Peter Gabriel
Vintage postcard by Image Media, no. 32 bis. Photo: Essel Investments.
English singer Peter Gabriel (1950) rose to fame as the original lead singer and frontman of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful solo career with the hit 'Solsbury Hill'. His album, 'So' (1986), is his best-selling release. The single, 'Sledgehammer', won a record nine MTV Awards in 1987 and was MTV's most played music video of all time. AllMusic has described Gabriel as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political".
Peter Brian Gabriel was born in 1950 in Woking, Surrey. He was raised in a middle-class family in Coxhill, a Victorian manor situated on Deep Pool Farm, outside Chobham. His father, Ralph Parton Gabriel, was an electrical engineer and his mother, Edith Irene Gabriel (née Allen), was from a musical family. At twelve Gabriel wrote his first song, 'Sammy the Slug'. Around this time, an aunt gave him money for professional singing lessons but Gabriel used it to buy the first Beatles album. In 1963 Gabriel started at Charterhouse School, a private school in Godalming. There, Gabriel formed the band Garden Wall in 1965 with school friends Tony Banks on piano and Chris Stewart on drums. In 1967, after Garden Wall had disbanded, Gabriel, Banks, and Stewart were invited by fellow pupils Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford to work on a demo tape of songs. Gabriel and Banks contributed 'She is Beautiful', the first song they wrote together. The tape was sent to former Charterhouse pupil turned musician Jonathan King, who was immediately enthusiastic largely due to Gabriel's vocals. He signed the group and suggested a band name of Gabriel's Angels, but it was unpopular with the other members. They settled on King's other suggestion, Genesis. After King suggested they stick towards more straightforward pop, Gabriel and Banks wrote 'The Silent Sun' as a pastiche of the Bee Gees, one of King's favourite bands. It became Genesis's first single in 1968. It was included on their first studio album, 'From Genesis to Revelation' (1968), which saw Gabriel play the flute. The second Genesis album, 'Trespass' (1970), marked Gabriel expanding his musical output with the accordion, tambourine, and bass drum, and incorporate his soul music influences. Both albums sold little. The shows supporting 'Foxtrot' (1972) marked a key development in Gabriel's stage performance. He had started to recite stories to introduce numbers as a way to cover the silence between songs, while the band tuned their instruments. During a gig in Dublin in September 1972, he disappeared from the set during the instrumental section of 'The Musical Box' and reappeared in his wife's red dress and a fox's head, mimicking the album's cover. He kept the idea to himself as he felt the band would have voted against it. The incident received front-page coverage in Melody Maker, giving them national exposure which allowed the group to double their performance fee. One of Gabriel's stories was printed on the liner notes of their live album, 'Genesis Live' (1973). Following the success of 'Selling England by the Pound' (1973), which centered around English themes and literary references, a typical Genesis show had Gabriel wear fluorescent make-up, a cape, and bat wings for 'Watcher of the Skies', a helmet, chest plate, and a shield for 'Dancing With the Moonlit Knight', various costumes for 'Supper's Ready', and an old man mask for 'The Musical Box'. 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' (1974) was Gabriel's final album with Genesis. He devised its story of the spiritual journey of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth living in New York City, and the bizarre incidents and characters he meets on the way. Music critics often focused their reviews on Gabriel's theatrics and took the band's musical performance as secondary which irritated the rest of the band. His exit in May 1975 resulted in drummer Phil Collins reluctantly taking over on lead vocals after 400 singers were fruitlessly auditioned.
His album 'Peter Gabriel' was released in February 1977 and reached no. 7 in the UK and no. 38 in the US. Its lead single, 'Solsbury Hill', is an autobiographical song about a spiritual experience on top of Solsbury Hill in Somerset. Gabriel started recording the second 'Peter Gabriel' album in the Netherlands, with Fripp as a producer. Its 'Mother of Violence' was written by Gabriel and his first wife Jill. Released in June 1978, the album went to No. 10 in the UK and No. 45 in the US. Gabriel's tour for the album lasted from August to December 1978. On this tour, Gabriel and his band shaved their heads. Gabriel recorded the third 'Peter Gabriel' album in England in 1979. He had developed an interest in African music and drum machines and later hailed the record as his breakthrough. Gabriel signed with Mercury Records. Released in May 1980, the album went to no. 1 in the UK for three weeks. In the US, it peaked at no. 22. The singles 'Games Without Frontiers' went to no. 4 and 'Biko' went to no. 36 in the UK. On 'Peter Gabriel four', Gabriel took on greater responsibility over the production than before. He recorded it in 1981 and 1982, solely on digital tape, with a mobile studio parked at his home, Ashcombe House, in Somerset. The album hit no. 6 in the UK and no. 28 in the US. The second single, 'Shock the Monkey', became Gabriel's first top 40 hit in the US, reaching no. 29. In 1983, Gabriel developed the soundtrack for Alan Parker's film Birdy (1984).
In 1985, Peter Gabriel recorded his fifth studio album, 'So', which he co-produced with Daniel Lanois. 'So' was released in May 1986 and reached no. 1 in the UK and no. 2 in the US. It remains Gabriel's best selling album with over 5 million copies sold in the US alone. It produced three UK top 20 singles: 'Sledgehammer', 'Big Time', and 'Don't Give Up', a duet with Kate Bush. The former went to no. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Gabriel's only single of his career to do so. It knocked off 'Invisible Touch' by Genesis from the top spot, also their only US number one hit. In the UK, the single went to no. 4. 'Sledgehammer's famed music video was a collaboration between director Stephen R. Johnson, Aardman Animations, and the Brothers Quay and won a record nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987. In 1998, it was named MTV's number one animated video of all time. In 1988, Gabriel became involved as the composer for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Its soundtrack was released as 'Passion' in June 1989. It won Gabriel a Grammy Award for Best New Age Performance and a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score – Motion Picture. From 1989 to 1992, Gabriel recorded his follow-up to So, entitled Us. The album saw Gabriel address personal themes, including his failed first marriage, psychotherapy, and the growing distance between him and his eldest daughter at the time. Gabriel's introspection within the context of the album Us can be seen in the first single release "Digging in the Dirt" directed by John Downer. Accompanied by a disturbing video featuring Gabriel covered in snails and various foliage, this song made reference to the psychotherapy which had taken up much of Gabriel's time since the previous album. Gabriel describes his struggle to get through to his daughter in 'Come Talk To Me' directed by Matt Mahurin, which featured backing vocals by Sinéad O'Connor. O'Connor also lent vocals to 'Blood of Eden', directed by Nichola Bruce and Michael Coulson, the third single to be released from the album, and once again dealing with relationship struggles, this time going right back to Adam's rib for inspiration. The result was one of Gabriel's most personal albums. It met with less success than 'So', reaching no. 2 in the album chart on both sides of the Atlantic.In 1997, Gabriel was invited to participate in the direction and soundtrack of the Millennium Dome Show, a live multimedia performance staged in the Millennium Dome in London throughout 2000.
Peter Gabriel stuck with soundtrack work for his next project, scoring for the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) with worldbeat music. 'Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence' (2002) received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score – Motion Picture.
'Up', Gabriel's first full-length studio album in a decade, was also released in 2002. 'Up' reached no. 9 in the US and no. 11 in the UK, and was supported with a world tour with a band that included Gabriel's daughter Melanie on backing vocals. At the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Gabriel performed John Lennon's 'Imagine'. In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. Gabriel contributed to the WALL-E (2008) soundtrack with Thomas Newman, including the film's closing song, 'Down to Earth', for which they received a Grammy Award. The song was also nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. In 2010, Gabriel released 'Scratch My Back', an album of cover songs by various artists including David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Neil Young. Gabriel has married twice and has four children. In 1971, at age 21, he married Jill Moore, daughter of Lord Moore of Wolvercote. They had two daughters, Anna-Marie (1974) and Melanie (1976). Anna-Marie is a filmmaker who filmed and directed Gabriel's live DVDs Growing Up on Tour: A Family Portrait and Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped. Melanie is a musician who has been a backing vocalist in her father's band since 2002. The marriage became increasingly strained, culminating in Moore's affair with David Lord, the co-producer of Gabriel's fourth album. It ended in divorce in 1987, and Gabriel went through a period of depression and attended therapy sessions for six years. For a time after his divorce, Gabriel lived with American actress Rosanna Arquette. In 2002, Gabriel married Meabh Flynn, 21 years his junior. They have two sons, Isaac Ralph (2001) and Luc (2008).
Source: Wikipedia.
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Peter Gabriel
Vintage postcard by Image Media, no. 32 bis. Photo: Essel Investments.
English singer Peter Gabriel (1950) rose to fame as the original lead singer and frontman of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful solo career with the hit 'Solsbury Hill'. His album, 'So' (1986), is his best-selling release. The single, 'Sledgehammer', won a record nine MTV Awards in 1987 and was MTV's most played music video of all time. AllMusic has described Gabriel as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political".
Peter Brian Gabriel was born in 1950 in Woking, Surrey. He was raised in a middle-class family in Coxhill, a Victorian manor situated on Deep Pool Farm, outside Chobham. His father, Ralph Parton Gabriel, was an electrical engineer and his mother, Edith Irene Gabriel (née Allen), was from a musical family. At twelve Gabriel wrote his first song, 'Sammy the Slug'. Around this time, an aunt gave him money for professional singing lessons but Gabriel used it to buy the first Beatles album. In 1963 Gabriel started at Charterhouse School, a private school in Godalming. There, Gabriel formed the band Garden Wall in 1965 with school friends Tony Banks on piano and Chris Stewart on drums. In 1967, after Garden Wall had disbanded, Gabriel, Banks, and Stewart were invited by fellow pupils Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford to work on a demo tape of songs. Gabriel and Banks contributed 'She is Beautiful', the first song they wrote together. The tape was sent to former Charterhouse pupil turned musician Jonathan King, who was immediately enthusiastic largely due to Gabriel's vocals. He signed the group and suggested a band name of Gabriel's Angels, but it was unpopular with the other members. They settled on King's other suggestion, Genesis. After King suggested they stick towards more straightforward pop, Gabriel and Banks wrote 'The Silent Sun' as a pastiche of the Bee Gees, one of King's favourite bands. It became Genesis's first single in 1968. It was included on their first studio album, 'From Genesis to Revelation' (1968), which saw Gabriel play the flute. The second Genesis album, 'Trespass' (1970), marked Gabriel expanding his musical output with the accordion, tambourine, and bass drum, and incorporate his soul music influences. Both albums sold little. The shows supporting 'Foxtrot' (1972) marked a key development in Gabriel's stage performance. He had started to recite stories to introduce numbers as a way to cover the silence between songs, while the band tuned their instruments. During a gig in Dublin in September 1972, he disappeared from the set during the instrumental section of 'The Musical Box' and reappeared in his wife's red dress and a fox's head, mimicking the album's cover. He kept the idea to himself as he felt the band would have voted against it. The incident received front-page coverage in Melody Maker, giving them national exposure which allowed the group to double their performance fee. One of Gabriel's stories was printed on the liner notes of their live album, 'Genesis Live' (1973). Following the success of 'Selling England by the Pound' (1973), which centered around English themes and literary references, a typical Genesis show had Gabriel wear fluorescent make-up, a cape, and bat wings for 'Watcher of the Skies', a helmet, chest plate, and a shield for 'Dancing With the Moonlit Knight', various costumes for 'Supper's Ready', and an old man mask for 'The Musical Box'. 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' (1974) was Gabriel's final album with Genesis. He devised its story of the spiritual journey of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth living in New York City, and the bizarre incidents and characters he meets on the way. Music critics often focused their reviews on Gabriel's theatrics and took the band's musical performance as secondary which irritated the rest of the band. His exit in May 1975 resulted in drummer Phil Collins reluctantly taking over on lead vocals after 400 singers were fruitlessly auditioned.
His album 'Peter Gabriel' was released in February 1977 and reached no. 7 in the UK and no. 38 in the US. Its lead single, 'Solsbury Hill', is an autobiographical song about a spiritual experience on top of Solsbury Hill in Somerset. Gabriel started recording the second 'Peter Gabriel' album in the Netherlands, with Fripp as a producer. Its 'Mother of Violence' was written by Gabriel and his first wife Jill. Released in June 1978, the album went to No. 10 in the UK and No. 45 in the US. Gabriel's tour for the album lasted from August to December 1978. On this tour, Gabriel and his band shaved their heads. Gabriel recorded the third 'Peter Gabriel' album in England in 1979. He had developed an interest in African music and drum machines and later hailed the record as his breakthrough. Gabriel signed with Mercury Records. Released in May 1980, the album went to no. 1 in the UK for three weeks. In the US, it peaked at no. 22. The singles 'Games Without Frontiers' went to no. 4 and 'Biko' went to no. 36 in the UK. On 'Peter Gabriel four', Gabriel took on greater responsibility over the production than before. He recorded it in 1981 and 1982, solely on digital tape, with a mobile studio parked at his home, Ashcombe House, in Somerset. The album hit no. 6 in the UK and no. 28 in the US. The second single, 'Shock the Monkey', became Gabriel's first top 40 hit in the US, reaching no. 29. In 1983, Gabriel developed the soundtrack for Alan Parker's film Birdy (1984).
In 1985, Peter Gabriel recorded his fifth studio album, 'So', which he co-produced with Daniel Lanois. 'So' was released in May 1986 and reached no. 1 in the UK and no. 2 in the US. It remains Gabriel's best selling album with over 5 million copies sold in the US alone. It produced three UK top 20 singles: 'Sledgehammer', 'Big Time', and 'Don't Give Up', a duet with Kate Bush. The former went to no. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Gabriel's only single of his career to do so. It knocked off 'Invisible Touch' by Genesis from the top spot, also their only US number one hit. In the UK, the single went to no. 4. 'Sledgehammer's famed music video was a collaboration between director Stephen R. Johnson, Aardman Animations, and the Brothers Quay and won a record nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987. In 1998, it was named MTV's number one animated video of all time. In 1988, Gabriel became involved as the composer for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Its soundtrack was released as 'Passion' in June 1989. It won Gabriel a Grammy Award for Best New Age Performance and a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score – Motion Picture. From 1989 to 1992, Gabriel recorded his follow-up to So, entitled Us. The album saw Gabriel address personal themes, including his failed first marriage, psychotherapy, and the growing distance between him and his eldest daughter at the time. Gabriel's introspection within the context of the album Us can be seen in the first single release "Digging in the Dirt" directed by John Downer. Accompanied by a disturbing video featuring Gabriel covered in snails and various foliage, this song made reference to the psychotherapy which had taken up much of Gabriel's time since the previous album. Gabriel describes his struggle to get through to his daughter in 'Come Talk To Me' directed by Matt Mahurin, which featured backing vocals by Sinéad O'Connor. O'Connor also lent vocals to 'Blood of Eden', directed by Nichola Bruce and Michael Coulson, the third single to be released from the album, and once again dealing with relationship struggles, this time going right back to Adam's rib for inspiration. The result was one of Gabriel's most personal albums. It met with less success than 'So', reaching no. 2 in the album chart on both sides of the Atlantic.In 1997, Gabriel was invited to participate in the direction and soundtrack of the Millennium Dome Show, a live multimedia performance staged in the Millennium Dome in London throughout 2000.
Peter Gabriel stuck with soundtrack work for his next project, scoring for the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) with worldbeat music. 'Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence' (2002) received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score – Motion Picture.
'Up', Gabriel's first full-length studio album in a decade, was also released in 2002. 'Up' reached no. 9 in the US and no. 11 in the UK, and was supported with a world tour with a band that included Gabriel's daughter Melanie on backing vocals. At the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Gabriel performed John Lennon's 'Imagine'. In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. Gabriel contributed to the WALL-E (2008) soundtrack with Thomas Newman, including the film's closing song, 'Down to Earth', for which they received a Grammy Award. The song was also nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. In 2010, Gabriel released 'Scratch My Back', an album of cover songs by various artists including David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Neil Young. Gabriel has married twice and has four children. In 1971, at age 21, he married Jill Moore, daughter of Lord Moore of Wolvercote. They had two daughters, Anna-Marie (1974) and Melanie (1976). Anna-Marie is a filmmaker who filmed and directed Gabriel's live DVDs Growing Up on Tour: A Family Portrait and Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped. Melanie is a musician who has been a backing vocalist in her father's band since 2002. The marriage became increasingly strained, culminating in Moore's affair with David Lord, the co-producer of Gabriel's fourth album. It ended in divorce in 1987, and Gabriel went through a period of depression and attended therapy sessions for six years. For a time after his divorce, Gabriel lived with American actress Rosanna Arquette. In 2002, Gabriel married Meabh Flynn, 21 years his junior. They have two sons, Isaac Ralph (2001) and Luc (2008).
Source: Wikipedia.
More, more, more? Take a look at our postcard albums Vintage Pop Stars, French Pop Stars, British Pop Stars, and American Pop Stars!