Ross Childress

Ross Childress is a guitarist and songwriter, best known as the former lead guitarist and co-songwriter of internationally renowned rock band Collective Soul from 1993 to 2001. He co-wrote the music of Collective Soul's hit song "The World I Know," which was the 2008 American Idol David Cook's final song of that competition before winning by 12 million votes [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24765469/] .

Ross Childress is currently songwriter, lead guitarist and vocals in Starfish and Coffee, an indie/pop/rock band he formed in 2006.

Biography

Collective Soul

Ross grew up with and had played with the original band members of Collective Soul before the group signed to Atlantic Records in early 1994. Over a period of eight years with the band, Ross recorded on, and toured in support of, five studio albums that have sold for a total of over seven (7) million copies and generated seven (7) #1 singles on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock charts [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Soul] . He left the band in September 2001 after the release of the greatest hits compilation "7even Year Itch". Much debate still exists regarding the reason for his departure. The band had released a brief statement on its website urging fans to understand that the situation was very personal.

During his time with Collective Soul, Ross was known for his metallic guitar sounds and heavier grunge riffs. There were always elements of metal and blues influences in his playing, and a lot of the Collective Soul songs have a distorted grunge sound. Along with songwriter Ed Roland, he penned many catchy and memorable "hooks" as evident on Collective Soul's most popular songs. Ross wrote, sang lead vocals, and performed guitar on the song "Dandy Life" on the 1999 release "Dosage". This was the first time that a member other than Ed had sung lead on a studio recording.

He also emerged as one of the more technically proficient guitarists of the 1990s modern rock movement. He combined various effects and versatility into his play, showcasing his skills during hundreds of live gigs/performances all over the world. He often did take a "whatever fits the song" kind of approach. However, Ross was able to creatively improvise on stage often adding in more complex elements, letting his playing do the talking, such as extended solos or expanded guitar parts.

Other projects

In 2004/2005 Ross returned to recording music as a studio musician for the Trevor Hurst project entitled "Hurst". He contributed in many ways, including co-writing & producing. The band recruited a few other musicians to join. The album has done moderately well in Canada since its release in June 2005. Touring with Trevor as "Early Moses," named after the Basquiat painting of the same name, Ross played a few shows, but decided not to play live and remain in the background.

More recently, in November 2006, Ross was mentioned on the myspace.com page of Atlanta based Metal/Rockabilly band "The Hot Rods" as the producer of their debut album "Rumble Seat" slated for release in January 2007.

In December 2006, a myspace.com page for Ross appeared. It spoke of a new project entitled "Ross Childress Experience", consisting of himself on vocals/guitar, and two musician friends on bass and drums. With the addition of a second backup singer/guitarist in 2007, "Ross Childress Experience" was renamed "Starfish and Coffee," and their self-titled debut album was released on April 29, 2008.

Discography

Collective Soul

#"Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid", (1994) - guitars
#"Collective Soul", (1995) - guitars
#"Disciplined Breakdown", (1997) - guitars
#"Dosage", (1999) - guitars, vocals
#"Blender", (2000) - guitars
#"7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994-2001" Compilation, (2001)

Hurst - (Trevor Hurst)

#"Wanderlust" EP, (2005) - guitars, bass, keyboards, co-writer & producer, engineer

Starfish and Coffee

#"Starfish and Coffee", (2008) - vocals, guitars, keyboards, writer, co-writer, producer and engineer

External links

* [http://www.mystarfishandcoffee.com Starfish and Coffee - Official Band Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/starfishandcoffeeonline Starfish and Coffee on Myspace]
* [http://www.myspace.com/rosschildressexperience Ross Childress Experience]
* [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Cabaret/8754/rosstrib.html Tribute to Ross]
* [http://guitargeek.com/rigview/458/ Rig/Equipment/Effects - Collective Soul]
* [http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/collective_soul_tabs.htm Collective Soul Guitar Tabs]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bro0e4jo70wa4 All Music Guide entry for Collective Soul]