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Charlie Colin

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Charlie Colin
Colin in 2017
Colin in 2017
Background information
Born(1966-11-22)November 22, 1966
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Diedc. May 17, 2024(2024-05-17) (aged 57)
Brussels, Belgium
Genres
Instruments
  • Bass
  • guitar
  • vocals
Years active1992–2024
Labels
Formerly of

Charlie Colin (November 22, 1966 – c. May 17, 2024) was an American musician. He was the bassist for the rock band Train, of which he was a founding member. He also played guitar and provided background vocals for many other bands after his departure from the group in 2003.

Early life

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Charlie Colin was born in Newport Beach, California on November 22, 1966.[1][2] He began playing guitar at about eight when he lived in Virginia. Later, his family moved back to Newport Beach, California. At Newport Harbor High School surfing, playing water polo, and the guitar became his constant companions.[3][4]

Career

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Berklee College of Music

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Colin attended University of Southern California to explore his artistic gifts; then he transferred halfway to focus primarily on his musical gifts at Berklee College of Music in Boston.[5] Attending Berklee got Colin fully immersed in music. He started playing with seniors for lessons and so he could learn more. Pat Metheny was quite a discovery, as well as other kinds of music discovered during Berklee.[6]

Shortly afterwards, Colin got an offer from some friends to go to Singapore to write and play jingles.[3]

Apostles

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After Singapore, Colin, Jimmy Stafford (Train's future lead guitarist and mandolin player), and Rob Hotchkiss moved to [Los Angeles and started the group Apostles.[3] The group got a record deal and recorded the album Apostles in 1992,[7] but when the label folded, the members went their own ways. But they had a hunch that one day they would end up back together.[8]

Train

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Hotchkiss headed to San Francisco and met Pat Monahan, Train's future lead singer. The two collaborated on songs in the Bay Area and invited Jimmy Stafford to be the guitarist and Colin as the bassist. Colin brought in Scott Underwood to play drums. Thus formed in 1993[9] Train became very successful.[10] Train scored their first Top 20 hit with 1999's "Meet Virginia," although their big breakthrough came with 2001's "Drops of Jupiter", which reached No. 5. The album Drops of Jupiter reached No. 6. on the Billboard 200.[9] The group toured nationally, opening concerts for Hootie & the Blowfish,[11] Sheryl Crow,[3] Counting Crows,[12] and Barenaked Ladies.[13]

In 2003, Colin was fired from the band after an emergency meeting due to his substance abuse.[14]

Food Pill

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During the autumn of 2002, after Train finished promoting Drops of Jupiter with Matchbox Twenty, Scott Underwood and Colin moved to a "huge psychedelic mansion" called The Paramour in West Hollywood to collaborate and record music.[15] They decided to call the collaboration Food Pill and their first album was called Elixir.[15]

In 2014, Colin replaced Jesse Vest of Days of the New on bass so the band could continue touring.[16]

Painbirds

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In 2015, Colin and Hotchkiss put together a band called Painbirds, with Sausalito singer-songwriter Tom Luce from Luce, whose song "Good Day" cracked the Top 40 in 2001.[17] This band released six songs on an eponymous debut EP.

The Side Deal

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The Side Deal is an American band from Newport Beach, California.[18] The band was formed in 2017 by Colin, Stan Frazier of Sugar Ray, and brothers Joel and Scott Owen of The PawnShop Kings.[19] The Side Deal performed live with other notable artists such as Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and Alice Cooper.[20]

In 2019, Colin appeared on guitar/bass and vocals while recording Featherborn for musician and vocalist Danny Beissel at the iconic Blackbird Studio in Nashville with veteran engineer John McBride.[21]

Colin was a longstanding curator, art collector, homeless-artist advocate, and philanthropist.[22][23][24]

Later life and death

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Colin later moved to Brussels, Belgium to teach a music master class at a conservatory.[25] At the time of his death, he also was serving as musical director for the Newport Beach Film Festival, per his social media profiles.[26]

Colin was found dead in a friend's home in Brussels on May 17, 2024, having fallen in a shower.[25] He was house-sitting for the friend at the time of his death.[26][27]

Awards and nominations

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Grammy Awards

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Publications

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  • Williams, LG, The Book of Charlie (PCP Press, 2016) ISBN 154076138X

References

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  1. ^ Parraga Frutos, Nerea (May 23, 2024). "Muere el músico Charlie Colin por un resbalón en la ducha". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Parraga Frutos, Nerea (May 23, 2024). "Mor el músic Charlie Colin, fundador de Train, per una relliscada a la dutxa". RAC 1 (in Catalan). Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Small, Mark. "Berklee Today Rob Hotchkiss and Charlie Colin of Train: On the Fast Track". berklee.edu. Berklee Today. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Ganahl, Jane (April 7, 1997). "The heart of homeless art". SFGATE. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Ganahl, Jane (April 7, 1997). "The heart of homeless art". SFGATE. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Small, Mark. "Berklee Today Rob Hotchkiss and Charlie Colin of Train: On the Fast Track". berklee.edu. Berklee Today. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Apostles – Apostles (1992, CD), archived from the original on June 2, 2021, retrieved June 2, 2021
  8. ^ Luppi, Kathleen. "Ex-Train members revisit their Newport days with Lido Live concert Saturday". Daily Pilot. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Academy, Recording (November 23, 2020). "Artist: Train". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Luppi, Kathleen. "Ex-Train members revisit their Newport days with Lido Live concert Saturday". Daily Pilot. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "08/13/1999: Hootie and The Blowfish at Waterloo Village @ Waterloo Village | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Train's Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  13. ^ "Train's Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Rosenborg, Rutger. "Train Prove Giving Up Is Not an Option". NBC San Diego. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Biography". Food Pill. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Charlie and I were able to walk from our bedrooms to a beautiful studio, and record this music we loved in a huge psychedelic mansion in Hollywood. We decided to name the band Food Pill, and title the record Elixir.
  16. ^ "Travis Meeks of Days of the New a wanted man". Metalinsider.net. October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  17. ^ "Train co-founder Hotchkiss back on track with new band". East Bay Times. July 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Charlie Colin of The Side Deal – Our Songs Can Stand The Test Of Time If We Do Them Right!". Your Online Magazine for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. February 8, 2020. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  19. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (April 3, 2014). "615 Spotlight: PawnShop Kings Talk EP". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  20. ^ Trela, Christopher (February 8, 2018). "Noted Newport Rockers Move Side Deal to Center Stage". Newport Beach Indy. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ^ "On Stage: One degree of separation from Beissel to music's greats | chescotimes.com". chescotimes.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  22. ^ "Street Scenes : Artworks by the Homeless Find a Special Place in Charlie Colin's Heart – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  23. ^ Ganahl, Jane (April 7, 1997). "The heart of homeless art". SFGATE. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  24. ^ "American Vinyl All Star Band at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center on Saturday, March 1, at 5 p.m. (Up to $23.20 Value)". Groupon. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Train Founding Member Charlie Colin Dead at 58 After Falling in Shower". TMZ. May 22, 2024. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024. No one found Charlie until his friends returned home from their trip about 5 days ago.
  26. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J. (May 22, 2024). "Charlie Colin, Bassist and Founding Member of Train, Dies at 58". Variety. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  27. ^ Bitsky, Leah (May 22, 2024). "Former Train bassist Charlie Colin dead at 58 after falling in shower". Page Six. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  29. ^ "Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  30. ^ a b c "Rock On The Net: 44th Annual Grammy Awards – 2002". www.rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
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