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About Kings of Leon
The band comprises of
the three Followill
brothers, Anthony Caleb
Followill on lead vocals
and rhythm guitar, Ivan
Nathan Followill on
drums and backing
vocals, Michael Jared
Followill on bass guitar
and backing vocals, and
cousin Cameron Matthew
Followill on lead guitar
and backing vocals. The
Followill brothers spent
a large part of their
youth in the Southern
States of the US with
their father, Ivan Leon
Followill, who was a
travelling Pentecostal
Church preacher. The
boys were apparently not
allowed to listen to
secular music, and spent
a lot of their childhood
listening to church
choirs and being home
schooled. The brothers’
life changed when Leon
resigned from the Church
and divorced his wife.
The boys then moved to
Nashville and immersed
themselves in a
lifestyle previously
denied to them. For the
first time the Followill
boys were listening to
the music of The Rolling
Stones, Velvet
Underground etc. Soon
after, the Followill
brothers, along with
cousin Matthew, had
joined forces to form a
band, The Kings Of Leon.
Holy Roller Novocain,
the band’s first track
to be produced was out
in early 2003. The track
gave the band some
amount of publicity
before the launch of
their debut album, Youth
And Young Manhood in
July 2003. Surprisingly,
Youth And Young Manhood
managed to get some
critical attention, and
little commercial
success in the US. In
the UK and Ireland, the
album was a smash hit
and NME called it ‘one
of the best debut albums
of the last ten years!’
The album spawned
singles like Wasted
Time, California Waiting
and Wicker Chair. The
Bucket, a single from
their second album Aha
Shake Heartbreak, made
it to the top 20 on the
UK charts.
Soon later, Kings of
Leon were chosen to tour
with American rock band
The Strokes, and U2. The
band has toured
extensively with several
artists including Bob
Dylan and Pearl Jam.
2007 saw the release of
the Kings’ third album
entitled Because of the
Times, which opened at
#1 on UK and Irish
Charts, and debuted at
number 25 on European
Charts. The band was
once again critically
praised in the UK,
although some critics
did find the album
inferior to the band’s
past work. NME said that
the album, ‘cements
Kings Of Leon as one of
the great American bands
of our time.’
The Kings of Leon spent
the entire 2008
recording and finally in
September released Only
By Night. Again, the
album debuted in the UK
at the top spot,
becoming the UK’s third
biggest selling album of
2008, and reached number
5 on American Charts.
Sex On Fire, released in
September, is one of
their most popular
singles to date.
The band won the Best
International Band and
Best International Album
at the BRIT awards in
2009.
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