The White Stripes

The White Stripes are a rock and blues band who made a splash by breaking with the popular music styles of the time. They are known for their iconic red, white and black imagery and for their strong, driving guitar-based melodies.

The White Stripes were formed on July the 14, 1997, in Detroit, Michigan , by Jack White (also known as John Anthony Gillis) and Megan Martha White. The former is a singer/songwriter who plays the guitar and piano, the latter a percussionist who provides backing vocals. The two have been deliberately enigmatic about their personal relationship, claiming sometimes that they are siblings and sometimes that they are married (or were once married), fuelling the interest of the press and fans alike. Jack White was previously known for playing alongside Bobby Harlow, John Krautner, Mark Fellis, Steve Nawara and Dave Buick in The Go. Meg White learned to play drums only two months before their first performance, in Detroit 's Gold Dollar bar.

The White Stripes' early gigs were all in small local venues, but their distinctive red and white outfits and powerful stage presence soon got them noticed and they released their first single, “Let's Shake Hands”, only a couple of months into their career. This was followed by “Lafayette Blues”, now a fan favorite, after which they moved to another independent label to record “The Big Three Killed My Baby” and covers of songs by Bob Dylan and Robert Johnson, promoting their début album The White Stripes. At this stage their music was raw and angry - John Peel compared them to The Sex Pistols - but it mellowed slightly for 2000's De Stijl, the album which really made them known around the world.

In 2001, The White Stripes released the album White Blood Cells, which became a massive hit in the before gradually building up success in . It won acclaim for its sharp, stripped down sound, and also benefited from a striking video made, using Legos, by Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry. White Blood Cells was dedicated to country singer Loretta Lynn.

By the time they released their fourth album, Elephant, in 2003, The White Stripes were concerned that the public would be over-familiar with their sound and would be losing interest - so much so that they banned John Peel from playing it early. However, the popularity of the record and the positive critical response proved them wrong. Featuring additional vocals by Holly Golightly, it employed more old-fashioned themes and used melodies which verged on country. The band provided promotional copies on vinyl only, saying that they didn't want it played by any DJ who didn't own a record company. They have repeatedly expressed concern that moves toward digitisation are detracting from the real visceral experience of music.

Shortly after releasing Elephant, The White Stripes made a move into film (something which Jack White had done on his own before) with an appearance in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes, co-starring Roberto Benigni, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits and Cate Blanchett. They were already noted chain smokers, though Jack White quit not long afterwards due to the damaging effect it was having on his voice.

The White Stripes' fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was released in 2005 and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. They have released Aluminium in 2006, a collection of avant-garde orchestral recordings.

In 2008, amid much controversey surrounding the theme tune to the 22nd James Bond movie, Quantum Of Solace, starring Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko, it finally fell to White Stripes band member, Jack White and Alicia Keys, to come up with the theme. After the producers had been let down by Amy Winehouse, the new duo stepped in and gave Bond his latest theme.