The band consists of three brothers, Caleb Followill (Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar), Jared Followill (Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar and Keyboards) and Nathan Followill (Backing Vocals and Drums), along with their cousin, Matthew Followill (Backing Vocals and Lead Guitar). The three brothers spent most of their childhood travelling between church conventions in the deep south of the US with their mother and their father, a Pentecostal Minister, sometimes providing music in his sermons. In 1997 though, when their father resigned from the Church and divorced their mother, the three boys quickly moved on to the rock and roll lifestyle they had previously been denied. The
Holy Roller Novocaine EP, Kings of Leon’s first release, came out in 2003, and was quickly followed by their debut album
Youth and Young Manhood, which reached number three in the UK album charts, and lead to Kings of Leon being hailed as a major player in the “new rock revolution”. The band’s fame suddenly rose when they were chosen by
The Strokes and
U2 to tour with them in the same year. They capitalized on their fame with 2005’s album
Aha Shake Heartbreak, which, besides receiving fantastic reviews, once again reached number 3, and enlarged the band’s audience and fans. The band then spent much of the years 2005 and 2006 on tour with
Bob Dylan,
U2 and
Pearl Jam in the US. 2007’s
Because of the Times represented a change in Kings of Leon’s sound, moving on from their original brash, two minute splashes of distortion Guitars to a cleaner, more polished sound. Once again, the album met with very good reviews, and, despite some critics feeling that the new style was less suited to the band than the old one; it earned a number one spot in the UK album chart. The album was preceded by the single
On Call, which became a hit in the UK and Ireland, reaching number 18 in the singles chart.
Kings of Leon’s most recent release,
Only by the Night, in 2008, was propelled to top ten rankings in over ten different country by the popularity of singles
Use Somebody (available in
Guitar tab and
PVG),
Closer, Crawl and Sex on Fire (available in
Guitar tab and
PVG), itself a number one single in the UK. This single won the band a Grammy, and they were also awarded with
Best International Band and
Best International Album at the Brit Awards in 2009. Like
Because of the Times, the album was different in style to their first two albums, but this didn’t prevent it being proclaimed
2008 Album of the Year by Q magazine. It has been certified 6X platinum in the UK, with sales of over 1.8 million.
By showing that they can vary their style, with more experimental albums
Only by the Night and
Because of the Times, Kings of Leon have reached many new fans with their more emotional material, whilst keeping their older supporters with singles showing the brash, Guitar-rock side of the band.
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