Phil Collen
| Phil Collen | |
|---|---|
Collen with Def Leppard on 26 July 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Philip Kenneth Collen |
| Also known as | One-half of "The Terror Twins" with co-guitarist Steve Clark: 1983–1991 |
| Born |
8 December 1957 Hackney, London, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, songwriter, vocals |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Mercury |
| Associated acts | Def Leppard, Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, Girl, Man-Raze, Cybernauts, BB Steal, Tesla (band) |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Jackson PC-1 Signature Dinky Jackson PC Supreme Jackson Soloist Ibanez Destroyer Jackson PC Archtop |
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Philip Kenneth "Phil" Collen (born 8 December 1957) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and former rhythm guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis.
Phillip Kenneth Collen was born in Hackney, London, England. He got his first guitar from his cousin David Pilley, who said Collen "used to just sit in his bedroom just playing it". Then, at the age of 16, Collen got his first guitar [a second "first guitar"] (a red Gibson SG), taught himself how to play, and left school to pursue a career in music. He then joined a line-up of early bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, and Girl. During his tenure with Girl, Collen's career began rising, spurred by the relative success of the albums Sheer Greed and Wasted Youth, which allowed Collen the opportunity to play at more significant venues.
A young Phil Collen can also be seen on the back cover of Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan as the live photo was actually taken at the Brixton Academy in London, a concert Collen attended, and not in Japan.
In an recent interview, Collen revealed that he was approached by Steve Harris to join Iron Maiden replacing guitarist Dennis Stratton. He had turned down the offer due to musical differences. The position would eventually be filled by future guitarist Adrian Smith.
Before Collen's entrance into Def Leppard on 12 July 1982 during the recording of Pyromania, he had previously been asked to consider joining the band during the 1981 tour for High 'n' Dry by Joe Elliott and Steve Clark, whom he knew at the time. Despite this invitation, there was no need to replace Pete Willis yet and as a result, Collen stayed as a member of Girl for the time being.
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