Kings of Leon History

Southern-Rock revivalists cross over the Pond to become one of the biggest acts in Britain.

Kings of Leon: Followill Family
Brothers Nathan Followill, Caleb Followill, and Jarred Followill cut their musical teeth in choirs and rodeos across the American South as they traveled with their preacher father, Leon Followill. Exposed to a variety of musical genres at an early age, the three brothers gained a love for bands that ranged from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to The Strokes. Eventually, cousin Matthew Followill joined the three brothers in Nashville, Tennessee. A brilliant guitarist, Matthew Followill gave the brothers the energy and cohesive musical backing to form Kings of Leon.

Kings of Leon: Young Manhood
With Caleb Followill’s distinct voice and the superb guitar work of Matthew Followill, Kings of Leon tickets quickly became a cult favorite in small venues around Tennessee. In a city dominated by Music Row and Country Music, the old-school Southern Rock sound of Kings of Leon quickly set them apart from the pack and put them on the radar of major labels in a quick fashion. In only a few short years Kings of Leon had a record deal and an EP Holy Roller Novocain.

The quick success of Kings of Leon and Holy Roller Novocain allowed for a strong tour across the U.S. In addition to selling plenty of Kings of Leon tickets, the tour also managed to bring a lot of attention to debut LP Youth and Young Manhood. Single “Molly’s Chambers” was a small hit in America but really caught on in the UK and Ireland. This international fame only increased when hot bands like U2 and The Strokes added the Kings of Leon to open for them. Though their version of Southern Rock started slow in America, the Kings of Leon ruled the charts in the UK.

Kings of Leon: European Royalty
2004 Kings of Leon album Aha Shake Heartbreak would easily eclipse the previous success of the band and took them to the top of European charts. Singles “King of the Rodeo”, “The Bucket”, and “Four Kicks” were big hits in Britain and Australia, but fans with Kings of Leon tickets loved acoustic song “Milk” more than any other song. Musical greats around the world quickly jumped on the Kings of Leon bandwagon, and the young band found itself on tour with idols Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan. This kind of exposure landed Kings of Leon two new generations of fans.

Kings of Leon: Because of the Times
With Kings of Leon albums selling out in Europe and America, there were a lot of eyes on the band for their third album. Fans with Kings of Leon tickets and critics alike were blown away by the 2007 album Because of the Times. Thanks to their many tours in the past, Kings of Leon were given their first No. 1 album debut in the U.K. with Because of the Times. American audiences also began to eat up the Kings of Leon, and Because of the Times reached No. 25 on the charts. Singles “On Call” and “Fans” both became hits and were hot mp3 downloads around the world.

The Kings of Leon had their biggest tour yet in 2007 in support of Because of the Times, and there were many sold-out tour dates. As major headliners for the first time, Kings of Leon proved they did not need to open for huge bands to pack arenas and even stadiums. Kings of Leon tickets were hot in the United States, but international fans continued to make the band the biggest Southern-Rock group on Earth. Critics from America to Ireland lauded Because of the Times as one of the best albums of the year.

Kings of Leon: Only by the Night
With a boatload of awards and tons of fans buying Kings of Leon tickets, Kings of Leon wanted to make their biggest musical splash yet. In 2008, the new Kings of Leon album Only by the Night hit the stores. Fans with Kings of Leon tickets were enthralled by the movement toward a bigger sound, and many more fans were brought into the huge flock of the KOL faithful. Single “Sex on Fire” may fall short of some of Coldplay’s singles as the most popular song of 2008 worldwide. The Kings of Leon expected to top the charts in Europe, but a No. 4 debut in America shocked even the band.

In support of Only by the Night, Kings of Leon have embarked on their biggest tour ever in 2008 and 2009. With tour dates scheduled from America to Britain and Germany, the international fame and success of Kings of Leon is surpassed by few bands in the world. Coldplay album Viva La Vida or Death and all his Friends has only sold more copies in the UK than Only by the Night. Kings of Leon tickets are selling out whole stadiums and soon there may be no bigger band in the world than the four Followills.   

Kings of Leon: Greatest Hits

• “Holy Roller Novocain” from the Youth and Young Manhood album
• “Wasted Time” from the Youth and Young Manhood album
• “Molly’s Chamber” from the Youth and Young Manhood album
• “The Bucket” from the Aha Shake Heartbreak album
• “Four Kicks” from the Aha Shake Heartbreak album
• “King of the Rodeo” from the Aha Shake Heartbreak album
• “Milk” from the Aha Shake Heartbreak album
• “On Call” from the Because of the Times album
• “Fans” from the Because of the Times album
• “Sex on Fire” from the Only by the Night album
• “Use Somebody” from the Only by the Night album