John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo

the White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely credited as one of the key artists in the

garage rock revival Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The st ...

of the 2000s. He has won 12

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s, and three of his solo albums have reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' charts. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked him number 70 on its 2010 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...

's 2010 list ranked him at number 17. After moonlighting in several underground Detroit bands as a drummer, White founded the White Stripes with fellow Detroit native and then-wife Meg White in 1997. Their 2001 breakthrough album, ''

White Blood Cells White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

'', brought them international fame with the hit single and accompanying music video " Fell in Love with a Girl". This recognition provided White opportunities to collaborate with famous artists, including

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. In 2005, White founded the Raconteurs with

Brendan Benson Brendan Benson (born November 14, 1970) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released eight solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs. Recording career ''One Miss ...

, and in 2009 founded

the Dead Weather The Dead Weather is an American rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount), Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Ag ...

with Alison Mosshart of the Kills. In 2008, he recorded " Another Way to Die" (the title song for the 2008

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film ''

Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to ''Casino Royale'' (2006). Directed by Marc Forster and written by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and ...

'') with

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, making them the only duet to perform a Bond song. White has released four solo studio albums, which have garnered wide critical and commercial success. White is a board member of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

' National Recording Preservation Foundation. His record label and studio Third Man Records releases vinyl recordings of his own work as well as that of other artists and local school children. His second studio album, '' Lazaretto'' (2014), holds the record for most first-week vinyl sales since 1991. White has an extensive collection of guitars and other instruments and has a preference for vintage items that often have connections to famous blues artists. He is a vocal advocate for analog technology and recording techniques. White values his privacy and has been known to create misdirection about his personal life. He and Meg White married in 1996, but divorced in 2000 before the height of the band's fame. They then began calling themselves siblings. He was later married to model and singer

Karen Elson Karen Jill Elson (born 15 January 1979) is an English model and singer-songwriter. Early life and education Elson was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and attended North Chadderton School as a child. She has a fraternal twin sister, film ...

from 2005 to 2013; they have a son and daughter. He currently resides in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. In 2012, the New York Times called White "the coolest, weirdest and savviest rockstar of our time".

Early life

John Anthony Gillis was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 9, 1975, the youngest of ten children of Teresa (née Bandyk; born 1930) and Gorman M. Gillis.(May 31, 2014)
"GORMAN GILLIS: Father of Detroit musician"
, ''Detroit Free Press''. Retrieved June 6, 2014. His mother's family was Polish,Male, Andrew (July 2007), "The Mojo Interview". MOJO. (164):48. while his father was Scottish-Canadian. He was raised a Catholic, and his father and mother both worked for the Archdiocese of Detroit as the building maintenance superintendent and secretary in the Cardinal's office, respectively. Gillis became an altar boy, which landed him an uncredited role in the 1987 movie '' The Rosary Murders'', filmed mainly at Most Holy Redeemer parish in southwest Detroit.Fricke, David (September 8, 2005)
"White on White"
''Rolling Stone'' (982): 66–72. He attended

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

in Detroit. Gillis' early musical influences were his older brothers, who were in a band together called Catalyst, and he learned to play the instruments they abandoned; he began playing the drums in the first grade after finding a kit in the attic.Scaggs, Austin (May 1, 2003)
Jack White profile
(archived). ''Rolling Stone''. (921):16. As a child, he was a fan of classical music, but in elementary school, he began listening to

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

, and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

. As a "shorthaired eenagerwith braces", Gillis began listening to the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

and 1960s rock that would influence him in the White Stripes, with Son House and

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont bl ...

being among his favorite blues guitarists. He has said in interviews that Son House's "Grinnin' in Your Face" is his favorite song of all time. As a drummer, his heroes include

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...

, and Crow Smith from Flat Duo Jets. In 2005, on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'', he told

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

that his life could have turned out differently. "I'd got accepted to a seminary in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and I was gonna become a priest, but at the last second I thought, 'I'll just go to public school.' I had just gotten a new amplifier in my bedroom, and I didn't think I was allowed to take it with me."Wallace, Mike (2005)
"Choosing Music Over Religion"
CBS News. Retrieved January 24, 2006. Instead, he got accepted into

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

as a business major, and played the drums and

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

in the band.McCollum, Brian (September 2003), "Red, White, and Cool", ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

''. 19(9):68–74.Nunez, Jessica (July 26, 2010)
"Jack White on Cass Tech: 'It does hurt to see your high school boarded up like that'"
mlive.com. Retrieved July 26, 2010. At 15, he began a three-year

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English ...

apprenticeship with a family friend, Brian Muldoon. He credits Muldoon with exposing him to punk music as they worked together in the shop. Muldoon goaded his young apprentice into forming a band: "He played drums", Gillis thought. "Well I guess I'll play guitar then." The two recorded an album, ''Makers of High Grade Suites,'' as the Upholsterers. As a senior in high school, he met Megan White at the Memphis Smoke restaurant where she worked, and they frequented the coffee shops, local music venues, and record stores of the area. After a courtship, they got married on September 21, 1996.Brown, Jake (May 23, 2002)
"White Stripes Marriage License"
GloriousNoise.com. Retrieved December 11, 2007. In a reversal of tradition, he legally took her last name. After completing his apprenticeship, he started a one-man business of his own, Third Man Upholstery. The slogan of his business was "Your Furniture's Not Dead" and the color scheme was yellow and black—including a yellow van, a yellow-and-black uniform, and a yellow clipboard. Although Third Man Upholstery never lacked business, he claims it was unprofitable due to his complacency about money and his business practices that were perceived as unprofessional, including making bills out in

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a mixture of w ...

and writing poetry inside the furniture.de la Manzana, Tobias (May 2003)
"Jack White: Your Furniture Is Not Dead"
''The Believer''. Retrieved April 12, 2006.

Career

The White Stripes

At 19 years old, Jack had landed his first professional gig as the drummer for the Detroit band Goober & the Peas, and was still in that position when the band broke up in 1996. It was in this band that he learned about touring and performing onstage. After the band's split, he settled into working as an upholsterer by day while moonlighting in local bands, as well as performing solo shows. Though a bartender by trade, Meg began to learn to play the drums in 1997 and, according to Jack, "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing." The couple became a band, calling themselves

, and two months later performed their first show at the Gold Dollar in Detroit. Despite being married, Jack and Meg publicly presented themselves as siblings.Heaney, Mick (April 28, 2002), "The White Stripes". ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

''.POWERS, ANN (February 27, 2001),
POP REVIEW; Intellectualizing the Music Or Simply Experiencing It
. Retrieved August 29, 2014. They kept to a chromatic theme, dressing only in red, white, and black. They began their career as part of Michigan's underground

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

music scene. They played along with and opened for more established local bands such as Bantam Rooster, the Dirtbombs,

Two-Star Tabernacle Two-Star Tabernacle was a short-lived punk rock band from Detroit. Two-Star Tabernacle consisted of a young Jack White (who later became the founding member of popular rock group The White Stripes), Dan John Miller, Tracee Mae Miller and Dami ...

, Rocket 455, and the Hentchmen. In 1998, the White Stripes were signed to Italy Records—a small and

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

Detroit-based garage punk label—by Dave Buick. The band released its eponymous debut album in 1999, and a year later the album was followed up by the cult classic, '' De Stijl''. The album eventually peaked at number 38 in ''

''s

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

chart. In 2001, the band released ''

''. The album's stripped-down garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the US and beyond, making the White Stripes one of the more acclaimed bands of 2002, and forefront figures in the garage band revival of the time.

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, an influential DJ and the band's early advocate in the UK, said they were the most exciting thing he'd heard since Jimi Hendrix. ''The New York Times'' said of White, "beneath the arty facade lies one of the most cagey, darkly original rockers to come along since

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...

." The album was followed up in 2003 by the commercially and critically successful ''

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

''. The critic at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

wrote that the album "sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid and stunning than its predecessor ... darker and more difficult than ''White Blood Cells''". The album's first single, "

Seven Nation Army "Seven Nation Army" is a song by American rock duo the White Stripes. It is the opening track on their fourth studio album, ''Elephant'' (2003). V2 Records released the song to American alternative radio on February 17, 2003, as the lead single ...

", became the band's signature song, reaching number one on the

Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart for three weeks, winning the 2004

Grammy Award for Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

, and becoming an international sporting and protest anthem.Goodman, Amy (February 1, 2011)
"Mubarak is Our Berlin Wall": Egyptian Columnist Mona Eltahawy on How the Youth Drove the Uprising in Cairo and Implications for Democracy in the Region"
''

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...

.'' Retrieved October 11, 2014.Petridis, Alexis (April 13, 2012)
"Jack White: 'I don't like to take the easy way out, on anything I do'"
''The Guardian''. Retrieved October 22, 2014. The band's fifth album, ''

Get Behind Me Satan ''Get Behind Me Satan'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes, released on June 7, 2005, on V2 Records. Though still basic in production style, the album marked a distinct change from its guitar-heavy 2003 predecess ...

'', was recorded in White's own home and marked a change in the band's musical direction, with piano-driven melodies and experimentation with

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

and a more rhythm-based guitar playing by White. The band's sixth album, '' Icky Thump'', was released in 2007, and unlike their previous

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

albums, it was recorded in Nashville at Blackbird Studio. The album was regarded as a return to the band's earlier blues and garage-rock sound.Pastorek, Whitney (May 25, 2007), "Changing Their Stripes." ''Entertainment Weekly''. (935):40-44. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

at number one, selling over 300,000 vinyl copies in England alone. Of his excitement for vinyl, White explained, "We can't afford to lose the feeling of cracking open a new record and looking at large artwork and having something you can hold in your hands." In support of the album, they launched a Canadian tour, in which they played a gig in every one of the country's provinces and territories. However, later that year, the band announced the cancellation of 18 tour dates due to Meg's struggle with acute

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...

. A few days later, the duo cancelled the remainder of their 2007 UK tour dates as well.(September 13, 2007)
"The White Stripes cancel UK tour"
BBC. Retrieved November 24, 2014. White worked with other artists in the meantime, but revealed the band's plan to release a seventh album by the summer of 2009. On February 20, 2009—and on the final episode of ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

''—the band made their first live appearance after the cancellation of the tour, and a documentary about their Canadian tour—titled '' The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights''—debuted later that year at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

. However, almost two years passed with no new releases, and on February 2, 2011, the band reported on their official website that they were disbanding. White emphasized that it was not due to health issues or artistic differences, "but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band".

The Raconteurs

In 2005, while collaborating with

—a fellow Michigan native whom White had worked with before—they composed a song called " Steady, as She Goes". This inspired them to create a full band, and they invited Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of the

Greenhornes The Greenhornes were an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album ''Gun For You'' in 1999, follo ...

to join them in what would become the Raconteurs. The musicians met in Benson's home studio in Detroit and, for the remainder of the year, they recorded when time allowed. The result was the band's debut album, ''

Broken Boy Soldiers ''Broken Boy Soldiers'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Raconteurs, released on May 15, 2006 in the United Kingdom and May 16, 2006 in the United States. The album was generally favored among critics and spawned the hit sing ...

''. Reaching the Top Ten charts in both the US and the UK, it was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. The lead single, " Steady, As She Goes" was nominated for

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011. The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...

.(October 4, 2012)
"Jack White Visits The GRAMMY Museum"
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 31, 2015. The Raconteurs set out on tour to support the album, including eight dates as the opening act for

. The group's second album, '' Consolers of the Lonely'', and its first single, " Salute Your Solution", were released simultaneously in 2008. The album reached number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. The group rebanded to create the new album '' Help Us Stranger'' in 2019. This release was followed by a US tour.

The Dead Weather

While on tour to promote ''Consolers of the Lonely'', White developed bronchitis and often lost his voice. Alison Mosshart, the frontwoman for the Kills (who was touring with the Raconteurs at the time) would often fill in as his vocal replacement. The chemistry between the two artists led them to collaborate, and in early 2009, White formed a new group called

. Mosshart sang, White played drums and shared vocal duties, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs played bass, and the

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple lin ...

keyboardist and guitarist Dean Fertita rounded out the four-piece. The group debuted a handful of new tracks on March 11, 2009, in Nashville from their debut album '' Horehound''. It came out on July 13, 2009, in Europe and July 14, 2009, in North America on White's Third Man Records label. In October 2009, Mosshart confirmed that the second album was "halfway done", and the first single, " Die by the Drop", was released on March 30, 2010. The new album (again on the Third Man Records label) was titled '' Sea of Cowards'' and was released on May 7 of that year in Ireland, on May 10 in the United Kingdom, and on May 11 in the U.S. Announcement of their third album, '' Dodge & Burn'', was made in July 2015 for a worldwide release in September by Third Man Records. Along with four previously released tracks, remixed and remastered, the album features eight new songs.

Solo career

White's popular and critical success with the White Stripes opened up opportunities for him to collaborate as a solo artist with other musicians. He has joined other artists on their recordings, as well as invited artists to perform on his projects. He has also worked as a producer for various artists, often through his label, Third Man Records. Rumors began to circulate in 2003 that White had collaborated with Electric Six for their song " Danger! High Voltage".Laurence, Alexander (August 2003)
"Electric Six Interview"
''Free Williamsburg''. Retrieved May 17, 2006. He and the Electric Six both denied this, and the vocal work was credited officially to John S O'Leary. In subsequent interviews with Chris Handyside, however, Dick Valentine and Corey Martin (Electric Six band members) acknowledged White's involvement and confirmed that he received no payment. White worked with

on her 2004 album ''

Van Lear Rose ''Van Lear Rose'' is the forty-second solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on April 27, 2004, by Interscope Records. The album was produced by Jack White. The album was widely praised by critic ...

'', which he produced and performed on. The album was a critical and commercial success. In 2008, White collaborated with

on the song " Another Way to Die", the theme song for the

film ''

''. In 2009, Jack White was featured in ''

It Might Get Loud ''It Might Get Loud'' is a 2008 American documentary film by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim. It explores the careers and musical styles of prominent rock guitarists Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White. The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto Inter ...

,'' a film in which he,

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

, and

the Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

come together to discuss the electric guitar and each artist's different playing methods.Cieply, Michael (September 8, 2008)
"All Ears on Screen: Music Plays Major Role at Toronto Festival"
''The New York Times''. 157:54,427(1) White's first solo single, " Fly Farm Blues", was written and recorded in 10 minutes during the filming of the movie that August.Lyda, Mark (August 13, 2009)
"Jack White Writes and Performs Song in Ten Minutes"
PrefixMag.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014. The single went on sale as a 7-inch vinyl record from Third Man Records and as a digital single available through iTunes on August 11, 2010. In November 2010, producer Danger Mouse announced that White—along with

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

—had been recruited for his collaboration with

Daniele Luppi Daniele Luppi is an Italian composer and music producer who has been active since around 1999. He is an Emmy nominated film and television composer and has worked with the likes of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gnarls Barkley, and John Legend. ...

entitled ''

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

''. White provided vocals to three songs on the album: "The Rose with the Broken Neck", "Two Against One", and "The World". White finished and performed the song "You Know That I Know", and it was featured on ''

The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams ''The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams'' is a 2011 album by folk, country, and rock artists who set music to lyrics by country musician Hank Williams. The album was released on October 4, 2011. Background Williams died suddenly in 1953 at the age ...

'', released on October 4, 2011. In that same year, he produced and played on Wanda Jackson's album ''The Party Ain't Over''.Greenblatt, Leah (April 15, 2011), "CATCHING UP WITH Jack White." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

''. 1150:88.Inskeep, Steve (January 25, 2011), "Wanda Jackson: Her Party Ain't Over". ''Morning Edition''. To her delight, his studio also released the album on a 7-inch vinyl. White also appeared on ''

AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered ''AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered'', stylized as ''(Ăhk-to͝ong Ba͞y-bi) Covered'' or ''(Ăℎk-to͝ong Ba͞y-bi) Covered'', is a tribute album featuring cover versions of the 12 songs from U2's 1991 record ''Achtung Baby''. It was released on 26 ...

'', performing a cover of U2's " Love Is Blindness". White has worked with other artists as well, including

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

, and

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...

On January 30, 2012, White released " Love Interruption" as the first single off his debut, self-produced solo album, ''

Blunderbuss The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly consid ...

'', which was released on April 24, 2012. The album ultimately debuted number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and in support of the album, he appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' as the musical guest and played at select festivals during the summer of 2012, including the Firefly Music Festival, Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, the

Sasquatch! Music Festival Sasquatch! Music Festival was an annual music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, United States. It took place on Memorial Day weekend, running for three to four days. In 2018, it was announced that the festival was ...

, the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan (one of the biggest festivals in the world), and

Rock Werchter Rock Werchter is an annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 and is a large sized rock music festival. The 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014 festivals received the Arthur award for ''best festiv ...

in Belgium. Later in the year, he headlined

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...

. During his tour for the album, White employed two live bands, which he alternated between at random. The first, called the Peacocks, was all female and consisted of

Ruby Amanfu A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

Carla Azar Carla Azar is an American drummer from Huntsville, Alabama and member of the band Autolux. She also plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and sings. Azar played drums on Jack White's albums '' Blunderbuss'', ''Lazaretto'', and '' Boarding Hous ...

, Lillie Mae Rische, Maggie Björklund,

Brooke Waggoner Brooke Waggoner (born May 30, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Early life Waggoner was born in Houston, Texas, to Lewis Earl and Kris Allyn (Kulcke) Waggoner. She comes fro ...

, and alternating bassists

Bryn Davies Brinley Howard Davies, Baron Davies of Brixton (born 17 May 1944), known as Bryn Davies, is a British trade unionist, actuary and politician who was Leader of the Inner London Education Authority in the early 1980s. Davies graduated from the ...

and Catherine Popper.Flotat, Raymond (June 1, 2012)
"Ferocious: Jack White and The Peacocks Live at The Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles 5/31/12"
MXDWN.com. Retrieved November 4, 2014. The other, the Buzzards, was all male and consisted of Daru Jones, Dominic Davis,

Fats Kaplin Fats Kaplin is an American musician, born in New York City. He is best known as a fiddler. He also plays guitar, button accordion, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, an Arab oud, and a Turkish cümbüş, among others. He has worked with artists such as ...

, Ikey Owens, and Cory Younts. White said maintaining two bands was too expensive, and abandoned the practice at the conclusion of the tour. ''Blunderbuss'' was ultimately nominated for several Grammys, including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, and Best Rock Song for "Freedom at 21". On April 1, 2014, White announced his second solo album, '' Lazaretto'', inspired by plays and poetry he had written as a teen. It was released on June 10, 2014, simultaneously with the first single off the album, "High Ball Stepper". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and,Caulfield, Keith (June 28, 2014), "Jack White's Vinyl Victory", Billboard 126 (21):55. in a personal triumph for White, broke the record for the largest sales week for a vinyl album since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. The album was widely praised among critics, and was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Music Album, as well as Best Rock Song and

Best Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

(for the song " Lazaretto"). During the supporting tour, he performed the longest show of his career on July 30, 2014, at the

Detroit Masonic Temple The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign Colleg ...

, and later performed as one of the headliners at the

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It ...

over two weekends in April 2015. On April 14, 2015, White announced that the festival would be his last electric set, followed by one acoustic show in each of the five U.S. states he had yet to perform in, before he would be taking a prolonged break from live performances. However, he performed on the inaugural episode of the radio show ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed '' Live from ...

'' with the new host Chris Thile, on October 15, 2016, in support of his compilation album '' Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016''. He co-wrote the song "Don't Hurt Yourself " with Beyoncé on her album ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

'', and accompanied her on the vocals.Wilkinson, Alec (March 13, 2017)
"JACK WHITE’S INFINITE IMAGINATION"
''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''. Retrieved March 6, 2017. Ahead of his next effort, White worked in isolation and without a cell phone; he rented an apartment in Nashville, recorded quietly so no one would know what he was working on, and slept on an army cot. He drew inspiration from rap artists of the 1980s and 1990s (as well as

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents ...

), and chose his backing musicians from talent that played supporting hip hop artists live. On December 12, 2017, he released a four-minute video titled "Servings and Portions from my Boarding House Reach", which featured short sound bites of new music interspersed with

white noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines ...

. In January 2018, White released " Connected by Love", taken from his third solo album ''

Boarding House Reach ''Boarding House Reach'' is the third studio album by American rock musician Jack White, released on March 23, 2018, through Third Man Records, Columbia Records, and XL Recordings. The album was written in Nashville and recorded throughout 2017 ...

'', which was released on March 23, 2018. Like its two preceding albums, it landed at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In promotion of his album, White appeared on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' and on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest, where he played " Over and Over and Over" and "Connected by Love". White released ''Jack White: Kneeling at The Anthem D.C.'', his first concert film as a solo artist, on September 21, 2018, exclusively on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

. In October 2021, White released "Taking Me Back", his first solo single since 2018, which appeared in the game '' Call of Duty: Vanguard''. In November, White revealed that he would release two solo albums in 2022: '' Fear of the Dawn'', which will feature White's traditional rock sound, on April 8, and ''

Entering Heaven Alive Entering heaven alive (called by various religions "ascension", "assumption", or "translation") is a belief held in various religions. Since death is the normal end to an individual's life on Earth and the beginning of afterlife, entering heave ...

'', a folk album, on July 22. White also released a video for "Taking Me Back" on November 11. In December 2021, White announced the Supply Chain Issues Tour kicking off on April 8, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan. The tour covers North America and Europe.

Acting

White has also had a minor acting career. He appeared in the 2003 film, '' Cold Mountain'', as a character named Georgia and performed five songs for the '' Cold Mountain soundtrack'': "Sittin' on Top of the World", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Never Far Away", "Christmas Time Soon Will Be Over" and "Great High Mountain". The 2003

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including ''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' (19 ...

film '' Coffee and Cigarettes'' featured both Jack and Meg in the segment "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil". He also played

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

in the 2007 satire '' Walk Hard''. In 2016, he appeared as a special guest on the season one finale of ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...

'', and sang "

You Are the Sunshine of My Life "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and his first number-one on the Easy Listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award f ...

", which he later released on 7" vinyl. In June 2017, White appeared in the award-winning documentary film '' The American Epic Sessions,'' recording on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. His performances of "Matrimonial Intentions", "Mama's Angel Child", "2 Fingers of Whiskey (with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

) and "On the Road Again' and " One Mic" (with

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

) appeared on '' Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.'' He was an executive producer of the film.

Third Man Records

White co-founded Third Man Records in 2001 with Ben Swank, formerly of the Ohio-based

Soledad Brothers The Soledad Brothers were three inmates charged with the murder of a prison guard, John Vincent Mills, at California's Soledad Prison on January 16, 1970. George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo, and John Clutchette were alleged to have murdered Mills in ...

band. However, it was not until after he moved to Nashville that White purchased a space in 2009 to house his label. He explained, "For the longest time I did not want to have my own studio gear, mostly because with the White Stripes I wanted to have the constriction of going into a studio and having a set time of 10 days or two weeks to finish an album, and using whatever gear they happen to have there. After 10 to 15 years of recording like that I felt that it was finally time for me to have my own place to produce music, and have exactly what I want in there: the exact tape machines, the exact microphones, the exact amplifiers that I like, and so on." Using the slogan "Your Turntable's Not Dead",EELLS, JOSH (April 5, 2012)
"Jack Outside the Box"
''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 15, 2014. Third Man also presses vinyl records,(November 15, 2007). ''

''. 1039:150. for the artists on its label, for White's own musical ventures, as well as for third parties for hire.Marc Maron (June 8, 2012).
Jack White
. ''WTF With Marc Maron''. Season 2. Episode 289. 31:24 minutes in. In March 2015, Third Man joined in the launch of TIDAL, a music streaming service that

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

purchased and co-owns with other major music artists. Later that year, White partnered with the watch manufacturer

Shinola Shinola is a defunct American brand of shoe polish. The Shinola Company, founded in Rochester, New York in 1877 as the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, produced the polish under a sequence of different owners until 1960. "Shin ...

to open a retail location in Detroit.Doerr, Elizabeth (June 2, 2015)
"Jack White And Shinola Purchase Flagship Building in Detroit's Cass Corridor"
''Forbes''. Retrieved July 14, 2015.

Artistry

Instruments and equipment

White owns many instruments and, historically, has tended to use certain ones for specific projects or in certain settings. He has a preference for vintage guitars, many of which are associated with influential blues artists. Much of his equipment is custom-made, for both technical and aesthetic reasons. White is a proficient

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

player. During his career with the White Stripes, White principally used three guitars, though he used others as well. The red, " JB Hutto", Airline guitar was a vintage 1964 model originally distributed by

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curr ...

department store.Robinson, Mike (April 14, 2014)
"A Brief History Of Jack White’s Guitar Collection"
MyRareGuitars.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.''Ground Guitar'' staff (September 19, 2014)
"Jack White’s Guitars and Gear"
GroundGuitar.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014. Though used by several artists, White's attachment to the instrument raised its popularity to the extent that

Eastwood Guitars Eastwood Guitars is a Canadian manufacturer of guitars. The company specializes in making vintage-style instruments including electric guitars, basses, acoustic guitars, electric mandolins, resonator guitars, lap steels, and ukuleles. Notabl ...

began producing a modified replica around 2000. The 1950s-era

Kay The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...

Hollowbody was a gift from his brother in return for a favor. It was the same brand of electric guitar made popular by Howlin' Wolf, and White most famously used it on "Seven Nation Army". He began using a 1915 Gibson L-1 acoustic (often called the

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

model) on the ''Icky Thump'' album; in an interview for Gibson, he called the instrument his favorite. He also used a three-pickup Airline Town & Country (later featured in the "Steady As She Goes" music video),"Jack White"
Equipboard.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014. a

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howeve ...

Rocket, a 1970s-era Crestwood Astral II, and what would become the first of three custom Gretsch Rancher Falcon acoustic guitars. While with the Stripes, any equipment that did not match their red/black/white color scheme was painted red. On Black Friday in 2013, Third Man Records diversified and launched the Bumble Buzz pedal an octave fuzz built for Third Man by Vancouver, British Columbia’s Union Tube and Transistor. In 2014 the pedal was reviewed by Premier Guitar, and is found in Jack's pedal setup. While the Raconteurs were still in development, White commissioned

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

Randy Parsons Randy Parsons (born 1965) is an American luthier whose client list includes Jack White, Jimmy Page, Sammy Hagar, Death Cab for Cutie, Peter Frampton, Joe Perry, and Modest Mouse. Parsons uses hand tools and traditional guitar building methods, w ...

to create what White called the Triple Jet—a custom guitar styled after the Duo Jet double-cutaway guitar.McKenzie, Thomas Scott (August 1, 2010)
Parsons Guitars
''Premier Guitar''. Retrieved November 13, 2014. Parsons's first product was painted copper color, however he decided to create a second version with a completely copper body, which White began to use instead. For the Raconteurs first tour, White also played a Gretsch Anniversary Jr. with a

Bigsby vibrato tailpiece The Bigsby vibrato tailpiece (or Bigsby for short) is a type of mechanical vibrato device for electric guitar designed by Paul Bigsby and produced by the Bigsby Electric Guitar Company (currently an independently operated subsidiary of Fend ...

and three Filtertron pickups. He later added a custom Gretsch Anniversary Jr. with two cutaways, a lever-activated mute system, a built-in and retractable bullet microphone, and a light-activated

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

next to the Bigsby. White has dubbed this one the "Green Machine", and it is featured in ''It Might Get Loud''. He sometimes played a

Gibson J-160E The Gibson J-160E is one of the first acoustic-electric guitars produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The J-160E was Gibson's second attempt at creating an acoustic-electric guitar (the first being the small-body CF-100E"''As implied by its ...

, a

Gretsch Duo Jet The Gretsch 6128 (Duo Jet) is a chambered solid body electric guitar manufactured by Gretsch since the mid-1950s. Origins The Duo Jet was first introduced in 1953, after the success of the Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. A key difference between t ...

in Cadillac Green, and a second Gretsch Rancher acoustic guitar. For the Raconteurs' 2008 tour, he had Analog Man plate all of his pedals in copper.Dolphin Music staff (November 11, 2009)
"Jack White's Pedalboards: From White Stripes to The Dead Weather"
DolphinMusic.co.uk. Retrieved October 20, 2014. In 2020 White completed his Three-Wheel-Motion Low Rider - which is a highly customized Fender Telecaster B-Bender guitar. He has since acquired another Gretsch, a custom white "

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a yo ...

Bo" Jupiter Thunderbird with a gold double pickguard (as seen in the music video for "Another Way to Die"). White found a 1957 Gretsch G6134 White Penguin in 2007 while on tour in Texas—the same one he used in the music video for " Icky Thump"—which ultimately fit in with the Dead Weather's color scheme. He also uses a black left-handed one since the Dead Weather album '' Sea of Cowards'' came out. He has also been known to play Fender Telecasters, featuring one in the music video for Loretta Lynn's "Portland, Oregon". White owns three Gretsch Rancher Falcons because he says that its bass tones make it his favorite acoustic to play live. They are collectively referred to as his "girlfriends", as each one has an image of a classic movie star on the back. Claudette Colbert is the brunette he used while with the Stripes,

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

is the redhead he acquired with the Raconteurs, and

Veronica Lake Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd ...

is the blonde he added in 2010 while with the Dead Weather. Since 2018, White has been playing EVH Wolfgang guitars, which are

Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...

's signature model. White uses numerous effects to create his live sound, most notably a DigiTech Whammy WH-4 to create the rapid modulations in pitch he uses in his solos.Ratliff, Ben (April 21, 2003)
"ROCK REVIEW: Contradictory and Proud of It"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Retrieved May 2, 2006. White also produces a "fake" bass tone by playing the Kay Hollowbody and JB Hutto Montgomery Airline guitars through a Whammy IV set to one octave down for a very thick, low, rumbling sound, which he uses most notably on the song "

". He also uses an MXR Micro Amp and custom Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Distortion/Sustainer. In 2005, for the single "Blue Orchid", White employed an Electro-Harmonix Polyphonic Octave Generator (POG), which let him mix in several octave effects into one along with the dry signal.Leslie, Jimmy (September 9, 2010)
"Jack White Mega Sonic On The Sounds That Drive The White Stripes Raconteurs and Dead Weather"
''Guitar Player''. Retrieved March 13, 2015. He plugs this setup into a 1970s

Fender Twin Reverb The Fender Twin and Twin Reverb are guitar amplifiers made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The Twin was introduced in 1952, two years before Fender began selling Stratocaster electric guitars. The amps are known for their characterist ...

"Silverface" and two 100-Watt Sears Silvertone 1485 6×10 amplifiers. He also used a 1960s Fender Twin Reverb "Blackface". On occasion, White also plays other instruments, such as a Black Gibson F-4

("Little Ghost"), piano (on most tracks from ''

'', and various others), and an

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

on such tracks as "The Air Near My Fingers" and "I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman". White also plays percussion instruments such as the

(as on "The Nurse"), drums and

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

. For the White Stripes' 2007 tour, he played a custom-finish Hammond A-100 organ with a Leslie 3300 speaker, which was subsequently loaned to

, and currently resides at Third Man Studios. On the album ''Broken Boy Soldiers'', both he and Benson are credited with playing the album's synths and organ. With the Dead Weather, White plays a custom Ludwig Classic Maple kit in Black Oyster Pearl.Kaufman, Peter "Pistol" (September 2009), "The DEAD WEATHER'S Jack White". ''Modern Drummer''. :63-66. Notably, it includes two-snare drums, which White calls "the jazz canon". For the 2009 Full Flash Blank tour, White used a drum head with the Three Brides of Dracula on the front, but in 2010, White employed a new drum head, upon the release of ''Sea of Cowards'', which has an image of The Third Man himself: Harry Lime attempting to escape certain capture in the sewers of Vienna. During the American leg of the 2010 tour, White switched his drum head again featuring a picture of himself in the guise he wore on the cover of ''Sea of Cowards''. This drum head is called Sam Kay by some fans, referring to the insert inside of the 12" LP.

Minimalist style

White has long been a proponent of analog equipment and the associated working methods. Beginning in the fifth grade, he and his childhood friend, Dominic Suchyta, would listen to records in White's attic on weekends and began to record cover songs on an old four-track

reel-to-reel Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the ''supply reel'' (or ''feed reel'') containing the tape is pla ...

tape machine. The White Stripes' first album was largely recorded in the attic of his parents' home. As their fame grew beyond Detroit, the Stripes became known for their affected innocence and stripped-down playing style. In particular, White became distinguished for his nasal vocal delivery and loose, explosive guitar delivery. In an early ''New York Times'' concert review from 2001, Ann Powers said that, while White's playing was "ingenious", he "created more challenges by playing an acoustic guitar with paper taped over the hole and a less-than-high-quality solid body electric". His home studio in Nashville contains two rooms ("I want everyone close, focused, feeling like we're in it together.") with two pieces of equipment: a Neve mixing console, and two Studer A800 2-inch 8-track tape recorders. In his introduction in the documentary film, ''

'', White showcases his minimalist style by constructing a guitar built out of a plank of wood, three nails, a glass Coke bottle, a guitar string, and a pickup. He ends the demonstration by saying, "Who says you need to buy a guitar?" In a 2012 episode of the show, ''

Portlandia ''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Br ...

'', White made a cameo in a sketch spoofing home studio enthusiasts who prefer antique recording equipment.

Reception

White has enjoyed both critical and commercial success, and is widely credited as one of the key artists in the

of the 2000s. ''

'' ranked him number 70 on its 2010 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

's 2011 list ranked him at number 17. He has won twelve Grammy Awards, with 33 nominations, and three solo albums have reached number one on the Billboard charts. Interviewers note the wide breadth of the music styles and eras he draws from for inspiration.Boilen, Bob (May 20, 2014)
"Jack White's 'Lazaretto': The All Songs Interview"
NPR. Retrieved November 12, 2014. In May 2015, the Music City Walk of Fame announced that it would be honoring White (along with Loretta Lynn) with a medallion at its re-opening in Nashville. On February 8, 2017, White was the honoree of the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy during the annual Grammy Week celebration for his commitment "to working diligently to ensure that the quality and integrity of recorded music are captured and preserved". Much has been made of White's "showmanship" and affectations. Since the beginning, critics have debated the "riddle" of White's self-awareness against his claims of authenticity,HAGAN, JOE (August 12, 2001),
Hurling Your Basic Rock at the Arty Crowd
. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved August 30, 2014. with people falling on both sides of the issue. Joe Hagan of ''The New York Times'' asked in 2001, "Is Mr. White, a 25-year-old former upholsterer from southwest Detroit, concocting this stuff with a wink? Or are the White Stripes simply naïve?" Alexis Petridis, of ''The Guardian'', said that White "makes for an enigmatic figure. Not because he's particularly difficult or guarded, but simply because what he tells you suggests a lifelong penchant for inscrutable behavior." White himself confesses, "Sometimes I think I'm a simple guy, but I think the reality is I'm really complicated, as simple as I wish I was."

Personal life

White is protective of his privacy and gives few details of his family life, even going as far as to disseminate false information. He states that he does not consider his personal life relevant to his art, saying "It's the same thing as asking

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

, 'What kind of shoes do you wear?' ... In the end, it doesn't really matter ... the only thing that's going to be left is our records and photos."Cameron, Keith (March 28, 2003)
"The sweetheart deal"
theguardian.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014. His collection of esoterica include

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk sta ...

's New York City arrest record,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

's Georgia driver's license from the 1980s, and a copy of the first

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

comic from June 1938. For $300,000 in January 2015, an online bidder won an auction for Elvis Presley's first recording ever—an acetate of the two cover songs: "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin".Payne, Chris (March 5, 2015)
"Billboard Cover Sneak Peek: 5 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets at Jack White's Third Man Records"
''

''. Retrieved March 6, 2015. In its edition of March 6, 2015, ''Billboard'' magazine announced the buyer had been White. The vinyl record was recorded at Sun Studio in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

in the summer of 1953 when Presley was 18 years old. Raised in Detroit, White is a fan of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

baseball team. On multiple occasions, he has decried video games as being useless and a waste of time, going so far as to state that he doesn't allow his kids to play them. Despite this, his songs have appeared in the trailers for Call of Duty: Vanguard, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and

Battlefield 1 ''Battlefield 1'' is a first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the tenth installment in the ''Battlefield'' series and the first main entry in the series since '' Battlefield 4'' in 2013. It was relea ...

, and on the soundtracks of Forza Horizon 4 and numerous Guitar Hero games.

Relationships

Jack and Meg married on September 21, 1996, and divorced on March 24, 2000. Jack took Meg's last name, legally changing his surname. After the White Stripes broke up, he mentions he "almost never talks to Meg", adding that she has been solitary.Brown, Jake (June 9, 2002)
"White Stripes Divorce Certificate"
GloriousNoise.com. Retrieved December 11, 2007. In 2003, he had a brief relationship with actress

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...

, whom he met during the filming of '' Cold Mountain''. That summer, the couple were in a car accident in which White broke his left index finger and was forced to reschedule much of the summer tour. He posted the footage of his finger surgery on the web for fans. White and Zellweger's breakup became public in December 2004. White met British model

when she appeared in the White Stripes' music video for "

Blue Orchid "Blue Orchid" is the first track by the American alternative rock band the White Stripes from their album ''Get Behind Me Satan'', and the first single to be released from the album. Although it was suspected that Jack White wrote the song abou ...

". They married on June 1, 2005, in Manaus, Brazil. The wedding took place in a canoe on the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

and was officiated by a

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

. A Roman Catholic priest later convalidated their marriage. Manager Ian Montone was the best man and Meg White was the

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Tradit ...

. Official wedding announcements stated that "it was the first marriage" for both."06.02.05"
TheWhiteStripes.com. Retrieved June 1, 2006. In 2006, the couple had a daughter, Scarlett Teresa.''Spin'' staff (May 4, 2006)
"Jack's Baby Oxymoron: Scarlett White"
. ''Spin''. Retrieved December 12, 2014. Their second child, son Henry Lee, was born in 2007. The family resided in Brentwood, a suburb south of Nashville, where Elson managed a vintage clothing store called ''Venus & Mars''. Elson provided vocals on White's first solo record. The couple announced their intention to divorce in June 2011, throwing "a positive swing bang humdinger" party to commemorate the split. On July 22, 2013, a Nashville judge barred White from having "any contact with Karen Elson whatsoever except as it relates to parenting time with the parties' minor children". A counter-motion was filed on August 2, 2013, stating that "The reason for filing this response is that Mr. White does not want to be portrayed as something he is not, violent toward his wife and children." The divorce was finalized on November 26, 2013. Elson later recanted the charges, attributing the "aggressive" proceedings to her divorce attorneys, and saying "those who gain of a marriage ending helped to create a downward spiral at my most vulnerable." White agreed, saying, "When shitty lawyers are in a situation like divorce, their goal is to villainize." The former couple reportedly remain on good terms. On April 8, 2022, White played the national anthem for a Detroit Tigers game, then proposed to his girlfriend, Olivia Jean, near the end of a concert performance at the

, while "

Hotel Yorba "Hotel Yorba" is the lead single from ''White Blood Cells'', by Detroit, Michigan garage rock band The White Stripes, and their first single to be released commercially. It was released on November 12, 2001. Built in 1926, the Hotel Yorba is a ...

" was being played. Jean and White were married shortly afterward by White's business partner Ben Swank who officiated on stage.

Politics

In October 2016, upon learning that Republican presidential candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

had used the White Stripes song "Seven Nation Army" in video campaign materials, White denounced the presidential candidate and began selling shirts reading "Icky Trump"—a play on the White Stripes song "Icky Thump"—through the Third Man Records website. He publicly endorsed Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

for the

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Un ...

and performed a six-song set at a Sanders event at Cass Technical High School on October 27, 2019. At the rally, White stated that he believes that "Sanders is telling the truth, and I really do trust him". He was drawn in by Sanders' view that the Electoral College should be abolished, also stating at the rally that "I have this silly notion that the person who gets the most votes should be elected" and " he Electoral Collegeis the reason we're in the mess we're in now".

Eccentricity

White has been called "

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...

".Various sources: *Richards, Chris (July 15, 2010), "Jack White, storming ahead of the Dead Weather" ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' *Brown, David (June 5, 2005)
"Get Behind Me Satan (2005)"
''Entertainment Weekly''. Retrieved November 2, 2007. *N.A. (June 21, 2007), "THUMP IT UP; THE WHITE STRIPES RETURN TO HARD-ROCKING BLUES ON ICKY THUMP – POSSIBLY THE BEST ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR". ''The Record''. *Graff, Gary (July 29, 2014)
"Concert Review: Jack White goes for the long haul at Detroit’s Fox Theatre"
''The Oakland Press''. Retrieved July 31, 2014. He is known for creating a mythology around his endeavors;Rayner, Ben (February 21, 2010), "Red, white and new—Seeing sights, wooing strangers", ''Toronto Star''. examples include his claim that the Stripes began on

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

, that he and Meg are the two youngest of ten siblings,Klosterman, Chuck (Oct 2002), "The Garage", ''Spin''. 18 (10):64–68. and that Third Man Records used to be a candy factory. These assertions came into question or were disproven, as when, in 2002, the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...

'' produced copies of both a marriage license and divorce certificate for him and Meg, confirming their history as a married couple. Neither addresses the truth officially, and Jack continues to refer to Meg as his sister in interviews, including in the documentary '' Under Great White Northern Lights'', filmed in 2007.Winnipeg Free Press staff (March 20, 2010) "New Music", ''Winnipeg Free Press''. :C4. In a 2005 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, Jack alluded to this open secret, implying that it was intended to keep the focus on the music rather than the couple's relationship:

When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, 'Oh, I see ... ' When they're brother and sister, you go, 'Oh, that's interesting.' You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they're trying to save their relationship by being in a band.

He has an attachment to the number three,Killingsworth, Jason (July 27, 2007)
"The White Stripes Play Us a Little Number."
''Paste Magazine''. Retrieved August 5, 2014. stemming from seeing three staples in the back of a

Vladimir Kagan Vladimir Kagan (August 29, 1927 – April 7, 2016) was an American furniture designer. He was inducted in the Interior Designer Hall of Fame in 2009, 62 years after he started designing and producing furniture. His Midcentury modern furniture wi ...

couch, he helped to upholster as an apprentice. His business ventures frequently feature "three" in the title and he typically appends "III" to the end of his name.Lewis, Tim (May 31, 2014)
"Jack White: 'I'm like Larry David, Alan Partridge and Chris Rock in one person'"
''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

''. Retrieved August 7, 2014. During the White Stripes 2005 tour in the UK, White began referring to himself as "Three Quid"—" quid" being British slang for pound sterling.''NME'' staff (November 6, 2005)
"Jack White changes his name"
''NME. com''. Retrieved November 7, 2005. He maintains an aesthetic that he says challenges whether people will believe he is "real". He frequently color-codes his endeavors, such as the aforementioned Third Man Upholstery and the White Stripes, as well as Third Man Records, which is completely outfitted in yellow, black, red, and blue (including staff uniforms). As a

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

enthusiast—that correlates to his work as an upholsterer—he decorates his studio in preserved animals, including a

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

, giraffe, and Himalayan goat.

Minor controversies

On December 13, 2003, White was involved in an altercation with Jason Stollsteimer, lead singer of

the Von Bondies The Von Bondies are an American alternative rock band formed in 1997. The original line-up formed at the 1997 Cramps/ Guitar Wolf show by Jason Stollsteimer and Marcie Bolen. They went through a variety of member changes and band names, incl ...

, at the Magic Stick, a Detroit club.No byline (March 11, 2004)
"VON BONDIES SPEAK OUT OVER JACK WHITE COURT CASE"
''NME''. Retrieved November 28, 2007. White was charged with

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

aggravated assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cri ...

. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault and

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, was fined $750 (including court costs), and was sentenced to take

anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

classes.WEINER, JONAH (June 5, 2014), "Jack White." ''

''. 1210:52–78. White has repeatedly referenced conflicts that erupted between him and fellow artists in Detroit's underground music scene after the White Stripes gained international success. In a 2006 interview with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, he said that he eventually left Detroit because, "he could not take the negativity anymore."(July 7, 2008), "Pricey platters donated to school". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

''. However, in an effort to clarify his feelings towards the city of Detroit itself, he wrote and released a poem called "Courageous Dream's Concern". In it, he expresses his affection for his hometown. During their 2013 divorce proceedings, Elson entered into evidence an e-mail White had sent her that included disparaging remarks about the Black Keys. When asked about the email in a 2014 ''Rolling Stone'' magazine interview, White stood by the remarks saying, "I'll hear TV commercials where the music's ripping off sounds of mine, to the point I think it's me. Half the time, it's the Black Keys." He later apologized for the comments. However, in September 2015, Black Keys drummer

Patrick Carney Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. Early life Carney's father, Jim, is a retired reporter for the ''Akron Beacon Journ ...

posted a series of tweets alleging that White tried to fight him in a bar. White denied the claim in a statement to the online magazine ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'', saying that Carney should talk to him directly, and not on the internet.Monroe, Jazz (September 14, 2015)
"The Black Keys' Patrick Carney Says Jack White Tried to Fight Him in a Bar, White Denies It"
Pitchfork. Retrieved November 9, 2015. The following day, Carney posted a tweet saying, "Talked to jack for an hour he's cool. All good." White tweeted on the Third Man Twitter account, "From one musician to another, you have my respect Patrick Carney." On February 1, 2015, the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

's newspaper ''OU Daily'' ran a story regarding White's show of February 2 at McCasland Field House that included the publication of White's tour rider. The rider, especially the guacamole recipe it included and White's ban of bananas backstage, received some media coverage. It was later reported that in response to the rider's publication White's booking agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, had banned its acts from playing shows at the University of Oklahoma. On February 15, White released an open letter addressed to "journalists and other people looking for drama or a diva" in which he referred to the guacamole recipe as his tour manager's "inside joke with local promoters" and "just something to break up the boredom" and the ban of bananas being alluded to food allergies of an unnamed tour member, while criticizing journalists who wrote about the rider as "out of their element". In the same letter he forgave ''OU Daily'' for publishing the story and reaffirmed his desire to perform in Oklahoma.

Philanthropy

White has provided financial support to institutions in his hometown of Detroit. In 2009, White donated almost $170,000 towards the renovation of the baseball diamond in southwest Detroit's Clark Park. The

was nearly foreclosed on in 2013 after it was revealed that owners owed $142,000 in back taxes. In June 2013, it was revealed that White had footed the entire bill. To thank him for the donation, the temple has decided to rename its second largest theater the Jack White Theater. The National Recording Preservation Foundation received an inaugural gift of $200,000 from White to use toward restoring and preserving deteriorating sound recordings on media such as reel-to-reel tape and old

cylinders A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an in ...

.O'Neal Parker, Lonnae (July 28, 2013)
"Jack White’s gift boosts launch of National Recording Preservation Foundation".
''The Washington Post''. Retrieved October 9, 2014. The foundation's director, Eric J. Schwartz said the donation demonstrated a "commitment by a really busy songwriter and performer donating both his time on the board, and money to preserve our national song recording heritage". White also serves on the foundation's board. In July 2016, White joined Nashville's 45-member Gender Equality Council. On September 18, 2018, White donated $30,000 to The Outsiders House Museum for its preservation and restoration. On May 3, 2019, Wayne State University of Detroit, Michigan awarded White with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree "for his dedication to Detroit and significant contributions to the arts as one of the most prolific and renowned artists of the past two decades". On November 20, 2022, White wrote a note to

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The B ...

explaining his reason for leaving the

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

platform, he said, "So you gave Trump his Twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon. That is officially an asshole move".

Awards and nominations

For his various collaborations and solo work, White has won regional, national and international awards, including twelve

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

and has been nominated for 33. Nashville mayor Karl Dean awarded White the title of "Nashville Music City Ambassador" in 2011.Paulson, Dave (April 16, 2011)
"Jack White earns Music City Ambassador Award, welcomes Jerry Lee Lewis"
''The Tennessean''. Retrieved May 8, 2011.

Back-up band

Although a solo artist, White performs with a live band to provide additional instrumentation and vocals.

Current line-up

*Dominic Davis – bass, backing vocals * Daru Jones – drums *Quincy McCrary – keyboards, samples, synthesizer, organ, backing vocals

''Boarding House Reach''-era line-up

– acoustic drums, percussion, backing vocals *Dominic Davis – bass *Neal Evans – piano, synthesizer, organ, keyboards, electronic drums, backing vocals *Quincy McCrary – keyboards, samples, backing vocals

''Lazaretto''-era line-up

*Dominic Davis – bass * Dean Fertita – Hammond organ, piano, keyboards *Daru Jones – drums *

– pedal steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, theremin * Lillie Mae Rische – fiddle, mandolin, backing vocals

''Lazaretto''-era previous members

* Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – B3 organ, piano, keyboards * Cory Younts – mandolin, harmonica, piano, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals

''Blunderbuss''-era line-up

:''Note:'' While on tour in support of ''Blunderbuss'', White toured with two bands that he alternated between shows with. The Buzzards (all-male band) *Dominic Davis – bass *Daru Jones – drums *Fats Kaplin – pedal steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, theremin *Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – B3 organ, piano, keyboards *Cory Younts – mandolin, harmonica, piano, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals The Peacocks (all-female band) *

– backing vocals *

– drums *Maggie Bjorklund – pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar * Catherine Popper – bass *

– bass *Lillie Mae Rische – fiddle, mandolin, backing vocals *Brooke Waggoner – piano, B3 organ, keyboards

Discography

Solo albums *''

'' (2012) *'' Lazaretto'' (2014) *''

'' (2018) *'' Fear of the Dawn'' (2022) *''

'' (2022) With the White Stripes * ''

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

'' (1999) * '' De Stijl'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2003) * ''

'' (2005) * '' Icky Thump'' (2007) With the Raconteurs * ''

'' (2006) * '' Consolers of the Lonely'' (2008) * '' Help Us Stranger'' (2019) With the Dead Weather * '' Horehound'' (2009) * '' Sea of Cowards'' (2010) * '' Dodge and Burn'' (2015)

Filmography

*'' The Rosary Murders'' (1987) – uncredited altar boy *'' Cold Mountain'' (2003) – Georgia *'' Coffee and Cigarettes'' (2003) – Himself *''

Under Blackpool Lights ''Under Blackpool Lights'' is the first official DVD released by The White Stripes. The DVD consists of 26 tracks recorded at The Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in the English seaside resort of Blackpool on January 27 and 28, 2004, and ...

'' (2004) – Himself *'' The Fearless Freaks'' (2005) – Himself *'' Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'' (2007) –

*'' Shine a Light'' (2008) – Himself *''

'' (2009) – Himself *'' Mutant Swinger from Mars'' (2009) – Mikey *'' Under Great White Northern Lights'' (2010) – Himself *''

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop ''Conan O'Brien Can't Stop'' is a 2011 documentary film by Rodman Flender featuring Conan O'Brien and focusing on his comedy tour, The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour, which took place in 2010 following his departure from ...

'' (2011) – Himself *'' American Pickers'' (2012) – Himself * ''Portlandia'', season 3, episode 1 (2012) – Himself * ''The Muppets'', season 1, episode 16 (2016) – Himself *'' American Epic'' (2017) – Himself *'' The American Epic Sessions'' (2017) – Himself *''Jack White: Kneeling at The Anthem D.C.'' (2018) – Himself *'' Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Books

*''We Are Going to Be Friends'' (2017) – based on "

We're Going to Be Friends "We're Going to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band White Stripes from their album ''White Blood Cells.'' It was released in late 2002 and tells the story of meeting a new friend at the beginning of a school year. Through its ly ...

" by the White Stripes

Footnotes

Notes

References

Works cited

* * *

External links

*
Third Man RecordsOfficial site of the White StripesOfficial site of the RaconteursOfficial site of the Dead Weather
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Jack 1975 births American blues guitarists Alternative rock guitarists American male singers American music video directors American rock guitarists American rock singers American male guitarists American tenors Cass Technical High School alumni Wayne State University alumni Grammy Award winners Living people American mandolinists American marimbists Slide guitarists Lead guitarists The White Stripes members American people of Polish descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Canadian descent American expatriates in the United Kingdom One-man bands 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Third Man Records artists XL Recordings artists American male drummers Upholsterers Guitarists from Detroit 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers The Dead Weather members The Raconteurs members