“It sounded great, but I don’t know if it felt like history was happening”: Richard Branson says he happened to be in the studio when Phil Collins was recording what "might be the most famous drum solo of all time"

Richard Branson, 28 year old mastermind behind Virgin Music company. Seen here in his recording studio, The Townhouse in West London. In this set of 21 pictures , Richard is seen relaxing on his houseboat, going to work, in his recording studio The Townhouse in West London, and in the brand new Virgin Mega Store with some of the 3,000,000 worth of records and tapes in the background. Picture by Bill Rowntree, picture taken 4th July 1979. (Photo by Bill Rowntree/Mirrorpix/Getty Images).

Richard Branson is one of those fixtures of British life who seems to be have been around forever. Part of that is because he started so young – Virgin Records, the record mail order business that became a shop that became a label that became, well, everything else that Branson has done – was set up when he was still in his teens.

The 75-year-old entrepreneur was recently honoured by the Ivors Academy for his immense contribution to British music, and has also been talking to the NME about his long career.