ED ROLAND Vocals/ Songwriting/ Guitars

Ed was born August 3, 1963. He is the oldest of the four Roland sibs. He lived in Stockbridge, GA, but also in Texas, his father preached at a little church in Grandview, TX. He also lived in Rome, GA, another place where his father preached. When Ed was 8 his father became Minister of Music and Youth (later head minster) at the main Baptist church in Stockbridge, which Ed's father does not work at anymore. "When the Water falls" was written about when his youngest sister, Julie, was little.

Ed is married. His wife's maiden name is Stephanie Boley. He is now also the proud father of a baby boy, Lindsey Chris, born August 8, 1998.

The Roland brothers grew up in a musical, but strict, household where listening to the radio was monitored. As a kid, Ed heard little rock 'n' roll other than that of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. For their father, a Southern Baptist minister, pop and rock music had no place in the Roland household - at first. "The brunt of those restrictions were on Ed because he was the oldest," remembers Will. "By the time Dean was a bit older, he could listen to pretty much anything he wanted. Sure, there were certain records Mr. Roland didn't want in the house, but he could play those at one of our houses. It was never a problem." At age 13, Ed encountered "ELTON JOHN'S GREATEST HITS" - it was the album that convinced him he'd become a songwriter. "Elton really introduced me to rock 'n' roll," says Ed. "I remember seeing him when I was young and thinking, 'Wow, that's what it's all about.' He was jumping around and having a blast. I love that. As far as rock 'n' roll goes, I guess I'm an old fashioned kind of guy." Ed took his growing passion for music from Stockbridge to Boston, where he studied guitar at the Berklee College of Music.

After a year, he returned home to begin work at the Reel To Real recording studio, owned by Will's father. During more than eight years there - much spent as the facility's head engineer - Ed earned his technical know-how working behind the boards on demo projects with a continuing stream of regional rock bands. With his unlimited access to the studio, Ed also spent long hours cutting the catalog of songs he was writing on piano and guitar - the one-and-two-take recordings that would eventually become "HINTS". "We're grateful for what 'HINTS...' did," says Ed of what was essentially his songwriting demo. "We were very shocked. I'd been hoping to sell just enough to be able to make a real Collective Soul album."

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