The Alternative-Rock five-piece band Collective Soul was formed in Stockbridge, Georgia USA, in 1992 by vocalist Ed Roland, lead guitarist Joel Kosche, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin and drummer Shane Evans.
The group soon recorded and released, a year later, their debut album, "Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid", on a small indie label called Rising Storm Records. In late spring 1994 the record crashed into the top 20 of The Billboard 200 chart, upon its re-release by Atlantic Records, the lead single "Shine" peaked at #1 the Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and at #5 on The Modern Rock Tracks; it also reached the #11 spot on The Billboard Hot 100 and was followed by another Active Rock top 20 hit: "Breathe". Their debut album was eventually certified double-platinum.
Collective Soul's self-titled second effort arrived in March 1995, despite it missed the top 20 of The Billboard 200, enjoyed a 76-week chart run; that spring they embarked on a major tour supporting Van Halen and the album went triple-platinum, powered by no less than five smash singles: both "December" and the soaring ballad "The World I Know" peaked at #1 on The Mainstream Rock chart, entered the top 10 of The Modern Rock Tracks and climbed into the top 20 of The Billboard Hot 100; "Gel" peaked at #2 and #14 on Active and Modern Rock Tracks charts, respectively; "Smashing Young Man" rose to the #8 slot on The Mainstream Rock list and the final single, "Where The River Flows", became the album's third #1 on the Active Rock chart.
Almost exactly two years later, "Disciplined Breakdown" was released, the 12-song set hit #5 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and peaked at #16 on The Billboard Top 200 spawning two Mainstream Rock #1 singles: "Listen" and "Precious Declaration", the latter of which reached the #6 spot on The Modern Rock Tracks; one further single cut, "Blame", reached #11 on the U.S. Active Rock radio chart.
The quintet scored another Active Rock top 20 hit in 1998 with the track "She Said", taken from the soundtrack of the film "Scream 2".
The Georgia rockers' fourth album, 1999's platinum-certified "Dosage", yielded the band's biggest Mainstream Rock hits ever with "Heavy", the single stayed at #1 for an amazing three months and also climbed into the top 5 of The Modern Rock Tracks list; the album which was a huge hit in Canada, where debuted at #5, reached the #21 position on The Billboard Top 200 and generated the Mainstream Rock top 10 hit "No More, No Less", the Active Rock top 40 single "Tremble For My Beloved" and the Modern Rock top 40 hit, "Run".
In October 2000 Ed Roland and company released "Blender", this album became their highest chart entry on the Top Canadian Albums list peaking at #3; it reached #22 Stateside while the first single, "Why Pt. 2", shot to #2 on The Mainstream Rock chart and crawled up to #19 on The Modern Rock Tracks; the follow-up single, "Vent", made top 40 on album-Rock radio stations and "Perfect Day" earned some airplay on Adult Contemporary stations.
A year later, the band assembled the retrospective compilation "7even Year Itch Greatest Hits 1994-2001" which featured two new songs including "Next Homecoming", the track scraped the lower reaches of the Mainstream Rock top 40 chart.
Collective Soul, returned in November 2004 with its sixth studio album, "Youth", it was released on their own new record label, El Music Group; the CD hit the #3 slot on the Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and reached #66 on The Billboard 200 producing the Mainstream Rock top 10 hit "Counting The Days" as well as two Adult Top 40 smashes, "Better Now" and "How Do You Love?".
August 2007 saw the release of "Afterwords", the set includes the Hot Adult Top 40 hit "Hollywood".
