William Ross Turpin (born February 8, 1971) is an American musician. He is best known for being the bassist of the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Collective Soul Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of lead vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, drummer Johnny Rabb, and lead guitarist J ...

. He is also a solo artist, and tours with his backing band, the Way. His debut EP, ''The Lighthouse'', was released in 2011. He owns an indie record label called Gooey Music.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Turpin was born in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

, and raised in Stockbridge, Georgia. Turpin's father, Bill, opened Real 2 Reel Studios in nearby

Jonesboro, Georgia Jonesboro is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,724 as of the 2010 census. The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough. During the Civil War, the final skirmish in the Atlanta Ca ...

in 1976. Turpin began taking piano lessons when he was eight years old. He majored in

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

while attending Florida State University and

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

. He is married to Donna, and they have three children.

Collective Soul

Turpin joined Collective Soul in 1992.

Other projects

Turpin makes an appearance on the album ''How Do You Live'' (1997) by Michelle Penn. He has collaborated with Atlanta-based group Abel, Rawls & Hayes on several albums. Turpin served as the producer for the album ''Certified Organic'' by Michael Tolcher. He performs bass on Collective Soul bandmate

Ed Roland Edgar Eugene Roland, Jr. (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Collective Soul. He is also active with his side project ...

's unreleased solo album '' Anniversary'', and is featured in the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the track "Searching For."

Solo career

Turpin released his first solo EP, ''The Lighthouse'', on October 11, 2011. This five-track EP features collaborations from Collective Soul bandmates Ed Roland,

Joel Kosche Joel Sefton Kosche ( ; born September 20, 1969) is an American musician. He is best known for his thirteen-year tenure as the lead guitarist of the rock band Collective Soul. He is also a solo artist, and tours with his backing band, Joel Kosche ...

, and Ryan Hoyle; along with guitarist

Peter Stroud Peter Stroud is a US guitarist best known for his work with Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Pete Droge, and Sarah McLachlan. He is cofounder of 65amps, a company manufacturing guitar amplifiers. Biography Peter Stroud was born in Greensboro, Nort ...

. To promote the release, Turpin formed a band called the Way to back him at live performances. The band originally featured Jason Fowler and Scott Davidson, with Mark Wilson joining the lineup afterwards. Davidson left the band in 2013. Turpin recorded a version of "

What Child Is This? "What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of " Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song, in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popul ...

" for the charity album ''A Rock By The Sea Christmas: Volume Three'' (2012). On February 7, 2013, Turpin and the Way performed a Stageit concert held at Real 2 Reel Studios. This show was recorded and later released as a live EP, ''The Lighthouse (Live from Real 2 Reel Studios)''. Beginning in 2013, he has hosted annual Christmas rock concerts titled "Rock the Cradle" for churches each December. Turpin began recording his first studio album, ''Serengeti Drivers'', in October 2012. The album was released on June 8, 2018.

Discography

; With Collective Soul ; Solo * ''The Lighthouse'' (2011) * ''The Lighthouse (Live from Real 2 Reel Studios)'' (2013) * ''Serengeti Drivers (2018)

References

External links

* 1971 births 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians Alternative rock bass guitarists American alternative rock musicians American male singers American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American rock singers Collective Soul members Florida State University alumni Georgia State University alumni Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Living people Musicians from Atlanta People from Fairbanks, Alaska People from Stockbridge, Georgia Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century American singers 21st-century American bass guitarists {{US-rock-musician-stub