Phil Collins turned seventy on Saturday. We take a look back at the musician’s career and the turbulent moments he lived with his third ex-wife Orianne Cevey.
Phil Collins was born Philip David Charles Collins on January 30, 1951 in London. Her father, Greville Collins is an insurance agent and her mother June is a talent manager. One of three children, Collins grew up in a family that embraced creativity and vibrancy.
Collin’s love for the drums began at the age of five when he received a toy drum kit. At the age of twelve, Collins got a real drum kit and played it whenever he got the chance. At thirteen, Collins got the chance to play the part of the Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver!.
Breakthrough follows after joining Genesis
Collin’s first big break came in 1970 when he responded to a newspaper ad for a Surrey band called Genesis that needed a drummer and backing vocalist. Over the next five years, the band released five studio albums as well as a live album from a concert tour of the United States.
In 1978, the group released …And then there were three of. The record goes gold and gives the group the first American radio hit Follow you follow me.
In 1981, Collins released his first solo album, Nominal value. The album, supported by the popular single In the air tonight, turns out to be a monster hit. A year later, Collins released his second solo album, Hello I have to go, featuring a few popular singles: You can’t hurry love in I don’t care anymore.
In 1988 he made his big screen debut in the film guy. He is also writing a song for the film, Two hearts, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
First farewell tour
In 1996, Collins left Genesis to focus more on his family. In 2004, he announced his first farewell tour as a solo artist, Finally: the first Farwell tour. He then returned to a tournament with Genesis in 2007, Turn it on again: the tour.
In 2011, Collins announced that he would retire. He has spinal problems that force him to stop playing the drums. “I really don’t belong in this world,” said Collins, who chooses to help raise his two youngest sons, Nicholas and Matthew, with his third wife, Orianne Cevey. That same year, Genesis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Collins announced that he would write new music for singer Adele’s third studio album. It lacks the creative process of making music. A few days before the release of his autobiography Not dead yet in 2016, Collins announced he would be touring again with his son Nick.
Genesis-reünie
In 2020, Genesis will reunite after thirteen years to announce a tour of the UK.
Collins will no longer play the drums during shows due to health concerns and will therefore only be responsible for vocals. His son Nick will play drums on the Genesis tour. “If he wants to, he’ll play a bit like me,” Collins says of his son. “As his father, I am one of his influences.”
Collins is one of three artists, along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, to have sold over 100 million records worldwide both as a solo artist and as part of a group.
Collins is married three times
Collins has been married three times and is the father of five children, including actress Lily Collins.
Collins and Cevey first met when Cevey was working as Collins’ translator during his tour of Switzerland in 1994. They married in 1999. In 2008, they divorced each other, costing Collins £ 42 million.
After Cevey divorced her second husband in 2016, she and Collins get back on track. In August, however, Cevey is reportedly married to another man, as she tells the musician that she is away on business.
Phil Collins with son Nicholas on right and son Matthew and ex-wife Orianne Cevey on left.
Collins evicted his ex-wife from his Florida mansion in a lawsuit. Cevey is now selling several gold records and other awards from her former lover for next to nothing. This includes a gold record from the album Photos at Eleven by Robert Plant, written TMZ Wednesday. Starting prices are $ 100 (almost 83 euros).
According to a spokesperson for Cevey, the sale has nothing to do with feelings of revenge, but Cevey just wants to get rid of this stuff.