GAOTW: Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon are a rock band made up of three brothers and a cousin, based in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Their influences range from Southern rock, indie, to blues styles. Their critically acclaimed first and second albums have given them a devoted ollowing, especially in Europe.

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. The brothers spent much of their youth travelling around the American South 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 services 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 in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."

Their father was defrocked and their parents divorced in 1997 and 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 and also other musicians, including Matthew R. Hudson who played the drums in a similar fashion to that of Nathan.

Before trying their hand at rock and roll, brothers Nathan and Caleb sang country music. They worked for a brief period of time with label/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 oldest of the brothers, graduated from the now defunct private school, Christian Life Academy, in Henderson, TN. Caleb dropped out mid-senior year to pursue country music and is now married to Mel Tonkin.

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.

The Holy Roller Novocaine EP was Kings of Leon's first release. It contained some of the songs that would later be released onto Youth and Young Manhood. However, it also included the famous B-side "Wicker Chair". All the songs were co-written by Petraglia.

They got their start with their album Youth and Young Manhood and rose to relative stardom, especially outside the United States, by being chosen by popular rock bands The Strokes and U2 to tour with them. All songs were again co-written by Petraglia, who also contributed guitar and co-produced the album with Ethan Johns. The song "Red Morning Light" was used as the opening song for the video game FIFA 2004. "Holy Roller Novocaine" was used in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and the TV show The Shield.

Their second album Aha Shake Heartbreak was released in the United Kingdom in October 2004 to widespread acclaim. The album was praised for its mix of garage rock and Southern swagger. "The Bucket", "Four Kicks", and "King of the Rodeo" were all released as singles. Aha Shake Heartbreak was released on February 22, 2005 in the United States.

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!"

"Charmer," "My Party," "Arizona," and "Fans" were all premiered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 2, 2006 at Summerfest, which may have also had an unplanned encore that included additional new songs premiered, but the full setlist remains unknown. Other new songs were premiered later in 2006, including "On Call", "McFearless" and "Black Thumbnail." The Kings played another new song called "My Party" at the 2006 Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Kings of Leon's third album is entitled Because of the Times, which is a not-so-subtle reference to a large UPC ministers conference held in Alexandria, Louisiana that the brothers often attended. The album will be released on April 2, 2007 in the UK, and a day later in the US. The album will be preceded by the single "On Call", which will be available for download on iTunes on February 6. The single will be available for airplay on February 26 in the US, and available to purchase in the UK on March 26. The song can currently be heard on their MySpace page. On the 13th of February the album leaked on file sharing sites and is thus available for download as "Advance" copy. The source of the copy is unknown.

The band toured in 2006 with Bob Dylan on his never ending tour.The band is now touring the United Kingdom in February and April 2007. In November 2006 they supported Pearl Jam while that band was in the Australian leg of its tour.They are also confirmed to play Oxegen 07 in Co.Kildare, Ireland in July 07. They will also play Bonnaroo 2007 in Manchester, TN and Rock Werchter 2007 in Belgium. They are also set to play the main stage at T in the Park, Scotland's largest music festival, on Sunday 8th July 2007, as well as the Reading and Leeds Festivals (Reading on Friday 24th, and Leeds Saturday 25th).