Peter Gabriel, Van Morrison and Don Henley

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel has earned a worldwide reputation for his innovative work as a musician, writer and video maker. When at school, he CO-founded the band Genesis which he left in 1975. His albums, live performances and videos since then have won him a succession of awards. In 1980, he collected together a group of people to found WOMAD (World of Music, Arts & Dance). In a series of international festivals, each year WOMAD brings together traditional and modern music, arts and dance from every corner of the globe. Peter is currently an advisor on the board of WOMAD. Shortly afterwards, Peter established Real World Studios in Wiltshire, designed as an ideal environment for performance. It also became the base for Real World Records, a label which is dedicated to recording and promoting a wide range of artists from all over the world.

Peter has released 10 solo albums and in 1986 he won his first Grammy with his seventh album, 'So.' The videos from this project established him as a leader in video production and included 'Sledgehammer' which has won the most music video awards ever, including a No. 1 position in Rolling Stone's top 100 videos of all time. Peter has been involved in a broad spectrum of human rights and environmental issues. His song, 'Biko,' was the first pop song which talked about the effects of apartheid, and in 1988 and 1990 he was involved in the Nelson Mandela concerts at Wembley. In 1988 he also worked with Amnesty International to set up the "Human Rights Now" tour, visiting many countries with Sting, Bruce Springsteen,Tracey Chapman and Youssou N'Dour.

Following this, he initiated the "Witness" programme, which was launched in 1992 in conjunction with the Reebok Foundation in the USA. The organization aims to arm human rights activists from around the world with handheld video cameras and other tools of mass communication. To date, they have supplied hundreds of cameras to over fifty countries, and have also set up a biweekly Witness web broadcast via Macintosh's Quicktime Channel. In 1989, he visited the USSR to help launch Greenpeace and also contributed to the 'One World, One Voice' album -- a collaborative project which featured artists from all over the world.

In 1989, Peter composed the soundtrack for Martin Scorcese's epic film "The Last Temptation of Christ" which was the basis for one of his most experimental and innovative albums,"Passion." The album, which involved an extraordinary selection of musicians and vocalists, integrated many very different styles of music. A powerful concept, it provided the inspiration behind the BBC's specialist radio programme, 'Mixing It.'

Then 1991 saw him open Real World's doors to a host of international artists and producers for a unique recording project in association with WOMAD and Real World Records. Known as "Recording Week," the aim was to make the most active and creative use of the studio's many facilities. The collaboration of musicians from different cultures produced some of the most daring and exciting work. For the release of his tenth solo album,"Us," in 1992, Peter commissioned 11 visual artists to interpret each of the 11 songs on the album. These works of art were featured at the British Contemporary Art Exhibition in 1993 and also at a special exhibition in Japan. 'Us' earned him four Grammy nominations and two MTV awards in the USA, plus awards from BRIT and Q in the UK. The album's fourth single, 'Kiss That Frog,' was the starting point for the creation of the world's first music and motion ride, entitled "The Mindblender." Developed in association with Mega in the USA, "The Mindblender" proved to be a popular mix of ride-motion, film and music.

April 1993 was the start of the "Secret World Tour," Produced by Peter and pioneering Canadian director/designer Robert Lepage the show blended Lepage's visionary style of theater with Peter's personal songs focused on relationships. It was seen by over a million fans in five continents and toured for 18 months. In November 1993, the show was filmed and recorded in Modena, Italy, by Francois Girard and in August 1994, Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" the double live album and video, was released

Also in 1993, Peter set up Real World Multimedia and brought together a team of experts dedicated to developing, producing and publishing innovative CD-ROMs and pushing new technology to its limits. RWMM launched a series of multimedia titles, which went on to win many awards across the world, including the coveted Milia d'Or, two BAFTAS, the 1994 BIMA Award, the Sparky from the Interactive Media Festival and four awards at the