, with Clint Black, The Judds and Travis Tritt among the performers.
1999 - America is abuzz with Britney Spears, whose debut single "...Baby One More Time" goes to #1 as her album also reaches the top.
2016 - David Bowie's Blackstar album hits #1 in America, 20 days after his death. It's Bowie's first #1 album in the States.
