Philip Kenneth Collen was born on the 8th December 1957, in Walthamstow, London, England, and a musician known as one of the guitarists of the group Def Leppard since 1982, following the departure of Pete Willis. Before joining Def Leppard he played in the group Girl. Collen has been active in the entertainment industry since 1974.
How rich is the musician? It has been reported by authoritative sources that the outright size of Phil Collen’s net worth is as much as $20 million, as of the data presented in late 2016. Music is the main source of his wealth.
Phil Collen Net Worth $20 Million
Talking about his professional career, Collen played in various hard rock bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes and Girl; the latter had success in the UK with the albums “Sheer Greed” (1980) and “Wasted Youth” (1982). Moreover, their single “Hollywood Tease” managed to enter British charts.
In 1982, he replaced the guitarist in Def Leppard, Pete Willis, who was apparently effected by alcohol abuse. Phil quickly became an important person in the band, and together with Steve Clark created one of the best guitar duos known in the history of rock music; the two later became popularly called the terror twins, when the albums “Pyromania” (1983) and “Hysteria” (1987) reached international success. Collen and Clark produced very different music during the concerts of Def Leppard, with guitars riffs and lots of inventive chords. However, during the recording of the album “Adrenalize” (1991) Steve Clark died because of alcohol addiction, and after consuming a cocktail of alcohol, anti-depressants and painkillers, choking in his own vomit. Phil Collen took over all the guitar parts after the death of his colleague, and for a long time was the only guitarist in the studio, until the band was joined by Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell. In 2008, Def Leppard performed among others in the USA, as well as in various rock festivals in Europe and in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In 2008, they released a new album called “Songs From the Sparkle Lounge”, and in 2012, the band released the studio album “Pour Some Suger On Me / Rock of Ages”. Recently, the album under the same name “Def Leppard” (2015) has been released which topped the Billboard Top Rock Albums, Hard Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. All his efforts contributed to his rising net worth.
Meanwhile, Phil Collen also participated in other musical projects. The team Cybernauts recorded a live album with Joe Elliott, David Bowie and two members of the Spiders From Mars. This project was a single production, and alluded to the fascination with all glam rock performers. In 2004, Phil Collen founded his own project called Man-Raze, played the guitar and singing.
Finally, in the personal life of the musician, he has married three times, firstly to Jacqueline Collen(1990-05) and Anita Thomas(1999-2010). He married the actress and costume designer Helen L. Simmons in 2010. Phil has four children. Collen is known as a vegan. He resides in Orange County, Southern California.
American Music Awards - Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist, Hard Rock Album (1989),
Albums
“Sheer Greed” (1980), “Wasted Youth” (1982), “Pyromania” (1983), “Hysteria” (1987), “Adrenalize” (1991), “Songs From the Sparkle Lounge” (2008), “Pour Some Suger On Me / Rock of Ages” (2012), “Def Leppard” (2015), "Delta Deep" (2015)
MTV Video Music Awards - Best Heavy Metal Video (1989), Best Stage Performance in a Video (1989), Best Special Effects (1992), Best Metal/Hard Rock Video (1992)
TV Shows
100 Most Shocking Music Moments
#
Fact
1
Though still with Def Leppard, he recently completed work on a side project called "Man-Raze". The first single, "Skin Crawl", was released in late 2005. The album is due out in early 2006. [December 2005]
2
Phil replaced Pete Willis in 1982 during the recordings of "Pyromania". After Steven Clark's tragic death in 1991 and before Vivian Campbell joined, Phil took care of all the guitar parts during the recordings of the 1992 album "Adrenalize". Since then, Phil developed himself as one of the main songwriters of the band.
3
One of the newer guitarists of Def Leppard (not an original member). Has a son named Rory James Collen born January 4, 1990 with ex-wife Jacqueline Collen.
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Lucha Mexico
2016
Documentary writer: "POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME"
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2015
TV Series music - 1 episode
Lip Sync Battle
2015
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Raising Hope
2014
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The To Do List
2013
writer: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - as Philip Kenneth Collen
Dancing with the Stars
2013
TV Series writer - 1 episode
One Hit Wonderland
2012
TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
Rock of Ages
2012
writer: "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
2011-2012
TV Series writer - 2 episodes
The Apprentice
2011
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Rage
2009
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Tough Talk
2008
Short writer: "Miss You In A Heartbeat"
Balls of Fury
2007
writer: "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
American Dad!
2006
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Rock Star
2001
writer: "Let's Get Rocked" - as Kenneth Collen
Lucky Numbers
2000
writer: "Demolition Man" - as Phillip Collen / writer: "Excitable"
Coyote Ugly
2000
writer: "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
Ivory Tower
1998
writer: "Breathe a Sigh"
Beavis and Butt-Head
1993
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Encino Man
1992
lyrics: "Let's Get Rocked" / music: "Let's Get Rocked"