- Awards And Honors:
- Grammy Award (2007)
- Grammy Award (2005)
- Grammy Award (2003)
- Notable Works:
- “De Stijl”
- “Elephant”
- “Get Behind Me Satan”
- “Icky Thump”
- “White Blood Cells”
- Related People:
- Jack White
- On the Web:
- Encyclopaedia Iranica - Ahriman (Oct. 31, 2026)
the White Stripes
-
Who were the White Stripes?
The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit, known for blending punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. The band consisted of guitarist/vocalist Jack White and drummer Meg White. Despite claiming to be siblings, the media later discovered they were married in 1996 and divorced in 2000.
The White Stripes gained prominence in 2001 with their breakthrough album, White Blood Cells. Their 2003 album, Elephant, earned a Grammy Award. After a hiatus in 2007 due to Meg's anxiety, they officially disbanded in 2011. In April 2025, the band was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of music did the White Stripes play?
The White Stripes, an American rock duo from Detroit, were known for their musical style that combined punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. The band consisted of guitarist-vocalist Jack White and drummer Meg White. Their sound, coupled with Jack's guitar work, expressive vocals, and songwriting, helped them create a version of the blues that was uniquely their own.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the members of the White Stripes?
The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit, known for combining punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. The original band members were Jack White (John Anthony Gillis) and Meg White (Megan Martha White). Though they presented themselves as siblings, Jack and Meg were married in 1996 and divorced in 2000. The White Stripes officially ended their musical partnership in 2011. In April 2025, the band was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What instruments did Jack and Meg White play in the band?
In the White Stripes, Jack White played guitar and sang vocals, while Meg White played drums. Together, they created an energized, idiosyncratic version of the blues, combining elements of punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. Jack's virtuoso guitar work and Meg's simple but powerful drumming were central to the White Stripes' sound, which was at the vanguard of a garage-rock revival in the late 1990s.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some of the White Stripes’ most famous songs?
The White Stripes, an American rock duo from Detroit, achieved fame by fusing punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues.
Some of their most famous songs include:
* "Fell in Love with a Girl"
* "Seven Nation Army"
* "The Hardest Button to Button"
* "Icky Thump"The White Stripes released their debut album in 1999. Their breakthrough album, White Blood Cells, came in 2001, and they went on to release the Grammy Award-winning Elephant in 2003. In February 2011, Meg and Jack White announced that they would no longer record or perform as the White Stripes.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the White Stripes influence other musicians or rock music?
The White Stripes, an American rock duo from Detroit, significantly impacted rock music by combining punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. They were at the forefront of the late 1990s garage-rock revival, creating an energized and idiosyncratic version of the blues in the 21st century.
Jack White's diverse musical interests, from Detroit punk pioneers Iggy and the Stooges to cow-punk and rockabilly, shaped the band's sound and stage presence. His work with Loretta Lynn also introduced her to a new generation of fans. White's devotion to vinyl recordings and focus on high-quality releases also influenced the music industry.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
the White Stripes, American rock duo from Detroit, known for combining punk, folk, country, and Mississippi Delta blues. Original band members were guitarist-vocalist Jack White (original name John Anthony Gillis; b. July 9, 1975, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) and drummer Meg White (original name Megan Martha White; b. December 10, 1974, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan).
During the 1990s Meg held a variety of service jobs, and Jack worked as a furniture upholsterer. Exposed to a wide range of music by his employer, Brian Muldoon, Jack became interested in the sound of Detroit punk pioneers Iggy and the Stooges and the MC5. Jack (on guitar) and Muldoon recorded a blues-infused single under the name the Upholsterers. Trading one set of influences for another, in 1993 Jack signed on as drummer for the established “cow-punk” band Goober and the Peas. Jack gained experience onstage and in the recording studio, and the group’s sound (a fusion of punk and rockabilly) and its stage persona (featuring cowboy hats and embroidered western suits) would reappear in his later work. In 1996 Goober and the Peas broke up, and Jack and Meg were married. (Although Jack and Meg claimed to be brother and sister, the media eventually discovered a marriage license [1996] and a divorce certificate [2000].) That year the couple moved into Jack’s childhood home, and they began to craft the sound of the White Stripes. The duo played at venues around Detroit, frequently appearing with Two-Star Tabernacle, a country-rock outfit that featured Jack and former Goober and the Peas front man Dan Miller. The White Stripes signed a contract with the independent Sympathy for the Record Industry label, and the duo’s self-titled debut album was released in 1999. It was followed the next year by De Stijl.
In 2001 the White Stripes released their breakthrough album, White Blood Cells. Michel Gondry’s eye-catching video for the single “Fell in Love with a Girl” received regular airplay on MTV, and the group became media darlings. The duo followed with Elephant (2003), a percussion-driven collection of songs that featured Meg’s debut as a vocalist. Elephant earned a Grammy Award for best alternative music album, and it sold over a million copies on the strength of singles such as “Seven Nation Army” and “The Hardest Button to Button.” Jack appeared in the film Cold Mountain (2003), and he contributed five songs to its Grammy-nominated soundtrack. He also produced country legend Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose (2004), a collection of honky-tonk anthems that earned a pair of Grammy awards and introduced Lynn to a new generation of fans. The White Stripes earned another Grammy for their album Get Behind Me Satan (2005), and the song “Icky Thump,” from their album of the same name (2007), became the band’s first Top 40 hit on the Billboard singles chart. In addition, Icky Thump was the White Stripes’ third recording to earn the Grammy for best alternative music album, and the title song was also awarded a Grammy.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
The White Stripes went on hiatus in 2007 after Meg was afflicted with performance-related anxiety. They returned to the stage for a single performance in February 2009 for the final episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Continuing to expand his body of work, Jack experimented with straightforward power pop as a member of the Raconteurs. The quartet produced a pair of well-received albums (2006 and 2008) and quickly became a fixture on the summer concert circuit. Meg married guitarist Jackson Smith (son of rock legend Patti Smith) in May 2009, and Jack undertook yet another side project. Enlisting members of the Kills and Queens of the Stone Age, Jack formed the Dead Weather, a bluesy psychedelic rock combo whose debut album, Horehound, was released in July 2009.
In March 2009 Jack founded Third Man Records, a Nashville record store, performance space, and label. As the rest of the music industry was trying to adjust its business model to accommodate digital downloads, White’s label embraced the physical artifacts of the album era: the turntable, the gatefold cover, and, above all, high-quality vinyl releases. As Jack spent more time on Third Man and other projects—he produced The Party Ain’t Over, the 2011 comeback album from rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson—White Stripes fans began to suspect that the band’s hiatus might be permanent. This was confirmed when in February 2011 Meg and Jack announced that they would no longer record or appear as the White Stripes. The following year Jack embarked on a solo career with the stylistically expansive Blunderbuss. In April 2025 the band was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.