A Counting Crows -styled rock band formed in 1994 in San Francisco, California, USA, Train’s self-titled debut eventually became a Billboard Heatseeker number 1 over a year after its major label release. Train was formed by Pat Monahan (b. Patrick Monahan, 28 February 1969, Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA; vocals/percussion), Jimmy Stafford (b. 26 April 1964, Morris, Illinois, USA; guitar), Rob Hotchkiss (b. 30 December 1960, USA; guitar), Charlie Colin (b. 22 November 1966, USA; bass) and Scott Underwood (b. 2 January 1971, USA; drums). Their origins can be traced to 1993 when Monahan left his native Pennsylvania to join Los Angeles band the Apostles, who featured Hotchkiss, Colin and Stafford. After that unit sundered, Hotchkiss and Monahan attempted to form a duo together, before expanding the band with former members of the Apostles and mutual friends.
Train self-released its debut album in 1996, but soon afterwards landed a joint contract with the Chicago independent label Aware and Columbia Records. After touring with the Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler a reworked version of Train’s album was released in February 1998. Propelled by the success of singles ‘Free’ and ‘Meet Virginia’, the latter a tribute to independent-thinking women, the album became a slow-burn success, especially when Train promoted it while touring with Ben Folds Five during the end of 1999. The follow-up Drops Of Jupiter, another rather ordinary collection of modern rock songs, proved equally successful on the US charts and eventually achieved double platinum status. The band earned a Grammy Award for the title track which went on to become a staple of US rock radio.
Subsequent albums My Private Nation (2003), recorded without the recently departed Hotchkiss, and For Me It’s You (2006), recorded with new bass player Johnny Colt and keyboard player Brandon Bush, repeated the formula of their predecessors to lesser effect. Lead singer Monahan released his solo debut, Last Of Seven, at the end of 2007.
