Train

Formerly lead singer with a Led Zeppelin covers band in Erie, Pennsylvania, Pat Monahan relocated to San Francisco, California and formed Train in 1994 with guitarists Rob Hotchkiss and Jimmy Stafford, bassist Charlie Colin, and drummer Scott Underwood. Their reputation gradually grew with the help of support tours with the likes of Barenaked Ladies, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Counting Crows. Releasing their self-titled, self-produced debut album in 1998, Train broke into the US Top 20 with the single “Meet Virginia” and the album established them as a major force. They went global with the 2001 single “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” - written by Monahan about the death of his mother - helping their album of the same name achieve double-platinum status. Rob Hotchkiss left Train in 2002, but success continued with third album My Private Nation and further hit singles with “Calling All Angels” and “When I Look to the Sky.” Bassist Charlie Colin left in 2003 and the band went into temporary retirement in 2006. However, by 2009, they were back with the album Save Me San Francisco and the single “Hey Soul Sister” - another major hit partly on the back of being included in a high profile marketing campaign for Samsung - which won them a Grammy Award in 2011. While Monahan remained the only constant member from Train’s original line-up throughout their career, they still managed to release hit albums including California 37 (2012), Bulletproof Picasso (2014), Train Does Led Zeppelin II (2016), A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat (2017), and AM Gold (2022). Original bassist Charlie Colin was found dead on May 17, 2024.