The White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, and vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, and vocals). They were a leading group of the 2000s indie rock and garage rock revival.
For the album, see The White Stripes (album).
The White Stripes
Beginning in the late 1990s, the White Stripes sought success within the Detroit music scene, releasing six singles and two studio albums, their self-titled debut album (1999) and De Stijl (2000). They rose to prominence with their critically acclaimed albums White Blood Cells (2001) and Elephant (2003), which propelled them to the forefront of the garage rock revival scene. The single "Seven Nation Army", which used a guitar and an octave pedal to create the opening riff, became one of their most recognizable songs. The band released two more albums, Get Behind Me Satan (2005) and Icky Thump (2007), and the documentary Under Great White Northern Lights (2009), before dissolving in 2011 after a lengthy hiatus from performing and recording.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity approach to writing and recording. Their music featured a melding of garage rock and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo were also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which featured a simple color scheme of red, white, and black—which was used on every album and single cover they released—as well as the duo's fascination with the number three. Their discography consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one extended play (EP), one concert film, one tour documentary, 26 singles, and 14 music videos.
Over the course of their career, the White Stripes earned numerous accolades, which include winning a Brit Award from six nominations, six Grammy Awards from eleven nominations, and six MTV Video Music Awards from eighteen nominations. Two of their albums have been included on various editions of Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 2015, the same publication named them the sixth greatest duo of all time. In 2023, in their first year of eligibility, the White Stripes were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but were not inducted.
History[edit]
1996–1999: Early years, formation and The White Stripes[edit]
In high school, Jack Gillis (as he was then known)[1] met Meg White at the Memphis Smoke—the restaurant where she worked and where he would read his poetry at open mic nights.[2] The two became friends, and began to frequent the coffee shops, local music venues, and record stores of the area.[3] By this time, Gillis was already playing drums with musician friends, including his upholstery apprenticeship mentor, Brian Muldoon.[4][5] In 1994, he got his first professional job as the drummer for the Detroit cowpunk band Goober & the Peas.[6][7][8] After dating for several years, Gillis and White married on September 21, 1996.[9][10] Contrary to convention, he took his wife's surname.[4][11] Shortly after, Goober and the Peas broke up, but Jack continued to play in other bands, such as the garage punk band the Go (he played lead guitar on their 1999 album Whatcha Doin'), the Hentchmen, and Two-Star Tabernacle.
On Bastille Day 1997,[12] Meg started learning to play the drums. In Jack's words, "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing. There was something in it that opened me up."[4] The couple then became a band and, while they considered calling themselves Bazooka and Soda Powder,[13] they settled on the White Stripes.[14] Jack explained the name's origin: "Meg loves peppermints, and we were going to call ourselves the Peppermints. But since our last name was White, we decided to call it the White Stripes. It revolved around this childish idea, the ideas kids have—because they are so much better than adult ideas, right?"[15] From the beginning, they established certain motifs: publicly pretending to be brother and sister,[16] outfitting their production in only black, red, and white,[17] and heavily using the number "three".[18] White has explained that they used these colors to distract from the fact that they were young, white musicians playing "black music".[19] They were also noted for their lack of a bass player, and their general refusal to be interviewed separately.[20][18]
The White Stripes had their first live performance on August 14, 1997, at the Gold Dollar bar in Detroit.[21] They began their career as part of the Michigan underground garage rock scene, playing with local bands such as the Hentchmen, the Dirtbombs, the Gories, and Rocket 455.[22] In 1998, Dave Buick—owner of an independent, Detroit-based, garage-punk label called Italy Records—approached the band at a bar and asked if they would like to record a single.[23] Jack initially declined, believing it would be too expensive, but he eventually reconsidered when he realized that Buick was offering to pay for it.[24] Their debut single, "Let's Shake Hands", was released on vinyl in February 1998 with an initial pressing of 1,000 copies.[25] This was followed in October 1998 by the single "Lafayette Blues" which, again, was only released on vinyl with 1,000 copies.[26]
In 1999, the White Stripes signed with the California-based label Sympathy for the Record Industry.[27][17] In March 1999, they released the single "The Big Three Killed My Baby", followed by their debut album, The White Stripes, on June 15, 1999.[27] The self-titled debut was produced by Jack and engineered by American music producer Jim Diamond at his Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit.[28] The album was dedicated to the seminal Mississippi Delta blues musician Son House, an artist who influenced Jack.[18][29] The track "Cannon" from The White Stripes contains part of an a cappella version, as performed by House, of the traditional American gospel blues song "John the Revelator". The White Stripes also covered House's song "Death Letter" on their follow-up album De Stijl. Looking back on their debut during a 2003 interview with Guitar Player, Jack said, "I still feel we've never topped our first album. It's the most raw, the most powerful, and the most Detroit-sounding record we've made."[30] AllMusic said of the album:[27] "Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work... Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare... All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer-songwriting duos should sound this good."
At the end of 1999, the White Stripes released "Hand Springs" as a 7" split single with fellow Detroit band the Dirtbombs on the B-side. 2,000 copies came free with the pinball fanzine Multiball. The record is currently—like the majority of vinyl records by the White Stripes—out of print and difficult to find.
Artistry[edit]
Musical style[edit]
The White Stripes have been described as garage rock,[135][136] blues rock,[135] alternative rock,[136] punk blues,[137] and indie rock.[138] They emerged from Detroit's active garage rock revival scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s.[12] Their contemporaries included bands such as The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, The Detroit Cobras, and other bands that Jack included on a compilation album called Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit, which was recorded in his living room.[12]
The band was influenced by blues musicians including Son House, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson, garage rock bands such as The Gories and The Sonics,[139] the Detroit protopunk sound of bands like the MC5 and The Stooges, in addition to groups like The Cramps, The Velvet Underground, and the early Los Angeles punk blues band The Gun Club. Jack has stated on numerous occasions that the blues is the dominant influence on his songwriting and the roots of the band's music, stating that he feels it is so sacred that playing it does not do it justice. Of The Gun Club's music in particular, Jack said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin To Me', and 'For The Love Of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?"[140] Heavy blues rock bands such as AC/DC and Led Zeppelin have also influenced the band, as Jack has claimed that he "can't trust anybody who doesn't like Led Zeppelin."[141]
Traditional country music such as Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn,[4] rockabilly acts like the Flat Duo Jets,[4] Wanda Jackson and Gene Vincent, the surf rock of Dick Dale, and folk music like Lead Belly and Bob Dylan have also influenced the band's sound.[142] Meg has said one of her all-time favorite musicians is Bob Dylan;[143] Jack has performed live with him, and has claimed "I've got three fathers—my biological dad, God and Bob Dylan".[144]
Studio albums
