Rob Collins (musician)
Encyclopedia
Rob Collins was an English musician best known as the original keyboardist of The Charlatans.
, Staffordshire
and was recruited to join the Charlatans in the late 1980s. The band's debut single "Indian Rope" was an indie hit, and led the way for their debut top ten single "The Only One I Know" in 1990. Collins swirling and layered psychedelic
organ playing added an important and noted edge to the bands sound and placed the band apart from many of their baggy
contemporaries. Rob Collins recorded four successful albums with the band.
but was killed in a car crash on a country road in Wales
on 22 July 1996 just before sessions were completed. An investigation into the accident showed that Collins had consumed a sizable amount of alcohol and was not wearing a seatbelt. He died from head injuries on the roadside shortly after the accident having been thrown through the windscreen. Investigators concluded that he probably would not have died had he worn a seatbelt.
The music industry and his colleagues were greatly shocked by his sudden loss. Collins' death occurred a week before the Charlatans' biggest concert to date - supporting Oasis
at Knebworth
. Oasis' lead singer Liam Gallagher
said "live forever mate" as a dedication to Rob Collins and introduction to their song "Cast No Shadow".
The Charlatans
Collins grew up in WillenhallWillenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and was recruited to join the Charlatans in the late 1980s. The band's debut single "Indian Rope" was an indie hit, and led the way for their debut top ten single "The Only One I Know" in 1990. Collins swirling and layered psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
organ playing added an important and noted edge to the bands sound and placed the band apart from many of their baggy
Baggy
Baggy was a British dance-oriented music genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.The scene was heavily influenced by Madchester, although it was not geographically confined to Manchester. Many Madchester bands could also be described as Baggy, and vice versa...
contemporaries. Rob Collins recorded four successful albums with the band.
Imprisonment
In 1992 Collins was arrested and charged with armed robbery on an off-licence near his home. Collins had been driving with a friend, who performed the robbery when Collins was waiting in his car outside. Collins claimed to have no foreknowledge of the robbery until he heard a gunshot inside the shop and his friend exited, although later admitted that he should not have picked his friend up after he realised what he had done. In court Collins pleaded guilty to "Assisting an offender after an offence", for which he was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment. His former charge of "armed robbery" (resulting in a possible sentence of 8 years or more) was dropped in court. Collins served 4 months of his sentence and was released in early 1994.Death
Collins began to record keyboard and organ parts for the Charlatans 5th album Tellin' StoriesTellin' Stories
Tellin' Stories is an album by the British band The Charlatans , released on April 21, 1997. It includes the final contributions of founder-member and keyboard player Rob Collins who died in a car accident midway through recording...
but was killed in a car crash on a country road in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on 22 July 1996 just before sessions were completed. An investigation into the accident showed that Collins had consumed a sizable amount of alcohol and was not wearing a seatbelt. He died from head injuries on the roadside shortly after the accident having been thrown through the windscreen. Investigators concluded that he probably would not have died had he worn a seatbelt.
The music industry and his colleagues were greatly shocked by his sudden loss. Collins' death occurred a week before the Charlatans' biggest concert to date - supporting Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
at Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
. Oasis' lead singer Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
said "live forever mate" as a dedication to Rob Collins and introduction to their song "Cast No Shadow".