Kings of Leon are a southern rock band. The band's music is closer in spirit to indie rock than to any other musical genre that is acceptable to such southern contemporaries as 3 Doors Down or Saving Abel.
Perhaps that is why the kings of Leon had significant commercial success more in Europe than in America. Nevertheless, the group's albums cause worthy critical acclaim. Since 2008, Recording Academy has been proud of its musicians. The group received Grammy nominations.
History and origins of the Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is made up of members of the Followville family: three brothers (singer Caleb, bassist Jared, drummer Nathan) and a cousin (guitarist Matthew).
The three brothers spent most of their youth traveling the southern United States with their father, Ivan (Leon) Followville. He was a traveling preacher in a Pentecostal church. Betty Ann's mother taught her sons after school.
Caleb and Jared were born on Mount Juliet (Tennessee). And Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). According to Rolling Stone magazine, “While Leon was preaching in churches throughout the Deep South, the boys attended services and played drums from time to time. At that time, they were either homeschooled or educated in small parochial schools.”
The father left the church and divorced his wife in 1997. The boys then moved to Nashville. They embraced rock music as a way of life that had previously been denied them.
Acquaintance with Angelo Petraglia
There they met their songwriter Angelo Petraglia. Thanks to him, the brothers honed their songwriting skills. They also got acquainted with the Rolling Stones, The Clash and Thin Lizzy.
Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records. The label pushed for the duo to recruit more members before embarking on a musical career.
The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared joined. They named themselves "Kings of Leon" after Nathan, Caleb, Jared's father and grandfather, who were called Leon.
In an interview, Caleb admitted to "kidnapping" cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band.
They told his mother that he would just stay for a week. Although even then they knew that he would not return home. Drummer Nathan added: “When we signed with RCA, it was just me and Caleb. The label told us that he wanted to put the band together to the full line-up, but we said that we would put together our own team.”
Kings of Leon Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak (2003–2005)
The first recording of Holy Roller Novocaine was released on February 18, 2003. Then Jared was only 16 years old, and he had not yet learned to play the bass guitar.
With the release of Holy Roller Novocaine, the band enjoyed huge popularity before the release of Youth and Young Manhood. It received a 4/5 star rating from Rolling Stone magazine.
Four of the five songs were later released on Youth and Young Manhood. However, the versions of Wasted Time and California Waiting differed. The first had a tighter riff and a different vocal style than the Youth and Young Manhood track. The last one was recorded in a hurry to finish everything as soon as possible.
The mini-album contained the B-side Wicker Chair while the Andrea track was released prior to its release. The songs released as an EP were written with Angelo Petraglia who produced the singles.
The band's debut studio album
The band's debut studio album Youth and Young Manhood was released in the UK in July 2003. And also in the USA in August of the same year.
The album was recorded between Sound City Studios (Los Angeles) and Shangri-La Studios (Malibu) with Ethan Jones (son of producer Glyn Jones). It received critical notice in the country but became a sensation in the UK and Ireland. NME magazine declared it "one of the best debut albums of the last 10 years".
After the release of the album, Kings of Leon toured with rock bands The Strokes and U2.
Aha Shake's second album Heartbreak was released in the UK in October 2004. And also in the United States in February 2005. It is based on the southern garage rock of the first album. The compilation expanded the group's domestic and international audience. The album was once again produced by Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Jones.
The Bucket, Four Kicks and King of Rodeo were released as singles. The Bucket hit the top 20 in the UK. Taper Jean Girl was also used in the film Disturbia (2007) and the film Cloverfield (2008).
The band received awards from Elvis Costello. She also toured with Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam in 2005 and 2006.
Kings of Leon: Because of the Times (2006-2007)
In March 2006, Kings of Leon returned to the studio with producers Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Johns. They continued to work on a third album. Guitarist Matthew told NME, "Man, we're sitting on a bunch of songs right now and we'd love for the world to hear them."
The band's third album Because of the Times is about a conference of clergymen of the same name. It took place in the Pentecostal Church of Alexandria (Louisiana), which the brothers often visited.
The album showed an evolution from the previous work Kings of Leon. It has a noticeably more polished and clearer sound.
The album was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK. A day later, the single On Call was released in the United States, which became a hit in the UK and Ireland.
It debuted at number 1 in the UK and Ireland. And entered the European charts at number 25. Approximately 70 copies were sold in the first week of release. NME said that the album "makes Kings of Leon one of the most famous American bands of our time".
Dave Hood (Artrocker) gave the album one star out of five, finding that: "Kings of Leon experiment, learn and get a little lost."
Despite mixed acclaim, the album led to hit singles in Europe, including Charmer and Fans. As well as Knocked Up and My Party.
Only by the Night (2008-2009)
During 2008, the band recorded their fourth studio album, Only by the Night. It soon entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and stayed there for another week.
Only By The Night featured in the two-week sessions as a UK No. 1 compilation in 2009. In the United States, the album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard charts. Q magazine named Only by the Night "Album of the Year" in 2008.
Reaction to the album was mixed in the United States. Spin, Rolling Stone and All Music Guide rated the album excellently. While Pitchfork Media gave the album the virtual equivalent of a 2 star.
Sex on Fire was the first single released to download in the UK on 8 September. The song became the most successful in history. Since she took 1st position in the UK and Ireland. It was the first song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock chart.
The second single, Use Somebody (2008), achieved worldwide chart success. It reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 10 chart positions in Australia, Ireland, New York and the United States.
Thanks to the song Sex on Fire, the group received a Grammy Award at the 51st ceremony (Staples Center, in Los Angeles) in 2009. The musicians won the Best International Group and Best International Album nominations at the Brit Awards in 2009. They also performed the song Use Somebody live.
The band performed on March 14, 2009 at Sound Relief for a benefit concert due to a wildfire. The song Crawl from the album was released as a free download on the band's website. Only By The Night was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA for sales of 1 million copies less than a year after its release.
Future projects (2009-2011)
The band announced the release of a live DVD on November 10, 2009 and a remix album. The DVD was filmed at London's O2 Arena in July 2009.
On October 17, 2009, on the night of the final show of the US tour in Nashville, Tennessee, Nathan Fallill wrote on his personal Twitter page: “Now is the time to start creating the next musical chapter in The Kings of Leon. Thanks again to everyone!"
The group's sixth album Mechanical Bull was released on September 24, 2013. The album's first single, Supersoaker, was released on July 17, 2013.
On October 14, 2016, the band released their 7th studio album, Walls, through RCA Records. It peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The first single released from the album was Waste a Moment.
Now the team writes wonderful songs, organizes tours and pleases its fans even more.
Kings of Leon in 2021
At the beginning of March 2021, the presentation of the new studio album When You See Yourself took place. This is the 8th studio LP produced by Markus Dravs.
The musicians managed to share that for them this is the most personal record for the entire time of the band's existence. And the fans also became aware that a lot of vintage instruments sound in the tracks.
