No-frills rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, USA, formed in 2000 by the Followill brothers, Caleb (b. Anthony Caleb Followill, 14 January 1982, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; guitar/vocals), Nathan (b. Ivan Nathaniel Followill, 26 June 1979, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; drums), and Jared (b. Michael Jared Followill, 20 November 1986, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; bass). The Followill's father was allegedly a United Pentecostal evangelist, leading to an itinerant upbringing for his young sons who gained their first musical experience playing in church during their father's services. The brothers relocated to Nashville in the new millennium and began to seriously think about playing music for a living. They formed the Kings Of Leon, an unusual moniker derived from the Christian name of their father and paternal grandfather, and rounded up the line-up by recruiting their cousin Matthew (b. Cameron Matthew Followill, 10 September 1984, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA) as lead guitarist.
The quartet's passionate espousal of the virtues of classic southern rock sparked interest among major labels in thrall to the fully-fledged garage rock revival, and a recording contract was signed with RCA Records. The Kings Of Leon made their debut in February 2003 with the Holy Roller Novocaine EP, which featured live favourites "Molly's Chambers" and "Wasted Time'. The full-length Youth And Young Manhood followed shortly afterwards, with the quartet enjoying particularly strong reviews and commercial success in England. The following year's Aha Shake Heartbreak was another fine retro rock collection, although the grating lyrics somewhat betrayed the band members" youth.
