GABRIEL, PETER

born Feb. 13, 1950, Woking, Surrey, Eng. former lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis and solo artist known for the intelligence and depth of his lyrics and for his commitment to various political causes. Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 and developed a deep interest in world music rhythms and textures, reflected in four eponymous albums (the last, released in 1982, was titled Security for its American release), while songs like Games Without Frontiers and Biko announced his political convictions. This two-sided involvement in Third World affairs led to his cofounding of the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts, and Dance) Festival in 1982 and Real World Records in 1989. His 1986 album, So, was a more personal statement; strengthened by the contributions of Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush, and Senegalese pop star Youssou N'Dour, it brought Gabriel critical acclaim and was a multimillion-seller. His next album, Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ (1989), featured a number of African and Middle Eastern artists (several of whom released albums with Real World) and won a Grammy Award. Gabriel's work also has been marked by an imaginative visual component. His performances with Genesis were noted for their supreme theatricality, and his music videos set new standards for the nascent medium; the video for Sledgehammer was voted best video of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 1993, and two of Gabriel's other videos, based on his 1992 album Us, won Grammy Awards in 1992 and 1993. In 1994 he released Xplora 1, one of the first multimedia CD-ROMs created by a mainstream artist.