Peter Gabriel: creativity, biography, facts

Disappointment in music - a phenomenon that is quite common, especially among the giants of rock. Would it be possible to include Peter Gabriel? Well, if the word Genesis tells you something, it probably does. Gabriel was at the origins of this legendary band, and has always been the heart and soul of it... Then there was the breakup. Then there was Gabriel's solo career, which turned into hit pieces and interesting collaborations. And, of course, we can't forget about WOMAD, Peter's world-renowned project, which also reinforces his imposing reputation in the rock arena.

What is the secret of his success? Actually, for Peter Gabriel, genres are totally simplistic and meaningless. He believes that there is only good or bad music, whether you call it progressive or punk music, country or soul, rock or classical... To him it will always be important how a song is created and what processes it goes through. And the only thing he thinks labels do is put music in a cagefrom which Gabriel always wanted to free her.

He was one of the few musicians of that time who saw that there was a whole world of music and probability outside the United States and England. He was one of the leading proponents of what came to be called World Music, one of the main promoters of WOMAD, a festival and event whose motto could be one of the most famous phrases of this performer:

"If you know and like the music of other countries, you can no longer be a racist."

Early years and first steps

Born in Chobham, UK, February 13, 1950, Peter Brian Gabriel came from an upper middle-class family (one of his ancestors was even mayor of London). His passion for music was passed down to him from his mother, who taught him to play the piano at a tender age. Nevertheless, like almost all his peers, Peter fell in love with rock and roll and American music. One of his first passions was soul, and the first instrument he played in a band was drums. In 1965 he formed The Garden Wall, a trio in which he sang with his friends Tony Banks on keyboards and Chris Stewart on drums.

In December of that year, friends played with another group, The Apop.The band was a member of the band of Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford. Eventually the lineups joined together to record a demo that gave them a contract with Decca. This led to the now iconic band Genesis…

Success with Genesis

After some rather dull folk singles, they recorded their first album "From Genesis to Revelation" in 1969, still without a clear direction, mixing psychedelia and echoes of the early Bee Gees. The record sold a meager circulation of only 650 copies. Against the backdrop of the collapse, the Genesis members seriously considered going back to school and forgetting about music. But luckily, they did the opposite: they decided to make music their only profession and started writing and playing much more complex and advanced material. To that end, they started rehearsing and playing like crazy! There were some changes in the line-up, but as we can judge - they only played to the band's advantage.

They were performing more and more live, and their material was getting better and better. They managed to find the very thread that any band needs: they learned to work in tandem, to compose material in duets, work together. And very soon it paid off: the second record presented the music lovers with a hit "The Knife.".

The third record was recorded with a new drummer, whose name is familiar to everyone today: the Phil Collins! His appearance in the band was a fundamental change that made Genesis much better musically. Besides being a great drummer, Collins could sing and sing along to Peter. Another important part of their success was the arrival of guitarist Steve Hackett. It was the best Genesis lineup that recorded its best work entitled "Nursery Cryme." - a great '70s classic.

Peak popularity and going solo

Nevertheless, according to critics Genesis became a really strong band only with the release of the next album, called "Foxtrot.". Recorded by the same lineup (Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins), the record includes two of the band's great classics: a progressive sci-fi rock hit "Watcher of the Skies" and an extended suite entitled "Supper's Ready.

Each participant "golden lineup" is more beautiful and powerful here than ever before. After the release of "Foxtrot" Genesis enjoyed the peak of fame: their live performances gained theatricality, the lyrics became even deeper and more sensual... The legion of fans was already numbering in the millions. But soon Peter would feel disappointment from the music industry.

His last album with Genesis was the iconic "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Soon the soul of the group will go on a solo journey...

A self-sufficient person

With his departure from Genesis, Gabriel proved that he could exist in the industry as a self-sufficient person. However, he did not leave the band to conduct this experiment at all. After a succession of successful performances, a split followed. Peter said that he was disappointed in the music industry and wanted to spend more time with his family, and the other members were not too upset by his departure, because it was obvious: all the attention was always on the singer. So two separate careers arose.

As for Peter, his career was successful: after leaving Genesis he had hits, interesting and fruitful tandems with other musicians, fame, new fans... The secret of his success is simple: Peter has always been a man for whom art was more important than business. Instead of living quietly on his earnings, Gabriel used his fame to explore the more mysterious and forgotten corners of rock music. As he himself once said:

"That's what fascinates me: how you come up with a song and the processes you go through. Everything else is bullshit."