Well past their days of traveling through the South alongside their preacher father in a back-firing Chrysler, the Kings of Leon have been heating up radio and television, and have been labeled ‘Rock’s Hottest Band’ by Rolling Stone Magazine ever since the release of their fourth album, ‘Only By The Night.’ It seemed as though the Kings achieved star status overnight, but where did they come from, and how did they first break in to the music scene?
Brothers Nathan, Caleb and Jared were raised on the road by their preacher man father, Leon Followill, and had spent most of their youth traveling through the South from one Pentecostal church service to the next. Their lives took a sharp turn in 1997 when their father resigned from the church; the two eldest brothers, Nathan and Caleb, decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee, in hopes of pursuing a career in music.
Shortly after the move, they ran into Nashville songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who turned the brothers onto the music of the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash. In 2000, they met a singer who helped them find a manager.
Where It All Started
Kings of Leon was officially formed when younger brother Jared and cousin Matthew Followill came in to the picture. Nathan and Caleb’s musical influences were very few, but Jared, having gone to public school, brought his knowledge of the Pixies and Velvet Underground to the group. By 2002, Kings of Leon captured the interest of nine record labels; after several bids, the band decided to go with RCA Records.
After the 2003 release of the Kings EP Holy Roller Novocaine, and album ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ ‘- both produced by Petraglia and Ethan Johns (sons of Led Zeppelin and Who producer Glyn Johns), they were hailed by the British Press as the second coming of rock ‘amp; roll, were named 2004’s ‘Best New Band,’ and inspired comparisons to both Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Strokes because of their retro-chic looks and garage-rock sound. But despite the fact that the band rose to fame in the UK at this time, they failed to make a deep impact in the US.
Their second album, ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak,’ came out in 2005, debuting at number three on the British charts. The band was yet to top the charts in the US, but their tour supporting U2 caused a rise in interest. Prior to the release of their third album, ‘Because of the Times‘ in late 2006, the Kings opened for Bob Dylan at some shows.
The Kings reinvented their sound yet again with their fourth album ‘Only By The Night,’ which released in 2008 and is named after a line in ‘Eleonora,’ an ‘Edgar Allan Poe short story about love and forgiveness beyond the grave,’ according to Spin Magazine. Front man Caleb does the story justice, pairing his turned-up howl with purring guitars and overtly emotional melodies, reportedly influenced by pain meds he had been taking for his shoulder surgery. Pulsating hit ‘Sex on Fire’ has been all over the radio, and made it in to an episode of pop culture phenomenon Gossip Girl.
A fun fact about the Kings: they recently told Rolling Stone that they all actually go by their middle names. Their real first names are Anthony (Caleb, singer),; Ivan (Nathan, drummer); Cameron (Matthew, guitarist); and Michael (Jared, bassist). For more information on Kings of Leon and their upcoming tour dates, visit kingsofleon.com.
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