Artists

When Seattle grunge went mainstream, it was only a matter of time before the ripple effect spread to regions other than the Pacific Northwest. The Georgia-based quintet Collective Soul developed the genre into a succinct type of angst, turning the sonic cacophony of grunge into radio-friendly hard rock. After rising to popularity with their debut album, 1994's Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid, the band enjoyed a number of hit singles during the '90s, including "Shine," "The World I Know," and "December." As the nu-metal scene increased in popularity and threatened Collective Soul's audience, the group began experimenting with their sound, but returned to their rockier roots with 2004's Youth. From that point forward, Collective Soul worked steadily, balancing touring with new albums that eventually setting up their own indie imprint called Fuzze-Flex where they released such vigorous albums as 2022's Vibrating. Collective Soul (whose name borrowed from a line in Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead) were formed in the small town of Stockbridge in the early '90s by principal songwriter Ed Roland (lead vocals/keyboards/guitars), guitarists Dean Roland and Ross Childress, and rhythm section Will Turpin (bass/percussion) and Shane Evans (drums/percussion). Originally released in 1993 on the Atlanta indie label Rising Storm, the debut effort Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid proved popular enough on the local level that it was picked up the following year by Atlantic. Within months of its major-label release, "Shine" became a modern rock and MTV staple, and Collective Soul found themselves laden with a platinum debut, an arena tour alongside Aerosmith, and a spot on the roster for Woodstock 1994.