As the Not Dead Yet Tour approached, legendary drummer Phil Collins began to experience nerve problems in his hand that made drumming increasingly difficult. To address this problem, he enlisted his son Nic Collins to take over drumming duties for the tour from 2016 to 2019. During a tour stop in Houston, the father-son duo shared a memorable moment when Nic walked up to the piano after Phil introduced him to the audience.
Phil revealed to the audience that Nic had discovered a song from his debut solo album, You Know What I Mean, that Phil himself liked. In a playful exchange, Phil joked about the number of songs Nic liked, and Nic clarified: “Two songs… mainly just one”. They then delivered a soulful performance of the song, with Phil on vocals and Nic on piano.
The performance was warmly received by Phil Collins’ fans, who were happy to see him perform live despite his health issues. The video of the performance has been viewed over 2.7 million times and many viewers were touched by the father-son collaboration. Comments praised the emotional connection and Nic’s obvious musical talent. One viewer remarked: “Wonderful to see father and son together like this”, and others confirmed: “Nic Collins has inherited Phil’s musical talent”.
The tour also allowed Nic to showcase his diverse musical skills, especially on the drums. At the same show in Houston, Nic demonstrated his drumming skills in a duet with percussionist Richie Garcia, impressing even his father. When Nic joined Richie and Phil for a cajon performance, the group developed into a dynamic drum trio.
After the tour ended in 2019, Nic continued to support his father as a drummer on the Genesis tour from 2020 to 2022. He also joined Mike and the Mechanics, the band led by his father’s Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford, and showcased his drumming skills with them. In 2022, Nic released his solo project “Better Strangers”, which offers a deeper look into his drumming skills. With a promising future ahead of him, Nic Collins is ready to further his musical career while continuing his father’s legacy.
James Earl Jones, acclaimed actor and voice of Darth Vader, dead at 93
James Earl Jones, the beloved stage and screen actor who lent his iconic, deep voice to Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, has died at 93.
Regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, Jones’ career spanned Shakespeare to Hollywood hits. He is one of the few actors to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony Award.
The actor’s death was reported by Deadline, via his representatives at Independent Artist Group.
James Earl Jones was born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi and raised by his grandparents in Dublin, Michigan. While he would later become one of the most famous voices in the world, he says he suffered from a stutter in his youth.
“I was a stutterer. I couldn’t talk,” Jones recalled in a 1996 interview. “So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school.” A teacher encouraged him to overcome his stutter by reading poetry aloud.
Jones served in the US Army during the Korean War, and after decided to pursue a career in acting. He studied at the American Theatre Wing, working as a janitor to support himself. By the 1960s, Jones was establishing himself as one of his generation’s great Shakespearean actors, playing roles like Othello and King Lear. He also made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 comedy Dr. Strangelove, as bombadier Lt. Lothar Zogg.
In 1967, he played a boxer in The Great White Hope, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He reprised the role in the 1970 film version, receiving his first Academy Award nomination.
Amidst all his acclaimed acting work, Jones soon landed his most well-known and iconic role — one where he didn’t even have to appear on set: voicing the villainous Darth Vader in Star Wars. While Vader was played in costume by David Prowse, Jones dubbed over the lines with his own deep bass voice, helping to create one of the most famous characters in movie history.
While Jones originally opted to go uncredited for the role, it has become perhaps his most famous performance. He continued to voice Vader for decades, in the two sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the prequel Revenge of the Sith and the spin-off Rogue One. In 2022, Jones retired from the role, but signed an agreement for his voice to be used in future projects using artificial intelligence and archive recordings.
Jones also provided the voice of another beloved movie character, Mufasa in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. Jones later reprised the role in the 2019 remake.
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Jones appeared in many Hollywood films, including Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, and The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Sandlot. He also won his second Tony Award, starring in the original production of August Wilson’s Fences.
He received eight Emmy Award nominations for his television work, winning twice in 1991: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Heat Wave and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel’s Fire.
Jones also continued to perform on Broadway: over the past 20 years he starred in revivals of On Golden Pond, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, The Best Man and You Can’t Take it With You.
Jones was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his acclaimed career. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2011, making him one of the only people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, known as “EGOT.” Broadway’s Cort Theatre was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor in 2022.
Rest in peace to the iconic James Earl Jones, one of the greatest actors of our time — please share this
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