Peter Gabriel, born on February 13, 1950, in Surrey, England, is a British musician who was the lead singer in the rock band Genesis. He left Genesis in 1975 and developed a liking for world rhythms. There was speculation that he would leave Genesis for a long time before he left on August 15, 1975.
He is an activist, record producer, and songwriter. The single ‘Sledgehammer’ won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Music Awards, and in 2011, it was the most viewed music video on MTV.
He has been working on world music all his life. He has also been involved in many humanitarian events. He has been credited with the anti-apartheid single ‘Biko.’ He was linked to the Amnesty International Human Rights Now tour in 1988.
Gabriel has won three BRIT Awards- winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, 13 MTV Music Video Awards, The Q Magazine Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize.
He even won the Man of Peace Award for human rights activism from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the most influential people in the world in 2008.
Have a closer look at why Peter Gabriel left Genesis.
Why did Peter Gabriel leave Genesis?
Gabriel left Genesis for experimental directions outside of music. He said in the documentary Genesis that there were long tours planned in the future, and he thought he was becoming part of a machine.
He was becoming a stereotype, a ‘rock star,’ and dealing with ego gratification. He hated himself, and he hated the situation. This and the fact that he was having a child with his wife pissed off the band because it was his priority.
One instance of his tastes changing is when he collaborated with director William Friedkin of The Exorcist, who thought deeply about Gabriel’s proposal. This made his brain work up different scenarios outside of the band. Gabriel announced that he was leaving the group at its conclusion.
He cited estrangements from his child and the strains of the difficult birth of his first child. In the British Music Press in August 1975, he said that the co-op vehicle for their songwriting became their master and pushed them toward success. It affected the viewpoint of the whole band.
Genesis (Credits: The Guardian)
What Went Wrong with His Fellow Bandmates?
Peter Gabriel had helped in the theatrical development of Genesis and its success, but the bandmates felt that he was messing up their chosen music path. They became more theatrical than musical, and this didn’t go well, especially with Tony Banks.
Things got worse when Gabriel wrote all of the lyrics, with creative differences between him and the rest of the group becoming starker. He went for more experimental methods in music, saying that he had more interest in foreign sounds.
Since then, he has contributed to world music in his entire career and became a world-famous musician. Phil Collins took up the main role in Genesis, but then the band reunited.
They performed a reunion show in 1975, and Gabriel continued to turn down major deals and offers from the band. He stayed absent during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2010.
