Kings of Leon

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Kings of Leon's Bio: Kings of Leon is an American rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee, United States in 1999, consisting of brothers Anthony “Caleb” Followill (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ivan “Nathan” Followill (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Michael ��Jared” Followill (bass guitar, backing vocals), with their cousin Cameron “Matthew” Followill (lead guitar, backing vocals). Each member of the family group is known by their middle name (second given name) as opposed to their first given name .

The band’s early music was an upbeat blend of southern rock and blues influences but the band has gradually expanded their sound to include a variety of genres, including alternative rock.

Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three of the band’s albums at the time peaking in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Their third album Because of the Times also reached the number one spot. After the release of Only by the Night in 2008 they finally achieved chart success in their native United States. The singles Sex On Fire, Use Somebody and Notion peaked at number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, while the album itself was their first ever platinum-selling album in the US.

Early years (1999–2002)
The three Followill brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the Southern United States with their father, Ivan “Leon” Followill, a traveling Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, Betty-Ann, who taught them when they were not in school. Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, while Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to Rolling Stone magazine, “While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended services and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were either home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools at this time. Except for a five-year period when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followill’s childhoods were spent driving through the south in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach.”

When the boys’ father resigned from the church and divorced his wife in 1997, the boys relocated to Nashville and embraced the rock music and lifestyle they had previously been denied. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of the Rolling Stones, The Clash, and Thin Lizzy in particular. Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records, who insisted that the duo recruit more members for the band before launching their career. The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared were asked to join. They named themselves Kings of Leon in honor of Nathan, Caleb, and Jared’s father and grandfather, who were both named Leon.

In an interview, Caleb admitted to “kidnapping” their cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band. They told his mother that he was just staying for a week, but they consequently never allowed him to return home. Drummer Nathan added, “When we signed the deal with RCA, it was just me and Caleb. The label told us they were going to put a band together, but we said, ‘We’re going to buy our little brother a bass, he’s a freshman in high school. Caleb will teach himself the guitar. Our cousin Matthew played guitar when he was 10 and I’ll play drums.’ The record label agreed,”.

Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak (2003 - 2005)
Their first record, the Holy Roller Novocaine EP was released on February 18, 2003. At this stage, Jared was only 16 years old and had not yet learned to play the bass guitar. The release of Holy Roller Novocaine gave the Kings of Leon a significant amount of exposure prior to the release of their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood, receiving a 4/5 star rating from Rolling Stone magazine. Four of the five songs would later be released on Youth and Young Manhood, however the versions of Wasted Time and California Waiting on the EP differ, with the first having a more tense riff and different vocal style than the same track off Youth and Young Manhood, and the latter being recorded in a rush to finish the record. The EP contains the B-side Wicker Chair while another track titled Andrea, was discarded prior to its release. All the songs released on the EP were co-written by Angelo Petraglia who also produced the record. … Read more