Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin and lead guitarist Joel Kosche. Drummer Johnny Rabb is a touring member of the band.
The band broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine." They have recorded seven Number One rock hits.
Before forming Collective Soul, singer Ed Roland studied music composition and guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston,
Roland recruited keyboard player and backing vocalist Christopher Dykes, drummer Tony Caporale, and bassist Skip Godwin to play live in clubs and showcase for A/R personnel from various record companies. At this time the group was simply known as "Ed-E". They played several local shows, played a part in a CBS "Movie Of The Week", and were guests on the local Atlanta television program "Music Peachtree Style" where local Atlanta based artists were interviewed and profiled. That initial version of the "Ed-E" band dissolved in the mid to late '80's due to musical tastes among other differences. Roland subsequently formed Marching Two-Step which included original Collective Soul drummer Shane Evans, Michele Rhea Caplinger, and Matt Serletic.
Marching Two-Step were a local gigging band for a few years, but never managed to grow beyond the club scene. Roland's early attempts to be signed to a recording contract by a label faced rejections. Caplinger would become a music industry publicist and was later appointed executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy in 2000. Serletic would go on to become a Grammy winning producer for Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls and Edwin McCain, and obtained executive positions with record companies.
After the demise of Roland's prior music collaborations, he enlisted musicians to record a demo in a basement. Roland initially intended to sell the songs to a publishing company and had no immediate plans of forming a band out of it. The demo was passed along to WJRR in Orlando, Florida which began playing "Shine," soon to be its most requested song. Amidst the surprise popularity, Roland agreed to perform live shows, enlisting his brother Dean on rhythm guitar, drummer Shane Evans, bassist Will Turpin, and lead guitarist Ross Childress, in what would be the first official line-up of Collective Soul. Atlantic Records took note of the popularity of the "Shine" and subsequently signed them to a contract.
Upon Collective Soul's signing, Atlantic wished to capitalize on the band's success and quickly re-released the 1993 demo Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid as their first studio album. Although reluctant to have the unpolished demo represent their new line-up, Collective Soul gained international recognition and double-platinum status with their debut. The band quickly began work on what they would consider their true debut record and were invited to perform at Woodstock 1994.They also toured extensively across North America.
The group’s self-titled second album issued following year, was certified RIAA triple platinum, and logged a 76 week run on the Billboard 200. Notable singles from Collective Soul included US Rock Chart No. 1 hits "December," "Where The River Flows," and "The World I Know," No. 2 hit "Gel," and the Top 10 hit "Smashing Young Man."
Following a split with their manager, Collective Soul found their tour dates canceled and were called into the courtroom to face a legal battle that lasted into 1996. While the legal battles continued, the band went to a cabin, in the middle of 40 acres (160,000 m2) of cow pasture in Stockbridge, and began recording. They recorded into a computer their impromptu efforts of songs Roland penned, and these became Disciplined Breakdown. The legal case was eventually settled, and both parties were instructed not to discuss the outcome.
In 2001, Collective Soul released their greatest hits compilation, Seven Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994–2001 (the title being stylized as 7even Year Itch), which featured the two new songs, the single "Next Homecoming" and "Energy". The record marked the end of the group's contract with Atlantic Records and the departure of lead guitarist Childress due to private personal differences. The band promoted their longtime guitar technician, Joel Kosche, to be the new lead guitarist.
Collective Soul created their independent label, El Music Group which allowed the band greater control over the production and distribution of their music. In November 2004, they released their sixth studio album, Youth, which debuted at No. 66 on the Billboard 200. "Counting the Days" became a Top 10 rock hit. The second single, "Better Now" received significant airplay on Adult Top 40 radio, reaching the Top 10, and was used in commercials for the cereal Special K. The resultant US and Canadian tours lasted over two years. The third single "How Do You Love" became a Top 20 hit on Adult Top 40 radio. During the recording of this album, Shane Evans left the band for undisclosed reasons, with session musician Ryan Hoyle named as his replacement. Ryan Hoyle recorded 8 of the 11 drum/percussion tracks on this album.
Collective Soul were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in September 2009. In their induction speech, Roland thanked a long list of former members and collaborators who had involved over the past 3 decades, including Childress, Hoyle and Brannon. He also invited Shane Evans to the stage to celebrate with the band.
Recently, the band's members have been involved in other projects. Joel Kosche and Will Turpin began their own solo careers, releasing the albums Fight Years (2010) and The Lighthouse (2011) respectively. Dean Roland is part of the rock band Magnets and Ghosts, alongside Ryan Potesta. The duo formed in 2010, and released their debut album, Mass, in November 2011. Ed Roland began recording and touring with friends Christopher Alan Yates, Brian Biskey, Grant Reynolds and Mike Rizzi. The group, Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project, formed in 2011 and are expected to release their debut album in 2013.
According to Ed Roland, the group took its name from a phrase in The Fountainhead, citing that "we're not preaching Ayn Rand, objectivism, egoism, or anything...we just dug the name."
Current members
Ed Roland – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1992–present)
Dean Roland – rhythm guitar (1993–present)
Will Turpin – bass, backing vocals (1993–present)
Joel Kosche – lead guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
Former members
Ross Childress – lead guitar, backing vocals (1992–2001)
Shane Evans – drums, percussion (1992–2003)
Ryan Hoyle – drums, percussion (2003–08)
Cheney Brannon – drums, percussion (2008–12)
Discography
Main articles: Collective Soul discography and List of songs recorded by Collective Soul
Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid (1993)
Collective Soul (1995)
Disciplined Breakdown (1997)
Dosage (1999)
Blender (2000)
Youth (2004)
From the Ground Up (2005)
Afterwords (2007)
Collective Soul (2009)
See What You Started by Continuing (2015)
