Phil Collins was born in 1951 on the west side of London and started playing drums at five years old. He quit school to focus on acting, but had to quit his run as the lead in Oliver when his voice broke. After spending time working at the Marquee Club, he found a few steady gigs touring with bands and even scored a record deal with his band Flaming Youth. He then auditioned for Genesis and served as the drummer and backup vocalist until 1975, when lead singer Peter Gabriel left. Collins then took over as the frontman and released several platinum records. He is one of only three recording artists who has sold over 100 million albums during both a solo career and as part of a band.