Philip Kenneth Collen (born 8 December 1957) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and former rhythm guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis.\n', '

Phillip Kenneth Collen was born in Hackney, London, England. He got his first guitar from his cousin David Pilley, who said Collen "used to just sit in his bedroom just playing it". Then, at the age of 16, Collen got his first guitar [a second "first guitar"] (a red Gibson SG), taught himself how to play, and left school to pursue a career in music. He then joined a line-up of early bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, and Girl. During his tenure with Girl, Collen\'s career began rising, spurred by the relative success of the albums Sheer Greed and Wasted Youth, which allowed Collen the opportunity to play at more significant venues.\n', '

A young Phil Collen can also be seen on the back cover of Deep Purple\'s live album Made in Japan as the live photo was actually taken at the Brixton Academy in London, a concert Collen attended, and not in Japan.\n', '

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