PETER GABRIEL

Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched his solo career with a hit debut single entitled "Solsbury Hill". After Gabriel released four successful studio albums (all entitled Peter Gabriel), his fifth studio album, So (1986), became his best-selling release; it is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the US. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. A 2011 Time report said "Sledgehammer" was the most played music video of all time on MTV. Gabriel released Us (1992), OVO (2000), and Up (2002), the latter marking his last solo album for 21 years. Gabriel recorded the song "Down to Earth" for the Pixar film WALL-E (2008), recorded the cover album of other artists' songs Scratch My Back (2009), and developed the cover album of his own works by other artists And I'll Scratch Yours (2013). He embarked on the Back to Front Tour (2012–14), and the Rock Paper Scissors Tour with Sting (2016).