Collective Soul Biography

Collective Soul is an alternative rock/post-grunge band from Stockbridge, Georgia, USA. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s they have enjoyed major commercial popularity on alternative rock and mainstream rock radio. They were one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s.

They have composed hook-laden lush melodies on top of heavy fluent guitar riffs reminiscent of classic rock and hard rock artists from the 70s and 80s. Their main influences include Elvis Presley, Elton John, The Cars and The Beatles. Some have called Collective Soul a Christian rock band, a styling the band has repeatedly denied. They do, however, acknowledge that their lyrics are often spiritual in nature.

All of the original band members grew up together as children in Stockbridge, Georgia. They were all musically involved with one another in some form or another for many years, and had played small shows around Atlanta.

The band got its start known as "Marching Two Step." This group, formed in 1989, was comprised of current lead singer Ed Roland, Shane Evans, Matt Serletic and Dean Roland and underwent various lineup changes before their breakthrough. Roland had been working at "Real 2 Reel Studios" (owned by Will Turpin's father) in Atlanta doing production and studio work for local artists. Collective Soul broke through into the mainstream in 1994 after being signed to Atlantic Records.

Their first album, Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid, was released on June 22, 1993 on a small indie label based in Atlanta called Rising Storm Records. After signing with Atlantic Records, this album was re-released on March 22, 1994. The album was comprised of songs that Ed Roland had written and recorded as songwriter/composer demos in hopes of getting a publishing deal. The album sold very well behind major label promotion, eventually going double-platinum in 1996. The album's sound was similar to the grunge sound that many other bands adopted in the early 1990s. A visual manifestation that can be seen in the video for the song "Shine," which portrays the band members in a simple setting with long hair, flannel shirts, and denim jeans.

The band performed at Woodstock 1994 for a crowd of 150,000+ people. During their first album's commercial run, the band toured North America extensively.

In 1995, Collective Soul returned to the studio to record their highest-selling album to date, the self-titled Collective Soul. It was certified triple-platinum in 1996 and spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200. The album showcased heavy riffs, grunge, and classic rock influences while maintaining the band's own originality. Collective Soul's success and fanbase would continue to grow.

The band's third studio effort released in early 1997. Disciplined Breakdown had a different stylistic vibe than previous albums. Specifically, it displayed darker more blunt lyrical content than their previous albums. The events surrounding the release of Disciplined Breakdown likely influenced both its stylistic and lyrical content. Prior to the album's release, the band had gone through a long and bitter lawsuit with former management. The lawsuit left the band with little money; forcing them to record the album in a cabin-like studio. This was a dark and frustrating period both personally and professionally for the band, and especially for Ed Roland.

In early 1999, Collective Soul released their fourth album, Dosage. Here the band experimented with more radio-friendly pop sounds, electronic effects, and loops, while aiming for a more polished pop/rock sound intended to appeal to a larger mainstream audience. Dosage achieved moderate success, and Collective Soul returned to Woodstock as a big name performer.

Blender, Collective Soul's fifth album, released in late 2000. Their image and album focused more on "bubble-gum pop/rock" clichés and styles than in the past, however Collective Soul still retained the heart of a legitimate rock band. The image and style changes were a definite shift compared to the mid 90's grunge. Though Collective Soul had always been marketed by Atlantic Records for commercial/mainstream appeal, they needed to evolve with the music industry in order to maintain commercial success. Therefore, they used more modernized recording techniques, including Digitech/Digidesign Pro-Tools recording gear. The album achieved only moderate success in comparison to their past works, but still did well by industry standards. Their reputation as an impressive live act continued to grow as a result of tireless touring and musical endeavours.

In spite of their success live on stage, Blender received the most negative reviews of all their works so far. Since its inception, Collective Soul had been criticized along with Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, Creed and many other post-grunge bands for being too cliché and for simply re-arranging sounds and techniques used by "influential bands". The battle continued as critics questioned Collective Soul's choice of "image" and suggested that Collective Soul had become a "gimmicky pop-rock band".

In a difficult line-up change, longtime lead guitarist and childhood friend Ross Childress left the band in late 2001 after having been with them since the very beginning. Initially, many fans and media were shocked and confused. The band released a statement on their website briefly stating that Ross was no longer a member. Though this press release did not give any details, in an attempt to avoid unwanted attention, it was rumored to be a very personal situation. Speculation among fans would continue for years to come. Joel Kosche, long time guitar technician, replaced Ross on tour and was eventually named an official band member.

Collective Soul completed their contract with Atlantic Records in late 2001 with the release of their greatest hits retrospective, 7EVEN Year Itch. The record featured many of their biggest hits and included 2 new tracks "Next Homecoming" and "Energy". After their departure from Atlantic, the band took some time off to rest, but still played an assortment of gigs for the next couple of years.

In November 2004, the band launched a new website, and released their long-awaited sixth studio album, Youth, on their own indie label, El Music Group, after having re-recorded the album a couple times over two years and delaying a few release dates. The album debuted at a respectable #66 on the Billboard 200, after a string of promotional gigs and radio appearances. The band scored a Top 10 hit with "Counting The Days". The record showcased a revitalized band ready to hit the road. The record was still along the lines of pop/rock, but was more balanced than Dosage and Blender. The 2nd single, "Better Now" was a huge hit on Hot AC and Pop formats. Their tour lasted for over a year including several gigs in Canada. The third single "How Do You Love" became a Top 20 hit on Adult Top 40 radio. The album sold over 225,000 copies in its first year of release, relying on steady sales, rather than huge sales in the beginning.

In May 2005, they released an eight song acoustic EP compilation titled From the Ground Up, which had acoustic versions of some favorites.

Original drummer Shane Evans was not on tour with the band during 2005 and 2006, and his status in the band remains un-confirmed, despite many rumors and speculation on their official message boards. Session/studio drummer Ryan Hoyle has been the drummer during touring, and is credited with playing on eight of the 11 songs on "Youth". The band has not confirmed whether or not Evans will be back.

Collective Soul performed two shows with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra on April 23 and 24, 2005. A DVD and CD of the performances, entitled Home: A Live Concert Recording With The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra was released in February 2006. On February 6, 2006, they appeared on the Howard Stern Radio show to re-record music which was lost to Stern's old contract with Infinity Broadcasting.

As of April/May 2006, they continue to play tour dates all over North America and a dozen over seas. The band has mentioned on myspace.com and their website that they will continue touring in support of their "Home" DVD/CD. There is news about a possible new album within the next year and many new plans are in the works, although details haven't yet been made public. Ed Roland indicated that the next record will have more songwriting contributions from other band members and maybe some guests. (Roland composed/produced almost all of the band's previous material.)