The rock band Kings of Leon was formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee, by three brothers, Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. 

Their band has been compared to alternative, southern rock, and garage bands, with some Indie Punk and blues mixed in.    Brothers were the sons of Ivan Leon Followill, a United Pentecostal Church Preacher, and Mother, Betty-Ann.  Caleb and Jared were born in Memphis, Tennessee, and Nathan in Oklahoma.  They were raised in Tennessee and Oklahoma. They would attend church every week, and their father would preach either in church or tent revivals. They occasionally performed music at the services. 

They were either home-schooled or attended a local parochial school.  Their cousin Matthew was born and raised in Mississippi.  When the parents divorced, Nathan and Caleb relocated to Nashville.  There, they met a songwriter, Angelo Petraglia, who was influenced by the sounds of performers such as Thin Lizzy, the Rolling Stones, and the Clash.  The sounds of Pixies and the Velvet Underground influenced Jared.  Jared and their cousin Matthew in 1999 joined them in Nashville, and they started where they all started playing music together and formed Kings of Leon.

The band’s first taste of success came in 2008 when they had eight top 40 singles on the UK charts and three of their albums peaked in the top five UK album chart, a testament to their global appeal.

In 2008, Only by Night was their first platinum album in the United States.  Three of the singles off the album, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody and Notion, all peaked at number one on Hot Modern Record Tracks. 

The band continued its success with several more album releases, such as Come Around Sundown, Mechanical Bull, Walls, When You See Yourself, and Can We Please Have Fun. Their album Use Somebody, released in 2010, was the record of the year. 

Kings of Leon’s talent and hard work have been recognized with four Grammy Awards and twelve nominations. Their success has allowed them to tour in the United States, Europe, and Canada this year,  entertaining audiences and inspiring new music artists to rise.