Biography
Hailing from a household steeped in classic FM vinyl, Greta Van Fleet craft an infectious mix of hard rock and blues. The sibling-fronted outfit burst onto the scene in the mid-2010s while its members were still teenagers, delivering a muscular sound that channeled both the Who and Led Zeppelin, the latter connection amplified by vocalist Josh Kiszka’s striking resemblance to Robert Plant. A prominent slot in a 2017 installment of Shameless propelled the punchy track “Highway Tune” onto the charts, and by the following year the group was popping up everywhere from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to Elton John’s Academy Award gathering. Their first full-length, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, arrived in 2018 and established Greta Van Fleet as the top-selling American rock act of their era, a standing they reinforced with the 2021 follow-up The Battle at Garden’s Gate. That release reached the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 and opened the door for the 2023 Grammy-nominated Starcatcher, cut alongside Nashville heavyweight Dave Cobb.
The Kiszka brothers grew up amid the rock soundtrack of Frankenmuth, Michigan—a compact community nicknamed “Little Bavaria” and famous for Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the holiday emporium that never closes. Twins Josh on vocals and Jake on guitar, along with younger sibling Sam on bass, launched the band in 2012 alongside drummer Kyle Hauck, who yielded to Daniel Wagner in 2013. In early 2014 they captured a concert recording titled Greta Van Fleet: Live in Detroit, and their original cut “Standing On” found its way into a local television spot for the Chevy Equinox. Shortly afterward Jason Flom signed them to Lava Records, which fast-tracked “Highway Tune” in early 2017, placing it on Shameless and using it to anchor the debut EP Black Smoke Rising.
That November the quartet issued the double EP From the Fires, pairing four fresh songs with a reconfigured version of Black Smoke Rising. The collection topped Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart in the United States while spreading across Europe and hitting number four in New Zealand. Classic-rock luminaries soon voiced support: fellow Michigander Bob Seger tapped them to open a concert, and Robert Plant declared that “they are Led Zeppelin I.”
In July 2018 Greta Van Fleet unveiled “When the Curtain Falls,” the opening single from their debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army, which followed in October. While reviewers delivered notably harsh assessments of the group’s Led Zeppelin–inspired retro approach and presentation, listeners embraced the record, driving it to number three on the Billboard 200 and the top of the rock albums tally. At the 61st Grammys the band earned nods for Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance for “Highway Tune,” yet From the Fires ultimately claimed the Best Rock Album trophy.
The outtake “Always There” from Anthem of the Peaceful Army appeared in the 2019 film A Million Little Pieces, and in 2020 the group released the singles “My Way, Soon” and “Age of Machine” before delivering their second studio album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, in April 2021. Produced by Greg Kurstin, the set expanded on the band’s classic-rock roots while exploring themes of war and religion, entering the Billboard 200 at number seven and topping both the Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. Following their Dreams in Gold tour, “Meeting the Master” surfaced in March 2023 as the lead single from the third album, Starcatcher.
Tracked in Nashville under Dave Cobb, a leading figure in country production, Starcatcher shed some of the gloss from its predecessor by favoring largely live studio takes. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and secured a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 66th Grammy Awards.
The Kiszka brothers grew up amid the rock soundtrack of Frankenmuth, Michigan—a compact community nicknamed “Little Bavaria” and famous for Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the holiday emporium that never closes. Twins Josh on vocals and Jake on guitar, along with younger sibling Sam on bass, launched the band in 2012 alongside drummer Kyle Hauck, who yielded to Daniel Wagner in 2013. In early 2014 they captured a concert recording titled Greta Van Fleet: Live in Detroit, and their original cut “Standing On” found its way into a local television spot for the Chevy Equinox. Shortly afterward Jason Flom signed them to Lava Records, which fast-tracked “Highway Tune” in early 2017, placing it on Shameless and using it to anchor the debut EP Black Smoke Rising.
That November the quartet issued the double EP From the Fires, pairing four fresh songs with a reconfigured version of Black Smoke Rising. The collection topped Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart in the United States while spreading across Europe and hitting number four in New Zealand. Classic-rock luminaries soon voiced support: fellow Michigander Bob Seger tapped them to open a concert, and Robert Plant declared that “they are Led Zeppelin I.”
In July 2018 Greta Van Fleet unveiled “When the Curtain Falls,” the opening single from their debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army, which followed in October. While reviewers delivered notably harsh assessments of the group’s Led Zeppelin–inspired retro approach and presentation, listeners embraced the record, driving it to number three on the Billboard 200 and the top of the rock albums tally. At the 61st Grammys the band earned nods for Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance for “Highway Tune,” yet From the Fires ultimately claimed the Best Rock Album trophy.
The outtake “Always There” from Anthem of the Peaceful Army appeared in the 2019 film A Million Little Pieces, and in 2020 the group released the singles “My Way, Soon” and “Age of Machine” before delivering their second studio album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, in April 2021. Produced by Greg Kurstin, the set expanded on the band’s classic-rock roots while exploring themes of war and religion, entering the Billboard 200 at number seven and topping both the Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. Following their Dreams in Gold tour, “Meeting the Master” surfaced in March 2023 as the lead single from the third album, Starcatcher.
Tracked in Nashville under Dave Cobb, a leading figure in country production, Starcatcher shed some of the gloss from its predecessor by favoring largely live studio takes. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and secured a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 66th Grammy Awards.
Albums
Singles
