A Detroit couple named Jack Gillis and Meg White
married 30 years ago today, on 21 September 1996.
Jack replaced Gillis with his wife’s last name, and both formed a band called THE WHITE STRIPES, who, as we all know, were widely famous between 1997
and 2011 with 6 albums and flaming live performances.
They told reporters they were brother and sister, which continued for
a while until a reporter for the Detroit Free Press uncovered their marriage
license in 2001.
After 25 years of music in this Century Rolling Stone Magazine
looks back and picked their 250 favourite tracks.
As expected hip-hop-pop is the big winner pushing guitar rock into a figurant
role although Radiohead (with surprising track choice, The White Stripes (with
their classic cracker) and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at No. 2 (completely unexcepted)
are in the Top 10.
THE WHITE STRIPES – Jack and Meg White released their 5th LP GET BEHIND ME SATAN
n 7 June 2005, today 20 years ago. It peaked at #3 in the US, as well as in the UK.
Pitchfork wrote: “On their fifth album, the White Stripes’ ambitions finally seem to outpace their limited musical vocabulary. Making an almost-entirely clean break with the jet-fueled blues-rock of Elephant and De Stijl, they forsake electric guitar on all but a couple of tracks, working instead with pianos, acoustic guitars, marimbas, and other assorted oddball percussion.”
Singles: Seven Nation Army / Blue Orchid / My Doorbell
THE WHITE STRIPES was/is one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century. Meg and Jack were a mean blues-rock machine who released 6 albums
between 1999 and 2007.
One of their best LPs, without a shadow of a doubt, is their
breakthrough oneElephant released 20 years ago (April 2003).
The opening track and also the album’s first single SEVEN NATION ARMY
(more than 1 billion streams so far on Spotify – 1, 475 465 471 to be exact)
made them famous around the globe. It was at #1 on the UK indie charts
and #1 on the US Alternative Charts.
The accompanying video (more than 612 million views on YouTube, so far)
was a cool rock ‘n’ roll one with, of course, Meg and Jack, as the charismatic
stars in the middle.
Blue JACK WHITE still knows how to inflame a festival crowd.
Take a White Stripes classic and play it as if it was a filthy garage bombshell.
That was exactly what the Detroit hero did last June at the iconic Glastonbury
Festival in the UK.
And now they revealed a never before seen live video with them
performing their 2003 smash hit Seven Nation Army at Tennessee
festival Bonnaroo in 2007.
