Two-time Grammy-winning bassist Charlie Colin, best known as a founding member of the popular band “Train,” passed away this week after suffering a fall in the shower at the age of 58.
TMZ was the first to report the news of Charlie’s passing. They stated that Charlie passed away after slipping and fallingin the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels, according to the musician’s mother.
Colin began playing the guitar at the age of eight while living in Virginia. After his family moved to Newport Beach,California, Charlie attended Newport Harbor High School, where he played water polo and continued practicing guitar.
After graduating from high school, Colin attended the University of Southern California. Halfway through his time at USC, Charlie transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he became fully immersed in music.
Eventually, in 1993, Train was formed with lead singer Pat Monahan, guitarist Jimmy Stafford, mandolin player Rob Hotchkiss, and bassist Charlie Colin. The group became successful quickly, earning their first Top 20 hit in 1999 with “Meet Virginia.” Although they had achieved some success before, it was in 2001 that the group was propelled into stardom following the success of their song “Drops of Jupiter.”
“Drops of Jupiter” was nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best Rock Song, Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance, Song of the Year, and Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalist(s).
On a podcast in 2022, Charlie detailed the experience or graduating, moving west, and forming “Train.”
“In essence, I was trained since I was a child. We rebranded and in 1996, we got things going well. By the end of that decade, we had hits, the Grammys, stadiums and all that stuff,”
“On a good note, I was a worldly guy. I ended up being accomplished and successful. At the same time, because I was always in a band, with a schedule and somewhere to be, and most of the people around me were either buying a ticket to see us or are working for that organization or something, I didn’t get a lot of people telling me the truth about myself. I didn’t grow up in a lot of ways,”
The New YOrk Post
Now a household name, Train went on to tour nationally, opening for artists such as Hootie & the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, and Barenaked Ladies. Colin left the group in 2003 due to substance abuse issues.
After “Train,” Charlie went on to play in several other bands, such as “Painbirds,” “The Side Deal,” as well as a collaboration with Scott Underwood titled “Food Pill.”
Rest in peace!
