One of the first records that influenced Roland to explore rock music was Elton John's Greatest Hits, which he purchased as a child.

After finishing high school, Roland studied songwriting and guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston for one year.

After using the name Brothers & Brides briefly, Roland changed the name of his band to Collective Soul with hopes of finding success in the music business.

The popularity of the song and band was convincing enough that Atlantic Records signed Collective Soul in 1993 to a long term major label contract.

Their father was a Southern Baptist minister which influenced their spiritual background; however, Roland has cited that Collective Soul is not a Christian rock band.

On October 6, 2017, Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project released their second album, Alder Lane Farm.

Roland met his wife Michaeline Matteson when she delivered football tickets to his Atlanta apartment.