Ed Roland

Ed Roland
Background information
Birth name	Edgar Eugene Roland Jr.
Born	August 3, 1963 (1963-08-03)
Origin	Stockbridge, Georgia
Genres	Alternative rock, hard rock, post-grunge
Instruments	Vocals Guitar, Keyboards
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	EL Music Group
Associated acts	Collective Soul, Marching Two-Step
Website	[2]

Edgar Eugene Roland III was born August 3, 1963 in Stockbridge, Georgia. He is an American musician and vocalist of the alternative rock band Collective Soul. He is the primary songwriter and also contributes guitars, keyboards, producing, and engineering.

Biography

After finishing high school, Roland studied songwriting and guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston for one year. He was the lead engineer and producer at Real 2 Reel Studios in Stockbridge, Georgia for eight years. In 1985, he was in a band called The Eddie Band and another during the late 1980s and early 1990s called Marching Two-Step, which also included future producer and music executive Matt Serletic, future executive Michelle Rhea Caplinger and longtime Collective Soul drummer Shane Evans. Roland released an indie album called Ed-E Roland in 1991. The album was meant to showcase his abilities to compose, record, and produce his own original music.

Ed changed the name of his band to Collective Soul with hopes of finding success in the music business. Not finding success, however, Roland became frustrated and almost gave up on the music industry. He had been active in the local Georgia music scene since the early 1980s. Despite the initial rejections, Collective Soul independently released Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid in 1993 on a label called Rising Storm. It was a compilation of some of Roland's songwriting demos created when he worked at Real 2 Reel Studios.

This collection eventually caught the attention of a college radio station in Orlando, Florida. Several other college radio stations began to play "Shine" and it became an underground hit. The popularity of the song and band was convincing enough that Atlantic Records signed Collective Soul in 1993 to a long term major label contract. "Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid" was re-released worldwide in early 1994. The band experienced a sudden rise from obscurity to fame.

During his time with Collective Soul, Roland has become a skilled writer and vocalist known for composing popular catchy songs. His versatility in the studio made him a respected musician. Collective Soul experienced high levels of mainstream success with numerous hits and gold/platinum selling albums, on which Roland is often the primary producer. He led the band through many tours and various high profile performances including Woodstock 1994 and Woodstock 1999.

Ed's brother Dean is also a member of the band. Their father was a Southern Baptist minister which influenced their spiritual background; however, Ed has cited that Collective Soul is not a Christian rock band. He is known for his moves on stage often swinging his mic stand and dancing across the stage.

Roland is currently working on a new act called The Sweet Tea Project.

External links

• Official Collective Soul website
• Ed Roland at the Internet Movie Database