Peter Gabriel
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Miami Vice Performer
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"The Rhythm of the Heat" and "Biko" ("Evan")
"Red Rain" ("Stone's War") "Mercy Street" ("Killshot") "Sledgehammer" ("Better Living Through Chemistry") "We Do What We're Told" ("Forgive Us Our Debts" and "Deliver Us from Evil") "Don't Give Up" (with Kate Bush, from "Redemption in Blood") |
Born
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February 13, 1950, Chobham, Surrey, England
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Active
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1967-present
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Spouse(s)/Children
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Jill Moore (1971-1987, divorced), two children
Meabh Flynn (2002-present), two children |
Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950 in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an Grammy-winning English singer-songwriter whose songs "The Rhythm of the Heat" and "Biko" (from "Evan"), "Red Rain" (from "Stone's War"), "Mercy Street" (from "Killshot"), "Sledgehammer" (from "Better Living Through Chemistry"), "We Do What We're Told" (from "Forgive Us Our Debts" and "Deliver Us from Evil"), and "Don't Give Up" (with Kate Bush, from "Redemption in Blood") were featured in the series Miami Vice. With seven songs used, Gabriel had the most songs featured by a solo artist in the Miami Vice series, and he is the only artist to have had a song used in four of Vice's five seasons (season 2 did not feature any of his songs). Five of the nine tracks on his album So were used in the series. The album itself was mentioned by Chris Elliot's character in "Down for the Count (Part II)".
Genesis[]
For more information about Gabriel's time in Genesis, see Genesis.
Gabriel, along with Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart (replaced later by Phil Collins) founded Genesis in 1967. Their theatrical stage shows and outlandish costumes marked the band's early days, Gabriel wrote several songs for the group, and the band (including Gabriel and Collins) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. However, their albums were not big sellers, the band tired of the theatrical nature of their shows, and Gabriel's departure before a tour due to his then-wife's difficult pregnancy and birth of their first daughter led to Gabriel leaving the band in 1975, and Collins took over Gabriel's role as lead singer.
Solo career[]
Gabriel released three self-titled solo albums between 1976-1980 (the third album featured the song "Biko") but had little success in America, but his fourth, called Security and released in 1982, featured his songs "Shock The Monkey" (which was Gabriel's first Top 40 single and its' video received heavy MTV airplay) and "The Rhythm of the Heat". Gabriel's biggest success came in 1986 with the release of So, which included his only #1 song "Sledgehammer" (and the video to that song swept the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards for its' innovation and design), his final Top 10 song "Big Time", and four other songs included on Vice; "Red Rain", "Mercy Street", "We Do What We're Told", and his duet with Kate Bush, "Don't Give Up". His next two releases, the Grammy winning soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ, Passion, and 1992's Us did well, but not as successful as So. Us delved into Gabriel's private hells—his divorce from his wife and the estrangment from his oldest daughter. Two videos from the album--"Digging In The Dirt" and "Steam", won Grammys as did the video of his 1994 concert tour, Secret World Live.
In the 2000s Gabriel released five albums, OVO, Up, You Scratch My Back (the latter released in 2010 featuring Gabriel covering songs by David Bowie, Lou Reed, Neil Young, and others), New Blood, and a follow-up album to You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours, was released in September, 2013 and featured artists covering Gabriel songs. Gabriel was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once with Genesis in 2010 and as a solo act in 2014.
Personal life[]
Gabriel married Jill Moore from 1971 until their divorce in 1987, they had two daughters; Anne-Marie (born 1974) and Melanie (born 1976, who accompanies her father on tours and in the studio contributing backing vocals), then had a relationship in the late 1980s-early 1990's with actress Rosanna Arquette, but did not marry. In 2002 Gabriel married his second wife, Mebah Flynn, and had two children; Isaac Ralph (born 2001) and Luc (born 2008).