Editing Peter Gabriel (section)

== Early life ==
Peter Brian Gabriel was born in [[Chobham]] on 13 February 1950, the son of Edith Irene (1921–2016) and Ralph Parton Gabriel (1912–2012). His paternal grandfather was Colonel Edward Allen, chairman of the [[Civil Service Supply Association|Civil Service Department Store]] on [[Strand, London|London's Strand]]. His mother came from a musical family, while his father was an electrical engineer and dairy farm owner from a long-established family of London timber importers and merchants. He was raised at Deep Pool Farm, a [[Country house|Victorian manor]] near Chobham.{{sfn|Easlea|2018|p=25}}<ref>{{Citation |title=Peter Gabriel - Full Moon Update October 2023 |date=28 October 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rrqRYF5lZI |access-date=2023-10-29 |language=en}}</ref> His great-great-great-uncle, [[Sir Thomas Gabriel, 1st Baronet]], was [[Lord Mayor of London]] from 1866 to 1877, who in turn was the grandson of Cornish Plane maker Christopher Gabriel.<ref name="Telegraph 2007-11-24">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/familyhistory/3355127/Family-detective-Peter-Gabriel.html|title=Family detective: Peter Gabriel|date=24 November 2007|first=Nick|last=Barratt|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702160342/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/familyhistory/3355127/Family-detective-Peter-Gabriel.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Gabriel attended the private primary school Cable House in [[Woking]] and St Andrews Preparatory School for Boys in [[Horsell]].{{sfn|Easlea|2018|p=25}} During his time at the latter, his teachers noticed his singing talent, but he instead opted for piano lessons from his mother and developed an interest in drumming. At age 10, he purchased a floor tom-tom.{{sfn|Easlea|2018|p=26}}

Gabriel later remarked of his early influences, "[[Hymn]]s played quite a large part. They were the closest I came to [[soul music]] before I discovered soul music. There are certain hymns that you can scream your lungs out on, and I used to love that. It was great when you used to get the old shivers down the back."<ref name="White Shadow pp12">[[Capital London|Capital Radio]] interview with [[Alan Freeman]], broadcast October 1982; transcribed in Gabriel fanzine ''White Shadow'' (#3, pp12) by editor Fred Tomsett</ref> He wrote his first song, "Sammy the Slug", at age 12. An aunt gave him money for professional singing lessons around this time, but he used it to buy [[the Beatles]]' debut album ''[[Please Please Me]]'', which had just been released.{{sfn|Easlea|2018|p=26}} In September 1963, he started at the [[public school (United Kingdom)|public]] [[Charterhouse School]] in [[Godalming]].{{sfn|Frame|1983|p=23}} There, he was a drummer and vocalist for his first band, the [[trad jazz]] outfit the Milords (or M'Lords). This was followed by a holiday band called the Spoken Word,{{sfn|Easlea|2018|p=34}} which recorded an [[Acetate disc|acetate]] in 1966.{{sfn|Giammetti|2020|p=16}} Gabriel played drums in both these bands, with [[Mike Rutherford]] later commenting, "Pete was{{emdash}}and still is, I think{{emdash}}a frustrated drummer."<ref name="Mike on Mike">Neer, Dan (1985). ''Mike on Mike'' [interview LP], Atlantic Recording Corporation.</ref>