Peter Gabriel, a holy monster of progressive rock and English pop, has had an atypical musical career. Between experiments and social commitment, the one who will give two concerts with us, on Friday in Quebec and on September 13th in Montreal, has always wanted to maintain his full artistic freedom, both on stage and in the studio.
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To better understand the extent of the Peter Gabriel phenomenon, here are seven things you should know about him.
He founded the group Genesis
Photo by Claudel Huot, taken from the book Kosmos, a Quebec adventure in the era of progressive rock
After founding the group in 1967, he was its lead singer until his departure in 1975. His signature could be found on well-known albums such as “Nursery Cryme”, “Foxtrot” and “Selling England by the Pound”.
In 1977 he released his first solo album
On this first work we find Solsbury Hill, the single that introduces him as a soloist. After four albums of the same name, Peter Gabriel celebrated real success with the public in 1986 with the album “So”. Funnily enough, Sledgehammer, one of the album’s hits alongside “Big Time” and “In Your Eyes,” dethroned his former Genesis pals’ track “Invisible Touch” to the top of the US Billboard chart.
He is a multi-instrumentalist
Photo Christophe DELATTRE / AFP
In his early days with Genesis, in addition to singing, he was also a flautist. Over the course of his career, Peter Gabriel also played keyboard, piano, drums, bass, guitar, harmonica and oboe.
He has received several awards
Sledgehammer earned him no less than seven awards at the MTV Awards. The clip benefited from the most rotation on the music channel’s airwaves. Additionally, Digging in the Dirt won Best Music Video at the same Grammys in 1993.
Not forgetting the 1987 Brit Awards, which gave him Best Male Artist and Best Video Trophy for Sledgehammer.
He has always been socially active
Since the beginning of the 1980s, Peter Gabriel, with the support of the Iron Lady, denounced apartheid in South Africa. He wrote the piece “Biko” in memory of the anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who died in 1977. He later became involved in the organization Human Rights Now! Organized by Amnesty International in 1988 with Springsteen and Sting. The tour will also end at the Olympic Stadium.
He made a significant contribution to making world music known in Western countries.
Through his collaborations with musicians such as Youssou N’Dour, L. Shankar or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, he forged a close connection with several representatives of world music, which enabled several artists from Asia or Africa to achieve success in Europe and North America. In 1982, Gabriel himself founded the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festival, whose program is dedicated to world beat.
He composed impressive soundtracks
After the success of the soundtrack for the 1984 film Birdy, directors asked him to write scores for films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, The Road to Freedom, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, and Words With Gods.
He was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame twice
First in 2010 as a former member of Genesis and four years later in a personal capacity.
- Peter Gabriel performs at the Videotron Center in Quebec on Friday evening and at the Bell Center on September 13th.