Kings of Leon to receive star on Nashville's Music City Walk of Fame Friday
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Music City, Inc. has announced that it will induct Grammy-winning rock group Kings of Leon, which has Oklahoma ties, into the Music City Walk of Fame, presented by Gibson Guitar.
The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Friday in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The induction ceremony, which is sponsored by Great American Country (GAC), is free and open to the public. Durango Boot Company and Black River Entertainment also are supporting sponsors of the event.
“The Music City Walk of Fame was created to recognize artists who have made contributions to all music genres and who have a strong connection to Nashville,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, in the news release.
“Kings of Leon was created and discovered in Nashville, and the band still proudly calls the city home. They are a perfect example of what this project is all about — local musicians who transcend genre to produce great music loved by all.”
The Music City Walk of Fame, created in the fall of 2006 on Nashville’s Music Mile, is a landmark tribute to those from all genres of music who have made significant contributions to preserving the musical heritage of Nashville and have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Matt Pelham of fellow Nashville-based rock band The Features credited the Kings of Leon with helping to bring Music City’s thriving rock scene out of the shadow of its venerable and well-known country music establishment.
“I think the fact that we came out of Nashville almost hurt us at that time (in the mid-’90s) more than helped us,” Pelham told the AP. “I think they automatically had the association with country music and I also felt there was sort of this shadow over Nashville.”
“To be honest, when Kings of Leon came along, I think they sort of broke through that stereotype or whatever was holding it back. I think they definitely broke through something and a lot of doors opened up for bands in Nashville,” he added.
Originally from Oklahoma, KOL’s Followill family has formed the record label Serpents and Snakes to help bands like The Features and Turbo Fruits gain wider exposure, according to the AP.
With the addition of Kings of Leon, the Music City Walk of Fame now boasts 61 stars.
A permanent sidewalk medallion with Kings of Leon’s name displayed in a star-and-guitar design will be installed in the sidewalk along the Music Mile. The group’s plaque will be inlaid in Walk of Fame Park on Demonbreun, between 4th and 5th Avenues South.
The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB), and is produced with the support of presenting sponsor Gibson Guitar and sponsors GAC, Durango Boot, Black River Entertainment, the City of Nashville and Metro Parks. Hard Rock Cafe, Nashville is the newest partner to the Walk of Fame. They will sponsor a Rock & Roll Star at the next induction ceremony.
