Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and humanitarian activist who rose to fame as the original lead singer and
flautist of the
progressive rock band
Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career, with "
Solsbury Hill" his first single. His 1986 album,
So, is his most commercially successful, and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The album's biggest hit, "
Sledgehammer", won a record nine
MTV Awards at the
1987 MTV Video Music Awards, and it remains the most played music video in the history of MTV.