Phil Collins celebrates his 71st birthday today. Born on January 30, 1951 in the West London district of Chiswick, the legendary singer-songwriter began playing drums at age 5 and would go on to man the kit for Genesis after auditioning for the band at frontman Peter Gabriel’s parents’ house. His first impression of the vocal harmonies on the early Genesis album Trespass reminded him of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Collins would later perform with David Crosby on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989.
Collins went on to become the frontman of Genesis in 1977 after Peter Gabriel left the band to pursue a solo career. Collins presided over the newly minted trio during their most commercially successful period in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. The ’80s saw Phil climbing to astronomical new heights with Genesis as well as with a solo career of his own, becoming one of the most successful recording artists of the decade.
In Fall 1989, Collins released his fourth solo album, …But Seriously, which contained the single “Another Day In Paradise” featuring Crosby on harmony vocals. On December 5 of that year Collins and Crosby along with renowned session bassist Leland Sklar delivered a gorgeous performance of “Another Day In Paradise” as well as Phil’s “That’s Just The Way It Is” on The Arsenio Hall Show featuring Collins on piano.
To celebrate Phil Collins’ birthday, watch Collins, Crosby and Sklar perform on Arsenio in 1989 below via the JamBase Live Video Archive:
[Originally Published: January 30, 2021]
