Blessid Union of Souls
Encyclopedia
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 DJ
s 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.
'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.
. 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
.
, 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
".
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
.
that also featured a few previously unreleased songs that were recorded around 2000. During this time, they still toured. Roth and Hedges left the band in 2002.
In the beginning of 2008, Blessid Union of Souls began touring with members Eliot Sloan, Tony Clark, Bryan Billhimer, and Shaun Schaefer, as Jeff Pence had amicably left the band in order to focus on his multimedia production career.
The second single, "Pray For You" slated for release on July 15, 2011.
.
In 1998, the band recorded 'Brother My Brother', for Pokemon the First Movie.
In 2000, several of the band's songs were scheduled for use during the production of a film entitled Standing at the Edge of the Earth by Fizzle Freak Productions. The film would have co-starred the band's bassist Tony Clark, and the rest of the band would have been featured in prominent roles as well. The film's production was canceled in around the end of 2000 due to legal and financial issues.
In 2003, the band released Blessid Union of Souls: Play Ball, an album about the Cincinnati Reds
. The title track was used to promote the team in their first season in Great American Ballpark. This album did not receive much attention outside of Cincinnati.
In 2006, Jeff Pence headed a project in which the band contributed two tracks for Clutch Hits, a CD that featured a variety of artists who contributed songs about the Cincinnati Reds
. The songs were entitled "Play Ball" and "Me, Marty, Joe, Ted & Louise." The project was a fundraiser for the Reds Community Fund.
They also performed a track in Pokémon: The First Movie
titled "Brother My Brother" and main theme for Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
titled "It's Alright".
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Morrow
Morrow, Ohio
Morrow is a village in Salem Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,286, up from 1,206 in 1990...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
that was formed in 1990 by friends Jeff Pence and Eliot Sloan.
The band's first studio album, Home
Home (Blessid Union of Souls album)
Home is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls. It was released on March 21, 1995 on the EMI label. The album contains their biggest hit single, "I Believe", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Track listing:...
, had some success which lay with its lead single, "I Believe
I Believe (Blessid Union of Souls song)
-Peak positions:-End of year charts:-External links:* hosted on YouTube....
". The song popularized the band with local-area DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s and became one of their greatest hits. Their second album, the self-titled Blessid Union of Souls
Blessid Union of Souls (album)
Blessid Union of Souls is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on May 20, 1997 on Capitol Records...
, did not have nearly the success of Home, but this did not last long, as their third album, Walking Off the Buzz
Walking Off the Buzz
Walking Off the Buzz is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on April 27, 1999 on V2 Records...
, spawned the hit single "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)
Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)
"Hey Leonardo " is a single by Blessid Union of Souls from their third album, Walking Off the Buzz. It is one of the band's most popular songs.-Composition:...
".
After the release of their greatest-hits album, Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles
Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles
Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles is Blessid Union of Souls' greatest hits album. It was released in 2001.-Track listing:# "Hey Leonardo " — 3:27# "…And Then She Hit Me" — 3:58# "Storybook Life" — 2:52...
, 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 OsbourneOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
'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
Cowpunk
Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of punk rock and New Wave that began in the UK and California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New Wave with country music, folk music, and blues in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style...
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
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
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, HomeHome (Blessid Union of Souls album)
Home is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls. It was released on March 21, 1995 on the EMI label. The album contains their biggest hit single, "I Believe", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Track listing:...
. It took over two years to complete, but before it was released, DJs in the Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
area began playing "I Believe
I Believe (Blessid Union of Souls song)
-Peak positions:-End of year charts:-External links:* hosted on YouTube....
", which would become the album's most popular single.
They finally released Home in March 1995. Later that year, it was certified gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA. It is now certified platinum. The album released their major hit "I Believe
I Believe (Blessid Union of Souls song)
-Peak positions:-End of year charts:-External links:* hosted on YouTube....
", as well as Top 20
Top 20
20 #1's Now is a 2007 compilation album by various artists and presented by reggaeton production duo Luny Tunes, released on November 20, 2007, by Machete Music.-Tracklist:# Welcome to My Crib – Randy "Nota Loka"...
hits "Oh Virginia" and "Let Me Be the One," which was featured in the soap opera All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
Blessid Union of Souls (1996-1998)
EMI Records collapsed in 1996, and the band re-signed to Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, adding bassist Tony Clark in the process.
They released their second album, Blessid Union of Souls
Blessid Union of Souls (album)
Blessid Union of Souls is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on May 20, 1997 on Capitol Records...
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
Light in Your Eyes (Blessid Union of Souls song)
"Light in Your Eyes" is a song by the American rock band, Blessid Union of Souls. It was the third track on, and the second single from, their second studio album, Blessid Union of Souls.-Track listing:CD:Cassette:-Chart positions:...
".
Walking Off the Buzz (1999-2000)
They released their third album, Walking Off the BuzzWalking Off the Buzz
Walking Off the Buzz is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on April 27, 1999 on V2 Records...
in 1999. This album was very popular due to "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)
Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)
"Hey Leonardo " is a single by Blessid Union of Souls from their third album, Walking Off the Buzz. It is one of the band's most popular songs.-Composition:...
", a single from the album that reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
2001-2005
Between 2001 and 2005, Blessid Union of Souls stayed away from the studio, but they released a greatest hits albumBlessid Union of Souls: The Singles
Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles is Blessid Union of Souls' greatest hits album. It was released in 2001.-Track listing:# "Hey Leonardo " — 3:27# "…And Then She Hit Me" — 3:58# "Storybook Life" — 2:52...
that also featured a few previously unreleased songs that were recorded around 2000. During this time, they still toured. Roth and Hedges left the band in 2002.
Perception and reemergence (2005-2008)
At the end of this period, the band's fifth studio album Perception was released.In the beginning of 2008, Blessid Union of Souls began touring with members Eliot Sloan, Tony Clark, Bryan Billhimer, and Shaun Schaefer, as Jeff Pence had amicably left the band in order to focus on his multimedia production career.
Close to the Edge (2008-2010)
Blessid Union of Souls's sixth studio album, Close to the Edge, was released on September 16, 2008 on Torque Records. Eight of its twelve tracks were taken from their previous album, Perception. There was only one single released for the album, "Could've Been with You".The Mission Field (2011-Present)
Blessid Union Of Souls debut Contemporary Christian album was released on Salvation Road Records through Sony/Provident in March 2011. The first single "The Only Song" reached # 32 on the Nielsen BDS Christian AC chart. The video for "The Only Song" was also added to the Gospel Music Channel & JCTV.The second single, "Pray For You" slated for release on July 15, 2011.
Other projects
In 1995 they covered the song 'Way Over Yonder' by Carole King for the tribute album Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole KingTapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King
Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King is a 1995 tribute album honoring American singer, songwriter, and pianist Carole King. It features a diverse lineup of artists including Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Bee Gees and Aretha Franklin...
.
In 1998, the band recorded 'Brother My Brother', for Pokemon the First Movie.
In 2000, several of the band's songs were scheduled for use during the production of a film entitled Standing at the Edge of the Earth by Fizzle Freak Productions. The film would have co-starred the band's bassist Tony Clark, and the rest of the band would have been featured in prominent roles as well. The film's production was canceled in around the end of 2000 due to legal and financial issues.
In 2003, the band released Blessid Union of Souls: Play Ball, an album about the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The title track was used to promote the team in their first season in Great American Ballpark. This album did not receive much attention outside of Cincinnati.
In 2006, Jeff Pence headed a project in which the band contributed two tracks for Clutch Hits, a CD that featured a variety of artists who contributed songs about the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The songs were entitled "Play Ball" and "Me, Marty, Joe, Ted & Louise." The project was a fundraiser for the Reds Community Fund.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 1995 | Home Home (Blessid Union of Souls album) Home is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls. It was released on March 21, 1995 on the EMI label. The album contains their biggest hit single, "I Believe", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Track listing:...
|
78 | 1 |
| 1997 | Blessid Union of Souls Blessid Union of Souls (album) Blessid Union of Souls is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on May 20, 1997 on Capitol Records...
|
127 | — |
| 1999 | Walking Off the Buzz Walking Off the Buzz Walking Off the Buzz is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Blessid Union of Souls, released on April 27, 1999 on V2 Records...
|
143 | — |
| 2003 | Blessid Union of Souls: Play Ball
|
— | — |
| 2005 | Perception
|
— | — |
| 2008 | Close to the Edge
|
— | — |
| 2011 | The Mission Field
|
— | — |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 2001 | Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles is Blessid Union of Souls' greatest hits album. It was released in 2001.-Track listing:# "Hey Leonardo " — 3:27# "…And Then She Hit Me" — 3:58# "Storybook Life" — 2:52...
|
178 | — |
| 2007 | Almost Acoustic (Volume 1)
|
— | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Top40 Main. Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
US Adult Pop |
US Adult Cont. |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NL |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||
| 1995 | "I Believe I Believe (Blessid Union of Souls song) -Peak positions:-End of year charts:-External links:* hosted on YouTube.... " |
8 | 2 | 24 | 5 | 18 | 6 |
56 | — | 7 | 29 | Home | ||
| "Let Me Be the One" | 29 | 14 | 24 | 24 | — | 48 |
— | — | — | 74 | ||||
| 1996 | "Oh Virginia"" | — | 23 | 27 | 30 | — | 16 |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "All Along" | 70 | 26 | — | 27 | — | 58 |
— | — | — | — | ||||
| 1997 | "I Wanna Be There" | 39 | 22 | 25 | — | — | 19 |
— | — | — | — | Blessid Union of Souls | ||
| 1998 | "Light in Your Eyes Light in Your Eyes (Blessid Union of Souls song) "Light in Your Eyes" is a song by the American rock band, Blessid Union of Souls. It was the third track on, and the second single from, their second studio album, Blessid Union of Souls.-Track listing:CD:Cassette:-Chart positions:... " |
48 | 25 | 29 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1999 | "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) "Hey Leonardo " is a single by Blessid Union of Souls from their third album, Walking Off the Buzz. It is one of the band's most popular songs.-Composition:... " |
33 | 8 | 16 | — | 17 | 7 |
— | 73 | 44 | — | Walking Off the Buzz | ||
| "Standing at the Edge of the Earth" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Rev It Up (Nascar Rocks)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single / Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles |
|||
| 2000 | "That's the Girl I've Been Telling You About" | — | — | — | — | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | Walking Off the Buzz | ||
| 2001 | "Storybook Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Blessid Union of Souls: The Singles | ||
| 2008 | "Could've Been With You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Close to the Edge | ||
| 2011 | "The Only Song" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Mission Field | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
They also performed a track in Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise...
titled "Brother My Brother" and main theme for Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is the sequel to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective . Jim Carrey reprises his role as the title character Ace Ventura, a detective who specializes in retrieval of tame or captive animals. This is the only sequel to a film starring Carrey in which Carrey reprised his role...
titled "It's Alright".
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "I Believe I Believe (Blessid Union of Souls song) -Peak positions:-End of year charts:-External links:* hosted on YouTube.... " |
Michael Salomon Michael Salomon Michael Salomon is a music video/film director, who has directed many music videos, including many of Toby Keith's music videos... |
| 1997 | "I Wanna Be There" | Bill Fishman |
| 1999 | "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) "Hey Leonardo " is a single by Blessid Union of Souls from their third album, Walking Off the Buzz. It is one of the band's most popular songs.-Composition:... " |
Geoff Moore Geoff Moore In 1988, Geoff Moore and the Distance released their first official album together, entitled A Place to Stand. They also recorded Foundations in 1989 for Sparrow Records. After a while, they jumped to Forefront Records and recorded Pure and Simple in 1990.They followed in 1992 with A Friend Like U... |