Peter Gabriel: Biography, Facts and Career

Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He is known primarily for both his solo career and his eight-year run as the frontman and lead vocalist of Genesis. A multi-time Grammy and Brit award winner, he is a two-time member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis and as a solo artist. Originally part of the Garden Wall, Gabriel became the frontman and leading figure in Genesis in 1967. Beginning with From Genesis to Revelation (1969), became their lead vocalist and songwriter, and was part of the early-to-mid 1970s success of the band. Several of his songs written whilst in Genesis became progressive rock anthems, including the 23-minute epic "Supper's Ready", "Firth of Fifth", "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", and "The Musical Box". He left the band in 1975 (following a tour promoting their album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)), and continued his musical endeavors with a solo career; his first single as a solo artist, "Solsbury Hill", became a hit single in the UK. Another single released during his solo career, the 1980 song "Biko", became an anthem for the South African anti-apartheid movement. After Gabriel released four successful studio albums (all entitled Peter Gabriel), his fifth studio album, So (1986), became his best-selling release; it is certified triple-platinum in the UK and quintuple-platinum in the US. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. A 2011 Time report said "Sledgehammer" was the most played music video of all time on MTV. Gabriel released Us (1992), OVO (2000), and Up (2002), the latter marking his last solo album for 21 years. Gabriel later recorded the song "Down to Earth" for the Pixar film WALL-E (2008), recorded a cover album of other artists' songs, Scratch My Back (2010), and developed a cover album of his own songs recorded by other artists And I'll Scratch Yours (2013). He embarked on the Back to Front Tour (2012–14), and the Rock Paper Scissors Tour with Sting (2016). Gabriel eventually released a solo album titled I/O (2023) on the lunar cycle, and supported it with the I/O The Tour that year. Gabriel has been releasing songs on the lunar cycle for the follow-up album O\I (2026). A supporter of world music for much of his career, Gabriel co-founded the World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival in 1982. He has also produced and promoted world music through his Real World Records label. He has pioneered digital distribution methods for music by co-founding OD2, one of the first online music download services. He has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts. He has participated in several human rights benefit concerts, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and co-founded the human rights organisation Witness in 1992. He developed the idea for The Elders, an organisation of public figures recognized as peace activists, alongside Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson in 2007. Gabriel has won three Brit Awards, eight Grammy Awards, 13 MTV Video Music Awards (predominantly with "Sledgehammer"), the inaugural Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q Lifetime Achievement, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize. He was named a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his "influence on generations of music makers". In recognition of his 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 worldwide in 2008. AllMusic have described him as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political". In recognition of his musical achievements, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in 2015.

Quick facts about Peter Gabriel

• Full name: Peter Gabriel
• Born: 1950-02-13
• Nationality: United Kingdom
• Known as: Musician
• Wikidata ID: Q175195

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