About Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of the brothers Ed and Dean Roland , Will Turpin , Johnny Rabb , and Jesse Triplett . Formed in 1992, the original lineup consisted of the Roland brothers, bassist David Neal, guitarist Ross Childress, and drummer Shane Evans. Collective Soul released their Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid album on the independent label Rising Storm Records in 1993. The band went from obscurity to popularity that year after the album's lead single "Shine" received regional radio play. Around the same time, Turpin replaced Neal on bass. The album was then re-released in 1994 by the major label Atlantic Records; thus, "Shine" became a national hit as it peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock and No. 4 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
Collective Soul released a self-titled album in March 1995. Considered by Ed Roland to be the band's "true debut album", Collective Soul spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and went triple-platinum, becoming the band's highest-selling album. The singles "December", "The World I Know", and "Where the River Flows" each reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. About two years later, Collective Soul released Disciplined Breakdown. Although not as successful in sales as their previous two albums, Disciplined Breakdown contained two No. 1 Mainstream Rock chart hits with "Precious Declaration" and "Listen". The band released a fourth studio album, Dosage, in 1999. The album's first single, "Heavy", spent a then record-breaking 15 weeks on the top spot of the Mainstream Rock chart.
The band released Blender in 2000. It was the final album with their most well-known lineup as lead guitarist Childress left the band in 2001. Collective Soul established their own label, El Music Group , prior to releasing Youth in 2004. Original drummer Evans then departed from the band at the end of 2005. Collective Soul released five additional albums between 2005 and 2023: Afterwords , Rabbit , See What You Started by Continuing , Blood , and Vibrating . The band then released their first double album in 2024, Here to Eternity.
Before forming Collective Soul, singer Ed Roland studied music composition and guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Since the mid-1980s, Roland was involved in Atlanta's underground music scene making demos and performing. He also worked at Real 2 Reel Studios in Stockbridge, which was owned by Will Turpin's father, Bill Turpin. Roland's duties were producing, mixing, and engineering for local Atlanta artists.
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 . That initial version of the "Ed-E" band dissolved in the mid-to-late 1980s due to incompatible musical tastes among other differences. Roland then formed the band "Marching Two-Step" which included vocalist Michele Rhea Caplinger, drummer Shane Evans, bassist Godwin , and keyboardist Matt Serletic. Although the band didn't release any official material, they played in various clubs and also opened for The Psychedelic Furs at one point. They then disbanded after not finding success, and Roland subsequently released an independent solo album entitled Ed-E Roland in 1991. Overall, Roland's early attempts to be signed to a recording contract by a label faced rejections.
Caplinger would become a music industry publicist and also worked with the major label Atlantic Records. She was later appointed executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy in 2000. Serletic would go on to become a Grammy Award-winning producer for Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, Edwin McCain, and numerous other artists, and also landed executive positions with record companies. Roland continued to remain friends with both individuals, and even worked alongside them in the future.
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