Phil Collen > Biography Info Written By DefDazz

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Born -- 8th December 1957 in Hackney, London, England.

Full Name -- Phillip Kenneth Collen.

Nickname -- Phil.

Family -- Parents - Mother Connie (passed away in 1998)/Father Kenneth (passed away in 2004).

Family -- Son Rory James (By ex-wife Jacqueline).

Family -- Daughter Samantha (By ex-girlfriend Michele).

Family -- Ex-Wife Anita Thomas.

Family -- Wife Helen.

Current Home -- Laguna Hills, CA, USA.

School -- Yes.

Early Jobs -- Burglar Alarm Factory, Motorbike Delivery man for printing firm.

Food -- Phil has been a vegetarian since the early 80s but is no longer a strict vegan.

First Bands -- Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, Girl.

Other Bands -- Man Raze (2004-present) with Simon Laffy (ex-Girl) and Paul Cook (Sex Pistols).

Influences -- Prince, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Motown.

Singing -- Was the first member of Def Leppard other than Joe Elliott to sing lead vocals. He has sung lead on four tracks in all. 'Miss You In A Heartbeat', 'Move With Me Slowly', 'Stay With Me' and 'Search And Destroy'. He sang 'Miss You In A Heartbeat' on a TV show in 1995 and live various times starting on the 1996 'Slang' tour.

Unreleased Music -- A 1996 demo for 'Breathe A Sigh' features Phil on lead vocals. He has also sung lead on Def Leppard's yet to be released cover of the Police classic 'Roxanne'.

Cybernauts -- In 1997 Phil and Joe played with the original Spiders From Mars backing band performing David Bowie songs as a tribute to Mick Ronson. In 2001 they regrouped under the name Cybernauts and released a 1997 Dublin show. Also included were new studio recordings of other classic Bowie songs.

Writing -- Phil has written two Leppard singles on his own. 1994's 'Miss You In A Heartbeat' and 1996's 'Breathe A Sigh'. He has also written various album tracks.

Main Guitar -- Phil has his own model of Jackson guitar known as the PC1 using various models on stage. He also plays Fender electric and acoustic guitars in the studio and live. Phil has previously used Ibanez Destroyer and Gibson Les Paul guitars.