Genesis Biography
Genesis Biography
Genesis was formed in January 1967 at Charterhouse Public School, England, by members of the school band and the fledgling local rock band, The Anon.
Tony Banks (keyboard) and Mike Rutherford (bass) teamed up with Peter Gabriel (flute, vocals), Anthony Phillips (guitar) and Chris Stewart (drums).
In 1968, they signed to Decca and, with help from producer Jonathan King, they recorded their first two singles, and the album 'From Genesis to Revelations' (Chris Stewart had been replaced on drums by John Silver) but were generally unsuccessful.
In 1970, the band came to the attention of Charisma, and with producer John Anthony they began to work on 'Trespass', a cult success.
After having replaced Phillips and Mayhew with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, the classic Genesis line-up was in place, and the band went on their now legendary 1971 tour, a colourful line-up of strange performances.
It was with 'Foxtrot', however, that Genesis scored their first major critical success, followed by 'Selling England by the Pound' in 1973. It soon made number three in the UK charts, gave the band a reputation in America, and also provided their first UK hit-single.
A year later, Genesis (now big-time rock superstars) released the concept double album 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. This album was also the last one to be made by the 'original' Genesis line-up.
In May 1975, Peter Gabriel announced his departure, and, almost two years later, Steve Hackett also left to embark upon a solo career.
In 1978, Collins, Banks and Rutherford moved from their prog-rock origins towards a light rock sound of the type that would dominate the worldwide charts in the 1980s. A number of albums were recorded during this period, most of them extremely successful.
But when, in March 1996, Phil Collins suddenly announced that he had left the band, the Genesis-era finally ended.
