Phil Collen
Encyclopedia
Philip Kenneth "Phil" Collen (born 8 December 1957) is the co-lead guitarist and one of the backing vocalists for English
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 rock band Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis
Pete Willis
Pete Willis was one of the original guitarists for the British rock band Def Leppard, until he was replaced by Phil Collen in 1982...

.

Early years

Collen was born in Hackney
Hackney Central
Hackney Central is the central district of the London Borough of Hackney in London, England. It comprises the area roughly surrounding, and extending north from Mare Street. It is situated north east of Charing Cross...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England. He got his first guitar from his cousin David Pilley, who said "he used to just sit in his bedroom just playing it". Then, at the age of 16, Phil got his 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
Lucy (band)
Lucy were an English punk band featuring Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen.The first line-up of this band featured lead vocalist Paul Mewse, guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Peter Ferris, and drummer Len Foster...

, Tush
Tush (band)
TUSH were an English rock band from London active during the mid-1970s, and at one time featured current Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen....

, Dumb Blondes
Dumb Blondes
The 'Original' Dumb Blondes, as they were initially called, were a Punk/Rock/Glam band with the occasional touch of Reggae which included current Def Leppard and Manraze guitarist Phil Collen....

, and Girl
Girl (band)
Girl were an English glam metal band formed in 1979, who split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns among others.-History:The band's lead vocalist was Phil Lewis...

. During his tenure at Girl, Collen's career began rising, spurred by the relative success of the Girl albums Sheer Greed
Sheer Greed
Sheer Greed is the first album of the British glam metal band Girl, released in January 1980 by the independent record label Jet Records. The album was published during the explosion of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal phenomenon and its sales took advantage of the favourable attitude towards...

and Wasted Youth, which allowed Collen the opportunity to play at more significant venues.

Def Leppard

Before Collen's entrance to Def Leppard, he had been previously asked to consider joining the band by Steve Clark
Steve Clark
Stephen Maynard Clark was an English musician, co-lead guitarist for the British hard rock band Def Leppard up until his death in 1991 due to a combination of alcohol and multiple prescription drugs...

 and Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...

, who he knew at the time. Despite this invitation, there was no need to replace Pete Willis
Pete Willis
Pete Willis was one of the original guitarists for the British rock band Def Leppard, until he was replaced by Phil Collen in 1982...

, and as a result, Collen stayed as a member of Girl.

However, when Willis left Def Leppard, there became a vacancy in the lineup, and Collen took this place after an audition performing Photograph
Photograph (Def Leppard song)
"Photograph" is a 1983 single by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Pyromania. It was written as a tribute to the late actress Marilyn Monroe, as singer Joe Elliott often stated before playing the song live onstage. When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top...

 during the recording sessions of Pyromania
Pyromania (album)
Pyromania is the third studio album by British rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983. It featured new guitarist Phil Collen and was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the UK Albums Chart.The album was partially recorded with...

. Soon after, Collen officially joined the band, impressing both producer Mutt Lange and the rest of the band with his ability at playing the guitar. He and fellow guitarist Clark quickly bonded, becoming close friends and leading to the trademark dual-guitar sound of Def Leppard. He and Clark became known as the "Terror Twins," in recognition of their talents. By this time, Collen had also become noted for his trademark bare-chested stage appearances.

During the 1980s, Collen quit drinking alcohol, which he had developed a serious addiction to, stopped eating meat, and adopted a generally healthy lifestyle. According to Collen, he began to suffer blackouts due to alcohol, and quit when he realised that alcohol was beginning to dominate his life, and he was losing control of his addiction. In contrast, Clark did not follow such standards and died due to alcohol abuse in early 1991.

After Clark died, Collen was faced with the challenge of not only dealing with the loss of a friend and band-mate, but also with the burden and responsibility of the Adrenalize
Adrenalize
-Deluxe Edition :*Tracks 1-4 are taken from the band's Live: In the Clubs, in Your Face EP, recorded at Bonn, Germany, on 29 May 1992*Tracks 5 & 6 taken from "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" single....

recordings. The music had been written by this time, but Clark's playing style differed so much from Collen's that actually recording all of his parts proved very difficult. While Clark's playing style was rhythmic, melodic, and sometimes even characterized as "sloppy," Collen's style was technical and precise, leading to difficulties in mimicking the sound of Clark's guitar parts. Due to the aftermath of Clark's death, as well as the issues with the recording of Adrenalize, Collen seriously considered leaving Def Leppard. According to Joe Elliot, Collen said that he couldn't bear to play guitar anymore after Clark's death. He said, "I'd rather be a plumber." However, once Vivian Campbell
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish rock guitarist who is a member of Def Leppard and was, from May 2010 to November 2011, a member of Thin Lizzy. Prior to joining Def Leppard in April 1992, he had been a member of Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King...

 joined the band to replace the spot of second guitarist shortly before the Adrenalize tour, Collen was relieved of some of the pressures of the "overkill" production style of Def Leppard, as well as the challenge of reproducing Clark's guitar parts for live shows.

Equipment

In 1989, Collen worked with Jackson Guitars
Jackson Guitars
__FORCETOC__Jackson is a renowned brand of electric guitar that bears the name of its founder, Grover Jackson.-Early years:Grover Jackson obtained ownership in Charvel's Guitar Repair of Glendora, California in the 1970s with a promise to bolster Charvel's business...

 to develop an ergonomically correct electric guitar, although according to Collen, he designed them because "they looked cool," and they ended up having bad balance, as well as a "really weird shape."

Recently, his live rig with Def Leppard is generally various Jackson PC1 Signature Dinky (Some are stock, some are modified in the custom shop), all equipped with Dimarzio and Floyd Rose Sustainer pickups (Except for the Supreme models). For acoustics, Collen uses several Fenders, Breedloves, and a Guild acoustic guitar. The electric guitar signal is sent, via a Shure wireless unit, to Marshall JMP 1 preamps and TC Electronic Chorus/Flanger, TC Electronic D-Two, and Alesis Midiverb effect processors. The signal is then sent through old (1980s) Randall Power Amps. Finally the signal is fed into the PA and Palmer Cabinet Simulators. For strings, Collen uses D'Addario
D'Addario
D'Addario is a manufacturer of musical instrument strings, primarily guitar strings, currently headquartered in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York...

 .13 - .54 and .13 - .56 gauge stings. .

Side projects

Collen has been involved in several side projects over his career, most notably the band Man Raze, formed as a joint collaboration with former Girl
Girl (band)
Girl were an English glam metal band formed in 1979, who split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns among others.-History:The band's lead vocalist was Phil Lewis...

 bandmate Simon Laffy
Simon Laffy
Simon Laffy is an English bassist, a member of Man-Raze and former member of Girl.-Career:Simon Laffy was born at home in Hoxton, London. He started playing music at fourteen years old, inspired by his musician brother, Steve...

 as bassist and drummer Paul Cook
Paul Cook
Paul Thomas Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...

 from the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...

.

In 1990, Collen co-produced the On the Edge album of the Australian band BB Steal
BB Steal
BB Steal are an Australian band formed circa 1987. Lead vocalist Craig Csongrady has been the only permanent member.The band originally featured former Boss members lead vocalist Craig Csongrady and guitarist Kevin Pratt, as well as guitarist Warren Mason, bassist Peter Waterank, and drummer Peter...

.

In 1991, Collen offered a song he had written, "Miss You In A Heartbeat" to the band The Law
The Law (band)
For other bands named Law, see Law The Law were an English rock group formed in 1991 comprising drummer Kenney Jones and singer Paul Rodgers . The two teamed up with the idea of using different supporting musicians, in order to allow Paul Rodgers to pursue whatever musical style he felt like...

, which was featured on the band's self-titled album. This album was the band's only release. "Miss You In A Heartbeat" was later recorded and released by Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

.

In 1993, Collen executive produced the album Sublime To The Ridiculous for the band, Sheer Greed
Sheer Greed (band)
Sheer Greed were a band featuring former Girl members Gerry Laffy, Simon Laffy, and Pete Barnacle. The band also featured guitarist Neil Gabbitas.Gerry Laffy sang lead vocals in Sheer Greed, as well as playing guitar....

, composed of former members of Girl
Girl (band)
Girl were an English glam metal band formed in 1979, who split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns among others.-History:The band's lead vocalist was Phil Lewis...

, an act Collen was also associated earlier in his career.

Collen has also worked in side projects with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...

. One of these recent projects was a tribute to David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...

 and Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...

. He and Elliott also joined with Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder is an English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars, the one-time backing band for David Bowie, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the...

 and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey
Mick Woodmansey
Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey is an English rock drummer from Driffield, Yorkshire, best known for his work with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars...

 from Spiders from Mars and keyboardist Dick Decent to form the band Cybernauts
Cybernauts
Cybernauts were a David Bowie cover band, formed as a tribute to Mick Ronson, featuring Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, former Spiders From Mars members Trevor Bolder and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey , and a keyboards/vocalist, Cybernauts released a limited edition live album in Japan...

. In 2001 they released a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

 of Bowie songs.

In 1996, Collen performed as a featured guitarist on the Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle album - a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...

 to Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...

. Collen performed on the single, "'Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from the album.

In 2010, Collen recorded the song "Hard Times Celebrate" with rapper Bazaar Royale, featured on the album "The Ride."

Personal life

Collen currently resides in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

, in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, where he has lived for more than eighteen years. According to Collen, "I'm almost a California native now." He has three children: a son Rory James Collen (born 1990) with his first wife Jacqueline Collen
Jacqueline Collen
Jacqueline Marie Collen is an American actress.-Career:Jacqueline Collen was born on a non-working farm in Colorado, USA, on February 27, 1968. She worked for several years as a model before becoming an actress. Jacqueline is best known for her role as Maeve on the Adventures of Sinbad...

, and a daughter Samantha (born 2004) with a later girlfriend. And another daughter Savannah with yet another girlfriend. He is married again to costume designer Helen L. Simmons.
Collen is a vegan, and has worked with PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...

 to promote vegetarianism.

Discography

With Def Leppard
  • Pyromania
    Pyromania (album)
    Pyromania is the third studio album by British rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983. It featured new guitarist Phil Collen and was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the UK Albums Chart.The album was partially recorded with...

    (1983)
  • Hysteria (1987)
  • Adrenalize
    Adrenalize
    -Deluxe Edition :*Tracks 1-4 are taken from the band's Live: In the Clubs, in Your Face EP, recorded at Bonn, Germany, on 29 May 1992*Tracks 5 & 6 taken from "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" single....

    (1992)
  • Retro Active
    Retro Active
    Retro Active is an album by British hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions between 1984 and 1993...

    (1993)
  • Slang
    Slang (album)
    - Certifications :-Personnel:* Rick Allen – drums, percussion* Vivian Campbell – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, dulcimer, vocals* Phil Collen – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, mandolin, vocals...

    (1996)
  • Euphoria (1999)
  • X
    X (Def Leppard album)
    X is the eighth studio album by British rock band Def Leppard, released in 2002 by Island Records. Much like 1996's Slang, it featured another departure from their signature sound by moving into the pop genre. The album charted at #11 on The Billboard 200 and #14 on the UK Albums Chart...

    (2002)
  • Yeah! (2006)
  • Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
    Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
    -Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD:* "Behind The Curtain"* "The Sparkle Lounge Commentary"* "Nine Lives" Music Video-Chart positions:-Personnel:*Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals, additional guitars*Joe Elliott – vocals...

    (2008)
  • Mirrorball: Live And More
    Mirrorball (Def Leppard album)
    -Disc two:-DVD:Behind The Scenes on the Sparkle Lounge Tour 2008-2009, including live performances of*Rock! Rock! *Armageddon It*Pour Some Sugar on Me*HysteriaMusic Videos*Nine Lives*C'mon C'mon-Sales:...

    (2011)

External links

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