Born as John Anthony Gills on July 9, 1975 in Detroit, Jack White is a guitarist and also sings in the band called ‘The White Stripes’. Making its debut with the self-titled album ‘The White Stripes’, thus far, the group has released six albums, including ‘De Stijl’, ‘White Blood Cells’, ‘Elephant", ‘Get Behind Me Satan’, and ‘Icky Thump’.
Jack White was born in a musical family of 10 children and it was quite natural that he would have an inclination for music. This is manifest from the fact that from a very tender age, Jack learnt to play the guitar, piano as well as drums. While growing up, young Jack played for many bands such as ‘The Go’ and ‘Two Star Tabernacle’ and when he was 17 years old; he became a trainee at an upholstery shop called the ‘Muldoon Studio’.
Early Career
During his apprenticeship at the shop, Jack teamed up with the proprietor Brain Muldoon and together they recorded a three-track single titled ‘The Upholsterers’. Four years later, at the age of 21 Jack quit Muldoon Studio and went ahead to start his own upholstery business the ‘Third Man’. At this juncture, Jack was acquainted to a bartender Meg White and they tied the knot in 1996.
According to an account involving the couple, while Jack White was practicing on the guitar on the Bastille Day in 1997, he made Meg sit behind the drum equipment and appreciated the candid manner in which she played the play the drums. Soon an idea struck Jack and he formed a band comprising the duo immediately and called them the ‘White Stripes’. While Jack White played the guitar and sang vocals, Meg White played the drums. The name ‘White Stripes’ owes its origin to Meg’s preference for sweet peppermints.
The White Stripes
The couple’s basic sound and Meg’s archaic drumming coupled with their appearance in red and white uniform, created an image of an innocent and candid team. What is interesting is that Jack and Meg often passed themselves as siblings and this added to their promotional value. The couple entered into a contract with the Sympathy for the Record Industry and Jack and Meg released their debut album ‘The White Stripes’ in 1999.
Unfortunately, by the time the couple released ‘The White Stripe’, they were living separately and Jack and Meg divorces in 2000 when their second album “De Stijl’ was recorded. Nevertheless, the divorce did not affect the fate of the band and eventually they signed a bigger contact with V2 Records. The White Stripes recorded and released two albums ‘White Blood Cells’ and ‘Elephant’ in 2003 – the band’s most popular album so far – under this record label.
Other Bands & Films
Jack White also sings and plays guitar for the group ‘The Raconteurs’, also known as ‘The Saboteurs" in Australia. Recently, the band has released two albums, ‘Broken Boy Soldiers’ and newly released ‘Consolers of the Lonely’.
In 2003, Jack White enhanced his popularity by appearing ‘Cold Mountain’ – a civil war blockbuster movie. In addition, Jack made appearances in other movies titled ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ (2003) and ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ (2007) as well as a television program ‘The Fearless Freaks’ (2005).
Personal Life
Jack White married Karen Elson in 2005 and they have two children. In the meantime, Jack White met with a car crash that resulted to a broken finger, which that to be fitted to his hands with screws.
Some of his albums include:
- 2000 - "White Stripes De Stijl"
- 2001 - "Lack of Communication"
- 2002 - "White Stripes White Blood Cells"
- 2003 - "Cold Mountain"
- 2003 - "Wayfaring Stranger"
- 2003 - "Great High Mountain" (Unknown)
- 2003 - "Sittin' on Top of the World" (Walter Vinson; Lonnie Chatmon)
- 2003 - "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over" (Unknown)
- 2003 - "Do Rabbits Wonder?" and "White Stripes Elephant"
- 2004 - "Van Lear Rose"
- 2004 - "Little Red Shoes"
- 2005 - "Go It Alone", "Sewed Soles" and "Beck Guero"
- 2007 - "White Stripes Icky Thump"
- 2008 - "Another Way to Die"