Blessid Union of Souls biography
:This article is about the band. For their self-titled album, see Blessid Union of Souls (album).
Blessid Union of Souls (sometimes abbreviated to Blessid Union) is an American rock band from Morrow, Ohio that was formed in 1990 by friends Jeff Pence and Eliot Sloan.
The band's first studio album, Home, had some success which lay with its lead single, "I Believe". The song popularized the band with local-area DJs and became one of their greatest hits. Their second album, the self-titled Blessid Union of Souls, did not have nearly the success of Home, but this did not last long, as their third album, Walking Off the Buzz, spawned the hit single "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)".
After the release of their greatest-hits album, Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles, which actually collected more outtakes and B-sides than previous hits, they released Perception. The band's sixth album, Close to the Edge, was released in 2008.
Early years
Blessed Union of Souls formed in 1990 in Morrow, Ohio with guitarist Jeff Pence, vocalist Eliot Sloan, keyboardist C.P. Roth (who had been in Ozzy Osbourne's touring band) and drummer Eddie Hedges. Sloan and Hedges had previously played together in a band in the 1980s called The Movies. The band's name originated from an episode of the TV series
M*A*S*H.
The band was heavily influenced by the cowpunk scene that was burgeoning around the time they formed. They spent several years honing their craft in Newport News; their song "Oh Virginia" tells the story of their "second home."
In 1992, the band sent a demo to EMI Records who immediately offered them a contract and spread the word about them.
Home (1994-1996)
They began writing more songs in about 1993 for their debut album,
Home. It took over two years to complete, but before it was released, DJs in the Cincinnati area began playing "I Believe", which would become the album's most popular single.
They finally released Home in March 1995. Later that year, it was certified gold by the RIAA. It is now certified platinum. The album released their major hit "I Believe", as well as Top 20 hits "Oh Virginia" and "Let Me Be the One," which was featured in the soap opera All My Children.
Blessid Union of Souls (1996-1998)
EMI Records collapsed in 1996, and the band re-signed to Capitol Records, adding bassist Tony Clark in the process.
They released their second album, Blessid Union of Souls in 1997. This album was not as popular as Home, but still released two Top 20 hits, "I Wanna Be There" and "Light in Your Eyes".
Walking Off the Buzz (1999-2000)
They released their third album,
Walking Off the Buzz in 1999. This album was very popular due to "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)", a single from the album that reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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