Formation of Kings of Leon

When the boys’ father resigned from preaching and their parents divorced in 1997, Nathan and Caleb relocated to outside Nashville and originally embraced country music. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia , who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of Thin Lizzy , the Rolling Stones and the Clash in particular. Jared, who had briefly attended public school, was more influenced by the music of the Pixies and the Velvet Underground . When he and their cousin Matthew also moved to Nashville in 1999, Kings of Leon was formed. They named the band after their grandfather Leon, who died in January 2014. The band stated during a concert in Dublin in 2017 that they had done a DNA test and were found to be 25% Irish .