Collective Soul

Collective Soul
Collective Soul performing at MMRBQ 2016, Camden NJ May 21, 2016.
Background information
Origin	, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, hard rock, post-grunge
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Rising Storm, Atlantic, El Music Group, Loud & Proud, Roadrunner, Vanguard
Associated acts	Marching Two-Step, Starfish and Coffee, Magnets and Ghosts, Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project, Will Turpin + The Way, Kings of Chaos, Cheap Thrill
Website	www.collectivesoul.com
Members	Ed Roland Dean Roland Will Turpin Johnny Rabb Jesse Triplett
Past members	Ross Childress Shane Evans Joel Kosche Ryan Hoyle Cheney Brannon

Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from . Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of lead vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, drummer Johnny Rabb and lead guitarist Jesse Triplett.

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 bassist Will Turpin's father, Bill Turpin. Roland's duties were producing, mixing and engineering for local Atlanta artists. He recorded his demos and released an independent solo album Ed-E Roland in 1991.

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 1980s due to incompatible 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 landed executive positions with record companies.