Kings of Leon is an American rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999, consisting of brothers Anthony "Caleb" Followill (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ivan "Nathan" Followill (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Michael "Jared" Followill (bass guitar, backing vocals), with their cousin Cameron "Matthew" Followill (lead guitar, backing vocals). Each member of the family group is known by their middle name (second given name) as opposed to their first given name.
The band's early music was an upbeat blend of southern rock and blues influences but the band has gradually expanded their sound to include a variety of genres, including alternative rock.
Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three of the band's albums at the time peaking in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Their third album Because of the Times also reached the number one spot. After the release of Only by the Night in 2008 they finally achieved chart success in their native United States. The singles "Sex on Fire", "Use Somebody" and "Notion" peaked at number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, while the album itself was their first ever platinum-selling album in the US.
The three Followill brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the Southern United States with their father, Ivan "Leon" Followill, a traveling Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, Betty-Ann, who taught them when they were not in school. Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, while Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 either home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools at this time. Except for a five-year period when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followill's childhoods were spent driving through the south in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."
When the boys' father resigned from the church and divorced his wife in 1997, the boys relocated to Nashville and embraced the rock music and lifestyle they had previously been denied. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of the Rolling Stones, The Clash, and Thin Lizzy in particular. Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records, who insisted that the duo recruit more members for the band before launching their career. The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared were asked to join. They named themselves Kings of Leon in honor of Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father and grandfather, who were both named Leon.
In an interview, Caleb admitted to "kidnapping" their cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band. They told his mother that he was just staying for a week, but they consequently never allowed him to return home. Drummer Nathan added, "When we signed the deal with RCA, it was just me and Caleb. The label told us they were going to put a band together, but we said, 'We're going to buy our little brother a bass, he's a freshman in high school. Caleb will teach himself the guitar. Our cousin Matthew played guitar when he was 10 and I'll play drums.' The record label agreed,".
The band has announced the release of a live DVD on November 10, 2009 and a remix album due for release in the coming months, though the latter is untitled and unscheduled at the moment. The DVD was filmed at London's O2 Arena in July 2009. In an interview with Billboard.com drummer Nathan stated, "England is really the first place we broke ... We figured what better place to make a live DVD than where the fans have been the craziest for the longest?" The show featured some choice rarities, and Nathan continued by saying "we just put the cameras in the back of our minds and acted like they weren't even there." The remix album came to life after Kings of Leon learned that other artists had started working on revisions of the band's songs. Mark Ronson, Kenna, Lykke Li with her cover of "Knocked Up", and Linkin Park are also contributing a remix to the album.
On October 17, 2009, the night of the final show of the US tour in Nashville, Tennessee, Nathan Followill posted "Now it's time to start creating the next musical chapter in the novel that is Kings of Leon. Thanks again to all. Boomer fucking Sooner." on his personal Twitter page.