Born Edgar Eugene Roland III on August 3, 1963, Ed Roland studied songwriting and composition and guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He worked for a time at Real 2 Reel Studios in Atlanta and performed briefly with local bands. His solo career began in the late 1980s and he released his first solo album titled Ed-E Roland in 1991. The album itself was of no successful consequence, but showcased his songwriting and musical talents before the formation of Collective Soul.

Collective Soul recorded their first album, Hints, Allegations, & Things Left Unsaid, under Rising Storm Records, an indie label out of Atlanta. At first, the album written almost entirely by Ed Roland, was only receiving minimal airplay from college radio stations. It soon gained the attention of major record label Atlantic Records in 1994 and eventually went double platinum and won a Billboard Award for Shine. The group performed at Woodstock in 1994 and began touring North America, eventually playing warm-up for rock giants, Aerosmith.

Now under a major record label, Collective Soul would record their second and best-selling album, Collective Soul, which really was collective. Unlike their first album where Ed did most of the writing, their self-titled second album was a collaborative effort. The album had three singles, "December," "Gel," and "Where the River Flows." Again, Ed Roland’s Collective Soul won the 1995 Billboard Award for top rock single with "December."

Before the release of their third album, Disciplined Breakdown, Ed Roland and his band went through a bitter lawsuit with their former manager over rights to assets. Collective Soul went on to record two more albums under Atlantic before fulfilling their contract and moving on. Their fifth album, Blender, achieved barely moderate success by industry standards, even with the single Perfect Day, featuring Elton John. After the release of the compilation album 7even Year Itch in 2001, Collective Soul and Atlantic Records were through. In the years between 2001 and 2004, rumors abounded and it was suspected that the band had broken up.

In 2004, when they returned under their own independent label, it was evident that Collective Soul still existed. Though 2001 was a rough year for Roland, after a divorce to his first wife, Stephanie Boley, with whom he had had a son, and the loss of long-time friend and lead guitarist Ross Childress from the band, Roland and Collective Soul regrouped.

They launched their sixth studio album title Youth in November of 2004. To date, Ed Roland is married to Michaeline Matteson and continues to tour and record music with Collective Soul.

Let us know of updates to the Ed Roland biography at editor@yuddy.com