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 charts.
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 "Where the River Flows", "December", and "The World I Know" each reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, while the latter two singles also reached the top ten of the Hot 100 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. Overall, the band's first five albums all received RIAA certifications. 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.
History
Early years
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.
1992–1994: ''Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid'', signing to Atlantic Records, and initial exposure
After the demise of Roland's previous music collaborations, he enlisted musicians to record an album in a basement. The group made for the demo took its name from a phrase in The Fountainhead, with Roland explaining that "we're not preaching Ayn Rand, objectivism, egoism, or anything...we just dug the name." 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 then submitted to 88.5 WRAS. Amy Staehling, host of the Georgia Music Show at Georgia State University's 100,000 watt student radio station in Atlanta, added the song "Shine" to the local rotation. It was an instant listener favorite. The demo was also passed along to 101.1 WJRR in Orlando, Florida which began playing "Shine" too, soon to be its most requested song. Amidst the surprise popularity, Roland agreed to perform live shows. He enlisted his former Marching Two-Step bandmate Evans on drums, Ross Childress on lead guitar, his brother Dean Roland on rhythm guitar, and David Neal on bass, in what would be the first official lineup of Collective Soul. The band briefly used the name Brothers and Brides, but reverted to Collective Soul after a handful of shows. Atlantic Records took note of the popularity of "Shine" and subsequently signed them to a contract. Around the same time, due to personality conflicts, Neal was replaced on bass by Will Turpin. He initially provided percussion on one of the debut album's songs, and his father Bill owned the studio that Ed Roland previously worked at.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 in 1994. Although reluctant to have the unpolished demo represent their new lineup, Collective Soul gained international recognition and double-platinum status with their debut, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. "Shine" had topped the rock charts and also peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the second single "Breathe" peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The band quickly began work on what they would consider their true debut record and were invited to perform at Woodstock 1994. They toured extensively across North America, and also served as an opener for Aerosmith in late 1994.
1995–1999: Continued mainstream success, ''Collective Soul'', ''Disciplined Breakdown'', and ''Dosage''
The group's self-titled second album was issued the following year. It was certified RIAA triple platinum and logged a 76-week run on the Billboard 200. Notable singles from the LP Collective Soul included Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts No. 1 hits "December", "Where the River Flows", and "The World I Know", along with the No. 2 hit "Gel" and the No. 8 hit "Smashing Young Man". During the album's release, the band was the opener for Van Halen for three months. Afterwards, they embarked on their own tour as headliners.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, presumably with said ex-manager Bill Richardson. While the legal battles continued, the band went to a cabin, in the middle of 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.
Disciplined Breakdown, released in 1997, did not sell as well as their previous records despite debuting higher on the charts. The album eventually achieved platinum certification, and produced two more No. 1 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart: "Precious Declaration" and "Listen", along with No. 11 hit "Blame". The album eventually peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.
Collective Soul took a break from touring and had only played a handful of dates throughout 1998. They had instead focused on recording. The band's fourth album was 1999's platinum certified Dosage. The first single "Heavy" set a new high mark for 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Singles such as "Run", "No More, No Less", and "Tremble for My Beloved" gained notable positions on the rock charts as well. The album was produced by Anthony J. Resta, known for his work with Duran Duran and others. The band also performed at the Woodstock 1999 festival.
2000–2003: ''Blender'' and departure from Atlantic Records
The group then released their fifth studio album, Blender, in October 2000. It did not sell as well as previous albums, although the first single "Why, Pt. 2" reached No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock chart. They achieved additional hits with "Vent" and "Perfect Day", the latter being a duet between Roland and Elton John. The album became RIAA certified gold. The album was their second effort with Resta producing.In 2001, Collective Soul released their greatest hits compilation, Seven Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994–2001, which featured 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 from Jovian Storm, to be the new lead guitarist.