     the charlatans (known in the united states as the charlatans uk) are an english indie rock band. the band's line-up currently comprises lead vocalist tim burgess, guitarist mark collins, bassist martin blunt, and keyboardist tony rogers. former members of the band include vocalist baz ketley (1989); guitarist jon day (jonathan baker) (1989â1991); keyboardist rob collins (1989â1996), who died in a car accident during recording of their fifth album; and drummer jon brookes (1989-2013), who died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010. in the uk, all of the band's eleven studio albums have charted in the top 40 in the uk albums chart, three of them being number ones. they have also achieved seventeen top 30 singles, and four top 10 hits in the uk singles chart. ==history== ===formation (1988&ndash;1989)=== the band originally formed in the west midlands by bassist martin blunt, who recruited fellow west midlanders; rob collins (keyboards), jon brookes (drums), plus singer/guitarist baz ketley, who left the band to be replaced by tim burgess and jon day (jonathan baker) (guitar). although the charlatans would later become popularly associated with the madchester scene, the band's early demos recorded in birmingham and dudley in 1988 were already recognisable for the sound the band would feature at the height of their fame, dominated by collins' hammond organ but underpinned by the driving rhyth
Britpop_groups English_rock_music_groups Madchester Music_in_Birmingham,_West_Midlands Musical_groups_from_Cheshire