Everything about Kings Of Leon totally explained
» For a list of the monarchs of the Spanish kingdom of León, see List of Leonese monarchs.
Kings of Leon are a
rock band made up of the three Followill brothers (Caleb, Nathan, and Jared), and their cousin (Matthew Followill), based in
Mt. Juliet,
Tennessee,
United States. Their influences include
Southern rock,
garage rock,
Hard rock,
country and
blues.
History
The group's name is derived from Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's
father and
grandfather, both named Leon. Jared and Caleb were born in Tennessee, while Nathan and Matthew were born in
Oklahoma. Matthew is a cousin to Nathan, Caleb and Jared. The brothers spent much of their youth travelling around the
SSCS with their father, a traveling
United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, who taught them when they were not in school. According to
Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were home-schooled or enrolled in small
parochial schools. Except for a five-year stretch when they settled in
Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills spent their childhoods driving through the South, camping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."
Although it was rumored their father, Leon, was
defrocked, in an article for Q Magazine in July 2007 Leon himself was quoted as saying "I wasn't defrocked, I resigned." After various jobs, the brothers moved to
Nashville in 1998. They formed a band in 2000 with their cousin Matthew. Their music is influenced by their religious upbringing and their Southern roots. Brothers Nathan and Caleb originally sang country music and later moved to playing
rock and roll. They worked for a brief period of time with label and management group
Pistol Creek Productions. They spent their time with this label mainly singing at rodeos. They also were members of the
West Tennessee Mass Choir for a short time. Nathan, the eldest of the brothers, graduated from Christian Life Academy (a private school that's now defunct) in Henderson, TN. Caleb dropped out mid-senior year to pursue country music.
Upon signing with RCA, they were introduced to Nashville-based song-writer/producer
Angelo Petraglia, who had previously worked with artists such as
Brooks & Dunn,
Trisha Yearwood and
Martina McBride. Petraglia would prove very important to the band, moving them in a more rock-oriented direction and co-writing many of their songs. "I turned those guys on to the
Rolling Stones and a lot of the older raw rock-and-roll stuff," he said.
In an interview Caleb Followill cited
The Rolling Stones,
Neil Young and
Bob Dylan as some of the band's early influences. Caleb also stated though that "...because of the way we [theband members] grew up, we were really sheltered from music and we didn't know that much...", going on to say that the significant musical influences have only been in very recent years.
Career
Holy Roller Novocaine and Youth and Young Manhood
Kings of Leon's first release, The
Holy Roller Novocaine EP came out in 2003. Four of its five songs would later be released on
Youth and Young Manhood, with the songs "
California Waiting" and "
Wasted Time" being remade. The EP also contained the
B-side "Wicker Chair". All the songs were co-written by Petraglia.
Their debut album
Youth and Young Manhood propelled them to relative stardom, particularly outside the
United States, where they were dubbed one of the driving forces behind the so-called "new rock revolution" by the European press. Their stakes only rose when they were chosen by popular rock bands
The Strokes and
U2 to tour with them. According to Jared, the title of the album was taken from their father's
Bible. All songs were again co-written by Petraglia, who also contributed guitar and co-produced the album with Ethan Johns. The songs "
Molly's Chambers", "Red Morning Light", and "Holy Roller Novocaine" were used in various video games, movies, and TV advertisements. "Holy Roller Novocaine" was used in the film "Stuck on You", and . The first single, "Molly's Chambers" became a minor hit overseas.
Aha Shake Heartbreak
The band's second album
Aha Shake Heartbreak was released in the United Kingdom in October 2004 and in the United States in February 2005. Building on the southern-infused garage rock of their first album, the album was released to widespread acclaim and broadened the band's domestic and international audience. "
The Bucket", "
Four Kicks", and "
King of the Rodeo" were all released as singles, with the "The Bucket" rising into the Top 20 in Britain. "
Taper Jean Girl" was used in the 2007 thriller movie, "
Disturbia". The band also garnered accolades from several of their rock peers, including Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher of
Oasis, Kelly Jones of
Stereophonics, Eddie Vedder of
Pearl Jam, and
Bob Dylan. The band toured with Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan for much of 2005 and 2006.
Because of the Times
In March 2006, it was announced by
NME that Kings of Leon were back in the studio, working on their third album. Drummer Nathan Followill told NME.COM: "Man, we're sitting on a bunch of songs right now that we wish we could let the world hear!". The band's third album was titled
Because of the Times, which may be a reference to a large UPC ministers conference of the same name held in Alexandria, Louisiana that the brothers often attended.
The album was released on
April 2,
2007 in the UK, and a day later in the US to virtually universal praise.
NME said that the album "cemented Kings of Leon as one of the great American bands of our time" and
Entertainment Weekly called
Because of the Times "an epic wide-screen movie of a CD and the band's best to date." Another reviewer described
Because of the Times as, "an accomplished album of unbelievable beauty and familiar, loveable grit. Kings of Leon is maturing wonderfully and with patience, not forcing anything musically or lyrically that doesn’t sound natural."
After this album was released,
Ed O'Brien of
Radiohead admitted he was a fan, adding them to a list of Radiohead's favorite acts. He said, "I don't get jealous when I see other bands, but when I see them I think, 'Man, I'd love to be in that band'. They're young...they remind me of... the
Bunnymen or something like that. They're growing, they're evolving... They're amazing players, the drummer, he's amazing. They're all great but he's really special."
The album debuted at #1 in the UK and Ireland and entered the US charts at #25, selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was preceded by the single "
On Call", which became a hit in Britain. The album showed a clear evolution from the band's previous work, as the band's trademark dirty, southern-fried swagger was replaced with a more mature, polished sound. This, however, didn't stop the album from becoming arguably the band's most successful commercial and critical release. Other singles from the album were "
Fans" and "
Charmer."
The 4th album
Caleb recently confirmed to UK magazine NME that the band is already working on tracks for the fourth album even though the third album was only just released. One of the reasons for this is that the third album was finished almost a year before it was released so he felt it was time to write songs again. Furthermore, in an interview Jared suggested the next album will "rock harder", suggesting more tracks like McFearless, Charmer, and Black Thumbnail. "We've broadened our musical tastes in the past couple of years and feel we're ready to tackle our southern roots...again" says Jared Followill, the band's bass player. Recording is set to begin in February, when the band completes its current tour. On February 8, 2008, Kings of Leon were confirmed by
Glastonbury Festival organizer
Emily Eavis to be playing the festival at
Worthy Farm, along with fellow headliners
Jay-Z and
The Verve. They will also be performing at
Roskilde Festival 2008,
OXEGEN 2008,
Summercase 2008,
T in the Park 2008 in July,
Rock Werchter 2008 in July and the
V Festival 2008 in August.
They are currently finishing their recording sessions in Nashville, Tennessee and predict the album to be released in 2008.
Personal Lives
Over the years the band has been linked to many
supermodels and other well known faces including the likes of
Kate Moss and
Kimberly Stewart. Nathan Followill is now engaged to American singer
Jessie Baylin. Jared Followill has been rumored to be dating an American model, but also linked to long-time girlfriend Alisa. Caleb Followill is dating model
Lily Aldridge And, Matthew Followill is dating
Alex Turner's ex,
Johanna Bennett.
Members
Discography
Studio albums
Youth and Young Manhood (2003)
Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004/2005)
Because of the Times (2007)
TBA (2008/2009)Further Information
Get more info on 'Kings Of Leon'.
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