I'm gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
- The White Stripes, 'Seven Nation Army', 2003

Formed in July 1997 in Detroit, Michigan, USA by Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis) and Meg White (born Megan Martha White), The White Stripes are one of America's most successful and influential rock bands.

The band have a strong identity and only wear three colours while on stage - red, white and black. This style extends to their album covers, which are all designed in these same three colours. This is influenced by the De Stijl abstract art movement of the 1920s - De Stijl was the title of the band's second album. The number three is also relevant to the band in other ways, as they originally used just three instruments - vocals, guitar and drums - although more recent work includes other instruments such as pianos and xylophones.

Initial speculation regarding Jack and Meg's relationship was widespread, a debate encouraged by the band themselves in a media-savvy move. Initially claiming that they were brother and sister, they later retracted this statement and confessed to having once dated but said that this was the full extent of their relationship. This, however, was shown to be another fabrication when a divorce certificate was discovered by a Detroit newspaper and published on the Internet, proving that they had once been married.

Musical Career

Signed to the 'Sympathy for the Record Industry' label, the band are usually labelled as 'garage rock' but their music shows a wide variety of influences, including country, folk and blues.

Musically, the band are led by Jack who writes all of their original material by himself. As the band have no bass-player, he carries the band with his highly-acclaimed guitar style, usually playing a vintage guitar. Indeed, all of the instruments used on the 2003 album Elephant date from 1963 or earlier.

Opinion on Meg's musical ability varies; some describe her as a minimalist but talented drummer, whereas others have judged her as simply awful. She occasionally sings on album tracks including 'In The Cold, Cold Night' from Elephant.

Success came slowly to the White Stripes. Their first three albums were critically acclaimed, but generated little commercial interest compared to Elephant and their most recent long-player Get Behind Me Satan. Their breakthrough single was 'Fell in Love With a Girl', from the 2001 album White Blood Cells. However it was the first single from their next album Elephant, 'Seven Nation Army', which cemented their fame. Featuring a memorable repeating guitar riff, the song's much-discussed video won several MTV Music Video Awards and catapulted them to stardom. 'Seven Nation Army' has been covered by artists such as The Flaming Lips, Audioslave and Metallica.

The band are also keen on playing cover versions during live performances. In the past these have included tracks originally written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Dusty Springfield's 'I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself'), Bob Dylan, Captain Beefheart and, most notably, Dolly Parton: their cover of her song 'Jolene' was released as a single in 2005. They also covered Loretta Lynn's song 'Van Lear Rose' during a Peel Session recorded at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios.

Other Projects

As well as The White Stripes' own releases, Jack has produced albums for other artists, including Loretta Lynn (Van Lear Rose is the name of her 2004 album which Jack produced and of a track on the same album) and Whirlwind Heat.

The two have also featured in a number of films. In 2003 Jack appeared in Anthony Minghella's film adaptation of Charles Frazier's American Civil War novel, Cold Mountain. Despite playing a fairly minor role, Jack's performance gained mostly positive reviews. He also contributed a number of songs to the film's soundtrack, including a cover of the folk spiritual, 'Wayfaring Stranger'.

Both Jack and Meg appeared in Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes, which is made up of 11 short segments. In their surreal scene, Jack and Meg (seemingly playing themselves) discuss a Tesla Coil which Jack claims to have built.

In spite of Jack's forthcoming collaboration with friend and fellow Detroit native Brendan Benson and his 2005 marriage to model Karen Elson, the band are expected to continue recording and touring.

Discography

Selected Singles

• 'Fell in Love With a Girl' (2002)
• 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground' (2002)
• 'Seven Nation Army' (2003)
• 'The Hardest Button to Button' (2003)
• 'Jolene (Live)' (2005)
• 'Blue Orchid' (2005)

DVD

• Under Blackpool Lights (2004)

Albums

• The White Stripes (1999)
• De Stijl (2000)
• White Blood Cells (2001)
• Elephant (2003)
• Get Behind Me Satan (2005)