Comprehensive information and links about The White Stripes

The White Stripes blues duo from Detroit, composed of Jack White on guitar and lead vocals, and Meg White on drums. The group rose to prominence with the albums

The White Stripes (Megan Martha White, drums, vocals; and Jack White [aka John Anthony Gillis], guitar, piano, lead vocals) were formed in Detroit in 1997, specifically Bastille Day (see 1997 in music). They decided to give this name to the band because the drummer Meg loves peppermint candies. For several years they were a struggling local band, despite touring with Pavement and Sleater-Kinney. During this time, they released singles on various independent record labels including Sympathy For The Record Industry, the label for their first three albums.

Jack has described their eponymous debut album (released in 1999), as "...really angry...the most raw, the most powerful, and the most Detroit-sounding record we've made."

Their second release, (2000), was named after the minimalist Dutch art movement which they cited as a source for the approach to their music and to their image. For a brief period before was released, Jack studied fine arts at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, although he never graduated.

The album cover features a sample of De Stijl art in the band's signature colors - red, white and black, according to Jack, "the most powerful color combination of all time, from a Coca-Cola can to a Nazi banner". Those colors are also found in the duo's distinctive wardrobe. It is somewhat unclear why they chose those colors. In some interviews, the group has said that the colors red and white are from peppermint candy (representing childhood innocence) and the color black represents the equilibrium of the number three. Jack has also said that the colors are based on toys for infants, claiming that the colors red, white, and black are used in toys for newborns (because they are slightly colorblind when born). Even before forming the band, Jack was focused on a three color scheme. When he worked as an upholsterer, all his tools, his van, and his uniform were white, black, and yellow.

The number three also has a significance for this band, not only for their tri-colored uniforms but their three instruments: vocals, guitar and drums, although Jack plays organ and piano in the first four albums and marimba in much of the fifth. In some Stripes's album artwork, emphasis is put on the number three; even the letter "E" is considered a reversed three. Texts written by Jack featured in album booklets or on the White Stripes official website are often signed with "III" or "Jack White III."

For live shows, the band does not rehearse or have a set list, Jack improvises frequently and often cuts a song short to jump into another.

Although Meg and Jack refer to themselves as brother and sister, they are actually ex-husband-and-wife span

The White Stripes enjoyed their first significant success during 2001 with the release of their first major label album (initially released on Sympathy for the Record Industry, the album was re-released on V2 Records in 2002). The stripped-down, garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the UK, soon spreading to the United States and becoming one of the more hyped bands of 2002. In 2002, magazine named The White Stripes as one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". The Lego-themed video, directed by Michel Gondry for the single "Fell in Love with a Girl" off , was released on April 1, 2003, again to widespread critical acclaim and even more commercial success. became The White Stripes' first UK chart-topper and US Top 10 album. On February 8, 2004 the song "Seven Nation Army" won a Grammy for Best Rock Song, and the album won for Best Alternative Music Album. It was recorded with Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios, London. Every instrument used to record the album was older than both band members. "The Hardest Button to Button" proved to be another popular single off of the album, as was the cover of "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself", originally by Burt Bacharach. The release of Elephant continued a formula for White Stripes albums begun with White Blood Cells: the first song is a single, the sleeve contains odd photographs of the band members (dominated by red, black and white) together with a strange essay contributed by Jack, and the last song is moderately tongue-in-cheek.

In 2003, Jack and Meg White appeared in Jim Jarmusch's film, in a segment entitled "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil". Also in August of that year, Rolling Stone Magazine included Jack White on a special cover of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time issue at number 17.

Released in 2004, the DVD has a special treat for fans who collect their bootlegs: it contains every major live cover that the band played during the 2003-2004 tours, approximately a dozen songs. Jack White alerted fans to secrets within the film on his site postings, one of which was sure to be the writing on his arm. Recorded over two nights' shows, this writing says at certain points when film from a different night is used. The film features a cover of Dolly Parton song's .

Jack has also enjoyed some success as a producer, helping launch the careers of fellow Detroit rock bands The Von Bondies and The Soledad Brothers. Jack also produced and contributed to Loretta Lynn's highly acclaimed 2004 album . His work on this album won him and Loretta a Grammy award for the track "Portland Oregon".

The Little Room is a web forum for fans of The White Stripes, named after the song of the same name from their third album, . The Little Room is a large community of over twenty thousand members. Both Meg and Jack are members of the board, although they do not regularly post. On July 4, 2004, Jack White agreed to directly answer twenty questions posed by Little Room members.

On June 1, 2005 Jack and model Karen Elson were married during the band's tour of South America. The ceremony took place on the Amazon River in a native celebration and the couple is currently expecting their first child. The band's manager Ian Montone was the best man and Meg was the maid of honor. The White Stripes website claimed that "this was the first marriage for both newlyweds", despite documentation showing that Jack and Meg were once married span , was released in North America on June 7, 2005 and has garnered critical acclaim. So far three singles have been released from the album, the first being "Blue Orchid", which was a popular song on satellite radio and occasionally FM stations. White's new spouse appears in the video for the song. The second single was "My Doorbell". The third single, "The Denial Twist", featured a video by Michel Gondry which documented, in typically bizarre White Stripes fashion, the band's week-long appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

In 2005 Rolling Stone magazine said: "If you happen to be a rock band, and you don't happen to be either of the White Stripes, it so sucks to be you right now."span

The band released a cover version of Tegan and Sara's song "Walking with a Ghost" on iTunes November 14, 2005. The song was later released on December 7th as the Walking With a Ghost EP featuring four other live tracks.

On December 1, 2005, the group appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, performing both "The Denial Twist" and "My Doorbell". The White Stripes is one of the few bands to perform on the show (on an earlier show, the group Tenacious D had performed a song after their interview).

The White Stripes postponed the Japan leg of their world tour after Jack damaged his vocal cords. Doctors recommended that Jack not sing or talk for 2 weeks. Since then he has recovered and played in Auckland, New Zealand for the start of the Big Day Out tour.

At the 2006 Grammy Awards, The White Stripes won in Best Alternative Music Album catagory for , and they were nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song "My Doorbell".

The Stripes have been tapped to appear in an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons" , scheduled to air sometime this fall. In the episode, titled "Jazzy and the Pussycats," Jack and Meg White find themselves in the middle of a family feud when Homer and Marge buy a drum kit for Bart, who becomes a jazz drummer, much to the dismay of his musically inclined sister, Lisa. In one scene — an homage to the Stripes' clip for "The Hardest Button to Button," Bart bashes his kit in his bedroom, down the street, through the halls of Springfield Elementary and into an intersection, where he meets up with the Detroit duo.

According to a spokesperson for FOX, Jack and Meg recorded their lines in New York City on November 30, before Jack lost his voice and was ordered by doctors not to speak. The episode isn't expected to air until season 18.

Covers

Jack White composes the White Stripes' music, with the exception of covers. The music is heavily influenced by American blues and country. In an interview, Jack White said that hearing the a cappella song "Grinning in Your Face" by American bluesman Son House "was a transformative moment". The band has covered Son House's songs, including "John The Revelator" and "Death Letter".

The band also plays many covers of Bob Dylan songs ("One More Cup Of Coffee", "Isis", "Love Sick", "Outlaw Blues"). Jack White said that Dylan covers are mostly proposed by Meg, who is a huge fan of his music.

Party of Special Things to Do, a single released in 2000, features three covers of songs by Captain Beefheart: "Party Of Special Things To Do", "China Pig", and "Ashtray Heart".

, according to Jack, the first songs have been singles and the last songs have been tongue-in-cheek, inside joke songs between Jack and Meg.