You’ve probably seen the meme. It’s a photo of three middle-aged guys in suits or casual polos, looking like they’re about to discuss insurance or maybe the best way to mow a lawn. That’s the 1980s version of Genesis. But if you rewind the tape a decade earlier, you’d find a man wearing a fox head and a red dress, or perhaps a guy in a lawnmower mask, surrounded by a wall of Mellotrons and 12-string guitars. Asking who was in the band genesis isn't a simple one-sentence answer because the band functioned more like a ship that kept changing its crew while it was still out at sea.
Genesis didn't just have one lineup. They had eras. They had departures that should have killed the band but somehow made them bigger. It’s one of the weirdest trajectories in music history, moving from private school folk-rockers to prog-rock gods, and finally to the kings of the 1980s pop charts.
The Charterhouse Kids: Where It All Began
It started at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey. This wasn’t a garage band formed by working-class rebels; these were posh kids. In 1967, two school bands—The Garden Wall and Anon—mashed together.
The original guys? Peter Gabriel on vocals, Tony Banks on keyboards, Mike Rutherford on bass and guitar, and Anthony "Ant" Phillips on lead guitar. They had a string of drummers early on, including Chris Stewart and John Silver, but they were basically kids playing around with moody, melodic sketches. Their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, sounded more like the Bee Gees than the complex rock they’d later be known for.
Then came John Mayhew on drums for the album Trespass. Honestly, this is the first "real" Genesis record for most fans. It’s heavy, it’s pastoral, and it’s deeply English. But something was missing.
The "Classic Five" Lineup (1971–1975)
This is the era that purists obsess over. If you ask a prog-rock fan who was in the band genesis, they’re going to list these five names with religious fervor.
- Peter Gabriel (Vocals, flute, percussion, costumes)
- Tony Banks (Keyboards, twelve-string guitar)
- Mike Rutherford (Bass, twelve-string guitar, bass pedals)
- Steve Hackett (Lead guitar)
- Phil Collins (Drums, backing vocals)
Phil Collins joined in 1970 after responding to an ad in Melody Maker. He famously went to Peter Gabriel’s parents' house for the audition and hung out in the swimming pool, listening to the other drummers fail before he stepped up and nailed it. He brought a jazz-fusion sensibility that the band desperately needed. Steve Hackett arrived shortly after, replacing Anthony Phillips, who had left due to paralyzing stage fright.
This lineup created the "Big Four" of prog: Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, and the sprawling double-concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
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Gabriel was the face. He was the guy bleeding on stage, wearing the "Slipperman" suit or the "Flower" mask. But behind the scenes, Tony Banks was the harmonic engine. Banks is often cited by musicians as one of the most sophisticated keyboardists in rock, favoring complex chord inversions over flashy blues solos. While Gabriel was telling stories about Britain’s soul, Banks, Rutherford, and Hackett were weaving these incredibly dense, polyphonic tapestries.
The Great Split: When Peter Left
In 1975, Peter Gabriel walked away. It was a massive deal. Imagine if Coldplay lost Chris Martin today; people assumed Genesis was done. Gabriel wanted to explore his own creativity and, frankly, he was tired of the band’s democratic (and often argumentative) process.
The band auditioned hundreds of singers. They couldn't find anyone.
The story goes that Phil Collins was coaching the auditionees on how to sing the new songs for the album A Trick of the Tail. Eventually, he just went into the booth and sang it himself. Everyone in the room realized the replacement had been sitting behind the drum kit the whole time.
For a brief window, Genesis was a four-piece: Banks, Rutherford, Collins, and Hackett. This era produced A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. They were still very much a prog band, but the melodies were becoming more "accessible." It worked. They actually sold more records after Gabriel left than they ever did with him.
"And Then There Were Three"
Steve Hackett felt increasingly sidelined. He had solo ideas that the band wasn't using, and the "democracy" of Genesis usually meant that if Tony Banks didn't like a riff, it didn't make the cut. During the mixing of the live album Seconds Out in 1977, Hackett quit.
Now they were three.
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Mike Rutherford took over lead guitar duties in the studio, and the band released an album with the cheeky title And Then There Were Three.... This is when the world got "Follow You Follow Me." It was a hit. A real, radio-friendly hit.
The lineup of Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford remained the core of Genesis from 1977 until their final tour in 2021/2022. While they remained a trio in the studio, they needed help for live shows. You can’t play those complex parts with just three people.
The "Touring" Members You Need to Know
If you saw Genesis live between 1978 and the 2000s, you saw five people on stage. These two guys are as much a part of the Genesis DNA as the official members:
- Daryl Stuermer: The American guitarist who handled the heavy lifting of Steve Hackett's old solos and Mike Rutherford's bass lines. He’s a virtuosic player who stayed with them for decades.
- Chester Thompson: The drummer who took over when Phil Collins moved to the front of the stage to sing. When Phil and Chester did their "drum duets," it became a legendary part of the show.
The Ray Wilson Anomaly
Most people forget this happened. In the mid-90s, Phil Collins left the band to focus on his massive solo career. Banks and Rutherford didn't want to stop. They hired Ray Wilson, the singer from the band Stiltskin, for the 1997 album Calling All Stations.
It was a darker, heavier record. It did okay in Europe but flopped in the States. Wilson was a great singer—very soulful, a bit grittier than Collins—but the chemistry wasn't what the public wanted. The band went on hiatus shortly after, effectively ending the Ray Wilson era.
The Legacy of the Lineup Changes
Why does it matter who was in the band genesis? Because each member changed the genre of the band.
When Anthony Phillips was there, they were folk-rockers. When Steve Hackett joined, they became symphonic. When Phil Collins took the mic, they became a pop-rock juggernaut.
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There is an ongoing debate among fans—the "Gabriel vs. Collins" wars. Some think the band sold their soul for 80s hits like "Invisible Touch" and "I Can't Dance." Others argue that the musical complexity was always there, just hidden under better production. Even in the 80s, they were still writing ten-minute epics like "Domino" or "Driving the Last Spike."
Tony Banks remained the "keeper of the flame." He is the only member who has been on every single Genesis studio album. If Genesis has a "sound," it’s his chord progressions.
Moving Forward: How to Explore Their Discography
If you’re trying to wrap your head around these different versions of the band, don’t listen chronologically. It’s too jarring. Instead, try this "entry point" strategy based on the lineups:
- The "Art-Rock" Entry: Listen to Selling England by the Pound (1973). It’s the peak of the Gabriel/Hackett/Collins/Banks/Rutherford quintet. It’s whimsical, British, and musically stunning.
- The "Transition" Entry: Listen to A Trick of the Tail (1976). This is the first album with Phil on vocals. It bridges the gap between the weird prog stuff and the big stadium stuff.
- The "Mega-Pop" Entry: Listen to Invisible Touch (1986). This is the three-man lineup at the height of their powers.
Genesis finally called it quits with "The Last Domino?" tour in 2022. Phil Collins’ son, Nic Collins, took over the drums because Phil’s health no longer allowed him to play. It was a full-circle moment, seeing a new generation step into those iconic drum fills.
Understanding the lineup is the only way to understand the music. They weren't just a band; they were an evolution. Whether you like the costumes or the Casio keyboards, the thread connecting it all was a group of guys who were arguably some of the best musicians to ever pick up instruments.
Next Steps for the New Listener:
Check out the 1973 "Midnight Special" footage on YouTube to see the Peter Gabriel era in its prime. Then, immediately watch the "Live at Wembley" 1987 footage. The contrast is shocking, but if you listen closely to the keyboards, you'll hear the same band. If you want to dive deeper into the technical side, look up interviews with Steve Hackett regarding his "tapping" technique—he was doing it way before Eddie Van Halen made it famous.