 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. Even though the band the
next four years away from the recording studio, Blessid Union of Souls did continue to play live. C.P. Roth and Eddie Hedges left in 2002 and were soon replaced with longtime
friends of the band, Bryan Billhimer and Shaun Schaefer. The new lineup released
Perception on the Ultrax label in 2005. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Blessid Union
of Souls for your next corporate or private event.
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