The White Stripes, the garage-blues duo consisting of Jack and Meg White, are possibly one of the most complex and enigmatic bands today, yet play the simplest, most stripped-down, back-to-basics rock music I've heard in a long time.
The relationship between the pair has always been somewhat of a question mark; including Jack and Meg being the youngest of 10 children in a large Detroit family. The most common theory is that they are in fact a divorced couple, posing as brother and sister; with Jack's real name being John Anthony Gillis.
The White Stripes released their eponymous first album and quickly gained a reputation due to their unique, uncompromising blues-rock sound. Second album 'De Stijl' appeared in 2000, but the album which awakened critical acclaim and gained the band a new following was 2001's 'White Blood Cells'. From this, singles 'Fell In Love With A Girl', 'Hotel Yorba' and 'Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground' were taken. The band found themselves at the forefront of the new, gritty 'garage-rock' movement and followed up 'White Blood Cells' with 'Elephant', the first album to be recorded in the full glare of the media spotlight.
'7 Nation Army', the first single from the album, was released in 2003. Critics argued that the formerly bass-less duo used bass throughout the album. Fans just celebrated hearing stripped-down, raw blues in the Top 10.
The single propelled them to new heights. The album followed, as well as the second single, a cover version of 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself'. With this song, the band were dogged by tabloids over the raunchy Sofia Coppola-directed video, featuring supermodel Kate Moss writhing around a pole. The band's success and popularity however, were not dented in the slightest. Jack recorded vocals for fellow Detroit band Electric Six's 'Danger High Voltage' under the pseudonym John S. O'Leary, and wrote songs for the 2003 film 'Cold Mountain', in which he also made a guest appearance.
Bio written by: sid_loves_nancy |
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