Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel first came to prominence as the original lead singer of Genesis, leaving the band in 1975 to begin a solo career that has taken in art rock, pop, film music and long-running collaborative work beyond the usual industry lanes.

Born in Chobham, Surrey in 1950, Gabriel has a catalogue that moves from the stark, exploratory run of Peter Gabriel 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the widescreen songwriting of So and Us. Tracks such as Sledgehammer show his flair for direct, inventive pop, while records including Passion and Birdy point to his parallel interest in soundtrack work. Outside his own releases, he founded WOMAD and Real World Studios, both central to a broader picture of Gabriel as an artist, organiser and facilitator as well as a songwriter.