Peter Gabriel

As the frontman for Genesis during the early '70s, Peter Gabriel hinted that progressive rock could never contain him . . . by dressing up as a flower. So it was that, in 1977, he went solo and began one of the most remarkable experiments in rock innovation, both in the mainstream and on the darker fringes.

Peter Gabriel is without doubt a pedlar of the unique, but he also knows how to deliver chart-hugging pop. On the album So, from 1986, he gave us his signature love song, "In Your Eyes", which was also used on the soundtrack to the John Cusack movie Say Anything, transforming the ghetto-blaster scene into an all-time great movie moment.

As a film score composer, Gabriel has produced some unforgettable soundscapes: "Gracie's Recapture" and "Crossing the Salt Pan", from Rabbit-Proof Fence, have a haunting life outside their cinematic context, and the choral "With This Love", from Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, has a vital, transcendent energy.

It's hard to frame the big picture of Peter Gabriel because there's too much good stuff to fit in. As a social activist he's always stayed true to the ideals and passions that spawned the civil rights anthem "Biko". He's not just tapped into world music; he's also supported and preserved it by financing WOMAD (the World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival). When he's not recording music, he's a pioneer of multimedia art and technology. Open more frontiers — here's Peter Gabriel.