Filed under: Cambio News, Music
The Kings of Leon's first gig ever was at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta, where they opened up for the Skeeters and country star Billie Joe Shaver. Caleb called it the "one of the scariest moments of his life."Consisting of three brothers--Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill--and their cousin Matthew Followill, Kings of Leon reached major commercial success with the release of their fourth studio album Only By the Night, nearly ten years after the group was formed.Before the rock band hits the stage at the Governor's Ball Music Awards this weekend, check out the five things to know about Kings of Leon!
5) How did Kings of Leon come up with their band's name? From the brothers' Pentecostal minister father, Leon, and their grandfather, who also had the same name. The brothers told the Guardian that their childhood gave them plenty of material to write about in songs, with Nathan saying, "If we hadn't seen what we'd seen we'd be writing the same kind of songs everyone else is writing." The brothers spent most of their childhood riding around in a car with their father, who traveled the South staging revival meetings.
4) They all go by their middle names. Drummer Nathan's real name is Ivan, Singer Caleb's is Anthony, bassist Jared's is Michael and guitarist Matthew's is Cameron.
3) The band's first gig ever was at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta, where they opened up for the Skeeters and country star Billie Joe Shaver, according to the Rolling Stones. "That was one of the scariest moments of my entire life," Caleb told the mag. The group won over the cowboy-hat wearing crowd though, with the audience cheering for them throughout their set.
2) These guys have been around for quite some time. After forming the band in 1999, Kings of Leon released their debut album, Youth & Young Manhood, in the UK in July 2003 and in the U.S. in August. But, it wasn't until 2008 that the group reached commercial success, reaching platinum status with their fourth studio album Only By the Night, and winning a Grammy for the album in 2009.
1) The group just finished its sixth studio album, which is scheduled to be released in September, according to NME.
Check out the other music stars set to perform at the Governor's Ball Music Festival!