 Biography
With their optimistic,
spiritual outlook and song-oriented mix of pop, R&B, and
folk -- dubbed "rural soul" by the band -- Blessid
Union of Souls quickly became one of the most popular bands in
the post-Hootie and the Blowfish adult alternative radio format
in the mid-'90s. Their 1995 debut album, Home, was a huge
success, producing a Top Ten hit in the single "I
Believe."
Blessid Union of Souls was founded in Cincinnati by
vocalist/songwriter Eliot Sloan and guitarist/songwriter Jeff
Pence in 1990; keyboardist C.P. Roth, who had played in Ozzy
Osbourne's touring band, and drummer Eddie Hedges, who toured
with several R&B acts, soon completed the band's early
lineup. Sloan and Hedges had played together in the mid-'80s in
an R&B band called the Movies, and briefly signed with CBS.
Taking their name from a line in an episode of M*A*S*H (and
misspelling the first word to ensure correct pronunciation),
Blessid Union of Souls recorded a demo tape in 1992 that found
its way to EMI Records, which immediately offered the group a
contract. Their debut album, Home, took over two years to craft
properly, and was finally released in March of 1995; it was an
immediate success, thanks to Cincinnati deejays who had already
begun playing the then-unreleased lead single, "I
Believe," and spread the word about the band. "I
Believe" eventually reached number eight on the Billboard
singles chart and became one of the most played songs of the
year; like many of Sloan's songs, the lyrics reflected subtly
Christian sentiments, but which never became overbearing or
preachy. The follow-up, "Let Me Be the One," also
reached the Top 40 and was featured prominently in the soap
opera All My Children.
After EMI went under, Blessid Union of Souls switched over to
Capitol, also adding full-time bassist Tony Clark in 1996. Their
self-titled follow-up was released in 1997, featuring the lead
single "I Wanna Be There"; while there were
well-crafted collaborations with professional songwriters like
1996 Grammy winner Tommy Sims, the album was not quite as
commercially successful as its predecessor. Walking Off the Buzz
was released in the Spring of 1999. A collection entitled
Singles followed in early 2001. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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