My Take
Phil Collen is one of those guitarists who quietly became indispensable — when he joined Def Leppard in 1982 right in the middle of recording Pyromania, the band's sound locked into something massive. That album went diamond, and then Hysteria topped even that. Born in Hackney, East London, this guy helped write some of the most hook-loaded hard rock ever put to tape, and he did it alongside Rick Savage and Joe Elliott like they were all tuned to the same frequency. What I really respect is that Collen is a songwriter as much as a shredder — the melodic intelligence behind those riffs is obvious. He's also known for staying in seriously disciplined shape, which somehow feels very on-brand for someone who's been bringing that level of energy to live shows for over four decades. A craftsman who never phoned it in.
Overview
Philip Kenneth Collen (born 8 December 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard. Collen joined the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Before joining Def Leppard, Collen had performed with a number of bands in the burgeoning British glam metal scene.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Phil Collen
- Name (Japanese)
- フィル・コリン
- Reading
- ふぃる・こりん
- Born
- December 8, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rooster
- Origin
- Hackney Central, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / songwriter / musician / rock musician / singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.