In 1975, Genesis went through one of rock’s most famous lead singer changes when Peter Gabriel left the group and was replaced by Phil Collins. Genesis Auditioned Outside Singers Before Giving Phil Collins the JobCollins wasn’t the first choice to replace Gabriel. “And I think Phil got frustrated one night and we were actually in Trident [Studios] recording backing tracks for an album that had no lead singer. READ MORE: Top 10 Phil Collins-Era Genesis SongsInterestingly, a different prog rock icon had separately campaigned for Collins to take over as Genesis’ singer. “And he said, ‘Why don't you make Phil the lead singer and get in another lead instrumentalist and get another drummer?’