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Jack White

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For other people named Jack White, see Jack White (disambiguation).
Jack White

Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis; July 9, 1975), often credited as Jack White III,[1] is an American musician, record producer and occasional actor, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for The White Stripes.

During the 1990s, White was a part-time musician in various underground bands in Detroit, while working by day as an upholsterer. White formed The White Stripes in 1997 with his now ex-wife Meg White. The band went on to have a string of critically acclaimed albums, with their third, White Blood Cells, catapulting them to international stardom. Jack was ranked #17 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[2] White's popular and critical success with The White Stripes enabled him to collaborate as a solo artist with other renowned musicians, such as Beck, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn, whose 2004 album Van Lear Rose he produced and performed on. In 2005, White became a founding member of the rock band The Raconteurs. In 2009, he became a founding member of his third group, The Dead Weather.[3]

Childhood and early life

Of Scottish-Canadian and Polish descent,[4] White, the youngest of ten children (seven sons, three daughters), was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Teresa and Gorman Gillis. His father and mother worked for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as the maintenance man and the Cardinal's secretary, respectively. Jack eventually became an altar boy, which landed him an uncredited role in the 1987 movie The Rosary Murders, filmed mainly at Holy Redeemer parish in southwest Detroit.[5] As a child he was a fan of classical music.[6]

White began playing instruments (a drum) at the age of five.[7] White grew up in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in southwest Detroit. His musical preferences were not those of his classmates, who listened to electronica and hip hop. White, as a teenager, was already listening to the blues and 1960s rock that would influence him in The White Stripes,[5] Son House and Blind Willie McTell being among his favorite blues musicians. He and his childhood friend, Dominic Suchyta, would listen to records in Jack's attic on weekends and began to record cover songs on an old 4 track reel to reel. At the time Jack was described as 'a kid with short hair and braces.'[6] In addition to his musical tastes in Son House, McTell and Charlie Patton, Jack has said in many interviews that Son House's "Grinnin In Your Face" to be his favorite song of all time.[8]

In 2005 on 60 Minutes, White told Mike Wallace that his life could have turned out differently. "I'd got accepted to a seminary in Wisconsin, and I was gonna become a priest, but at the last second I thought, 'I’ll just go to public school,'" White said. "I had just gotten a new amplifier in my bedroom, and I didn’t think I was allowed to take it with me."[9] At fifteen, White began a three-year upholstery apprenticeship with a family friend, Brian Muldoon. After working in various shops, White started a one-man business of his own, called Third Man Upholstery. The slogan of his business was "Your Furniture's Not Dead" and the color scheme was yellow and black — including a yellow van, a yellow and black uniform and a yellow clipboard. While Third Man Upholstery never lacked business, White claims that it was not profitable, due to his complacency about money and his business practices that were perceived as unprofessional, including making bills out in crayon and writing poetry inside the furniture.[10] Shortly thereafter, White landed his first professional gig as the drummer for the Detroit band Goober & the Peas. He also played in other local bands.

Recording career

The White Stripes (1997 to present)

Main article: The White Stripes
At the O2 Wireless Festival in 2007

White formed The White Stripes along with Meg White in 1997.[11] The band began its career as part of the Michigan garage rock underground music scene, playing with local bands such as Bantam Rooster, The Dirtbombs, The Paybacks, Rocket 455, and The Henchmen, among others. In 1998, The White Stripes were signed to Italy Records, a small and independent Detroit-based garage punk label, by Dave Buick.[12] The band released its selftitled debut album in 1999, and a year later the album was followed up by the cult classic[13] De Stijl The album eventually peaked at #38 in Billboard Magazine's Top Independent Albums when the band had established their popularity.

In 2001 the band released White Blood Cells The album's stripped-down garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the UK and soon afterward in the US, making The White Stripes one of the more acclaimed bands of 2002. The album was followed up in 2003 by the commercially [14].[15] and critically successful[16][17] Elephant. Despite the band's increased fame, Allmusic believed the album "sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid and stunning than its predecessor ... darker and more difficult than White Blood Cells."[18] The album's first single, "Seven Nation Army," is the band's most successful.

The band's fifth album Get Behind Me Satan was recorded in White's own home and marked a change in the band's musical direction with piano-driven melodies and experimentation with marimba and a more rhythm based guitar playing by White. The band also released Aluminium, an avant-garde orchestral album containing past music written by White. The band's sixth album, Icky Thump, released in 2007, entered the UK Albums Chart at number oneCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album's sound was also more punk, garage and blues influenced than its predecessor. In late 2007, the band announced the cancellation of 18 tour dates due to Meg's acute anxiety problems.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

White has revealed plans to release a seventh as of yet untitled album in the summer of 2009.[19][20] The band also made their first live appearance since Meg's anxiety problems in September 2007 on the final episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien on February 20, 2009.[21]

The Raconteurs (2005 to present)

Main article: The Raconteurs
White performing along with Brendan Benson.

White formed The Raconteurs in 2005 along with Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. The origin of the band was the song 'Steady, As She Goes' which White wrote along with Brenson. This inspired them to create a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler. The band came together in Detroit during 2005 and, for the remainder of the year, recorded when time allowed. The band's debut album Broken Boy Soldiers was recorded at Benson's home in Detroit. The band set out on tour to support the album, including eight dates as the opening act for Bob Dylan. The band released its second album, Consolers of the Lonely and its first single "Salute Your Solution" simultaneously in 2008. The tour included shows at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival,[22] T in the Park in Scotland , Oxegen festival in Ireland and The Open'er Festival in Poland.

The Dead Weather (2009 to present)

Main article: The Dead Weather

In early 2009, Jack White formed a new group called The Dead Weather with The Kills frontwoman Alison Mosshart. White takes drum and vocal duties, while The Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence and Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita round the four piece out.

The group debuted a handful of new tracks on March 11, 2009 in Nasvhille from their forthcoming album "Horehound," due June 9, 2009 on White's Third Man Records imprint.

Musical equipment and sound

Jack White uses numerous effects to create his powerful live sound, most notably a Digitech Whammy IV to create the rapid modulations in pitch he uses in his solos.[23] The guitars he uses live are two 1965 JB Hutto Montgomery Airlines (one which he received from a fan),[24] a Harmony Rocket, a 1970s-era Crestwood Astral II, 1950s-era Kay Hollowbody, a Gretsch White Penguin (as seen in the music video for Icky Thump), and a custom Gretsch Rancher Falcon acoustic guitar. When playing with the Raconteurs, White usually plays two custom Gretsch-styled copies of the Duo Jet double-cutaway guitar, one of which, dubbed the Triple Jet, is his main guitar that is made of copper and features a Gretsch logo from 1912. For their first tour, Jack also played Gretsch Anniversary Jr. w/ Bigsby with three Filtertron pickups. He also uses a Gretsch Rancher acoustic guitar and he now uses a custom Gretsch Anniversary Jr. with two cutaways, a built-in retractable microphone, and a theramin next to the Bigsby. Jack has dubbed this one the "Triple Green Machine". Also, he occasionally with his Gretsch Rancher, a Gibson J-160E. Also, he plays a Gretsch Duo Jet in Cadillac Green. Recently, he has featured his latest Gretsch, a custom white Billy Gibbons/Bo Diddley signature Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird in the music video for "Another Way to Die." He has also been known to play a variety of Fender Telecasters, featuring one in the music video for Loretta Lynn's "Portland, Oregon."

In concert with an MXR Micro-Amp and custom Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Distortion/Sustainer, White can produce a very distinctive sound. In 2005, for the single "Blue Orchid", White employed the use of a new Electro-Harmonix creation, the Polyphonic Octave Generator (POG). Similar to (but more versatile than) the Whammy IV, the POG lets the user mix in several octave effects into one along with the dry signal. He also has three Zvex Tremolo Probes, that are hand painted black. All of the pedals that he uses live have been professionally painted red to match his red/black/white color scheme (with the exception of his Whammy and the other pedals that are already red). He plugs this setup into a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb and two 100-Watt Sears Silvertone 6x10 combo amplifiers.[25] With the Raconteurs, he has many more, unknown pedals and for the Raconteurs' 2008 tour, he had all of his pedals copper plated by Analogman.

White also produces a "fake" bass tone by playing the Kay Hollowbody and JB Hutto Montgomery Airline guitars through a Whammy IV set to one octave down for a very thick, low, rumbling sound, which he uses most notably on the songs "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button" during live performances.[23][26]

On occasion, White also plays other instruments, such as a Black Gibson F-4 mandolin ("Little Ghost"), piano (on most tracks from Get Behind Me Satan, and various others), an electric piano on such tracks as "The Air Near My Fingers" and "I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman". White also plays percussion instruments such as the marimba (as on "The Nurse"), drums and tambourine. On Broken Boy Soldiers, he is credited as playing the album's synths and organ; however, bandmate Brendan Benson also received credit for these instruments and it is unclear who played on which song.

White plays barre chords with a different technique than most musicians. Instead of using his ring finger to fret the higher notes, Jack uses his little finger. This is because of a car accident in which his left index finger was injured and also the fact that his brothers would never teach him the proper way to do so, which he explains in an appearance with the Raconteurs on the show In the Attic.

Jack White uses also several open tunings in many of his songs and also in covers by the band: * Open D tuning: "Let's Build a Home", "Sister, Do You Know My Name?" * Open G tuning: "Death Letter", "Little Bird" (both played in Open A during live shows) * Open E tuning: "A Boy's Best Friend", "I Fought Piranhas", "St. Ides of March", "Stop Breaking Down", "Suzy Lee", "Let's Build a Home" (live), "Goin' Back to Memphis" (live) * Open A tuning: "Red Rain", "Seven Nation Army",

Personal life

File:Jack White - mug shot.jpg
White, following his arrest in 2003

White gives few interviews and reveals few details of his private life. He states that he does not consider it relevant to his art, saying "It's the same thing as asking Michelangelo, 'What kind of shoes do you wear?'...In the end, it doesn't really matter ... the only thing that's going to be left is our records and photos."[27]

In the early 1990s, Meg White worked as a bartender at Memphis Smoke, a bar in downtown Royal Oak (a Detroit suburb), where she first met musician/songwriter John Anthony "Jack" Gillis. They were married on September 21, 1996 [28] and were divorced on March 24, 2000 [29]. In his characteristically unorthodox fashion, Gillis took her last name [30].

On December 13, 2003, White was involved in an altercation with Jason Stollsteimer (lead singer of The Von Bondies) at the Magic Stick, a Detroit club. White was charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault. He pled guilty to the charge, and was fined $750 (including court costs), and was sentenced to take anger management classes.[31]

From 2001-2002, Jack dated Marcie Bolen, co-founder and ex-guitarist for the Von Bondies, as confirmed by Oliver Henry. The following year, White had a brief but highly publicized romantic relationship with actress Renée Zellweger, whom he met during the filming of Cold Mountain in 2003. That summer, the couple were in a car accident in which White broke his left index finger and was forced to reschedule much of the summer tour [32]. He posted the footage of his finger surgery on the web for fans.[33] White and Zellweger's breakup became public in December 2004 [34].

White met British model Karen Elson (twin sister of Kate Elson) when she appeared in The White Stripes music video for "Blue Orchid". The video's director, Floria Sigismondi noted "you sensed an energy between them" [35]. Just one month later on June 1, 2005 in Manaus, Brazil they married. The wedding took place in a canoe in the Amazon River and was officiated by a shaman. A Catholic priest later blessed the ceremony. Manager Ian Montone was the best man and ex-wife Meg White was the maid of honor. Official wedding announcements curiously stated that "it was the first marriage" for both [36]. On May 2, 2006, the couple had a daughter, named Scarlett Teresa White [37]. Their second child, Henry Lee White, was born on August 7, 2007 [38]. In the announcement, White's publicist confirmed that the children's last name was White not Gillis. The surname caused a minor stir amongst fans and in the media; considering the origin of the White name is Jack's first wife/ex-wife [39][40] The White family all reside in Nashville, Tennessee [41]. where Elson manages vintage clothes store Venus & Mars [42] [43].

In 2006, it was revealed in the Sunday Times Rich List that White and his British wife Elson had a joint fortune of at least £20 million GBP (US$37 million). This ranked them at seventh place in the list of entertainers under age 30 who were born or live in the United Kingdom, ahead of the likes of Orlando Bloom and Kate Winslet [44][b].

Eccentricities

White is often called eccentric, and is noted for his behavior, hobbies, and passions [45] [46] [47]. For instance, he has an obsession with the number three. His love for "three" started when he was an upholstery apprentice and noticed that three staples were holding the fabric to the side of the furniture. He began thinking of other trios that were minimal and powerful, most of all the Holy Trinity [48]. On November 7, 2005, it was widely reported that Jack White had changed his name to "Three Quid" (quid is British slang for pound sterling). However, most reports indicated that this would only last until the end of the tour [49] [50] [51]. When asked about this in a UK radio interview, he claimed that "it's all a money thing....it's all about money."

As one of The White Stripes, White has also created some sensation on and off the stage. The band (when on official duty) dresses only in red, white, and black, which Jack believes are "the most powerful color combination of all time, from a Coca-Cola can to a Nazi banner" [52].

A topic of intrigue has been the actual relationship between Jack and Meg. In early interviews, the pair presented themselves as siblings, two of ten. The Flaming Lips touch on this in their song "Thank You Jack White (for the Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me)" released on their 2003 EP Fight Test [53]. However, the Detroit Free Press produced copies of both a marriage license and divorce certificate, confirming Jack and Meg's history as a married couple [54]. Neither addresses the truth officially and over time, they have become less vocal about the origins of their relationship. Jack White has said, though, that siblings are "mated for life", and thus such relationships distract less from the music [5].

In July 2007, The White Stripes made history by playing the shortest concert ever by only playing one note, in St John's, Newfoundland. They played a full show later that night at the Mile One Centre in downtown St. John's [55].

It was rumored that in 2003 White was featured on Electric Six's song "Danger! High Voltage" [56]. Initially both he and the Electric Six denied this, and the vocal work was credited officially to the unknown John S O'Leary [57]. However, a recent radio interview with Tim Shaw on Kerrang! 105.2 in the UK had Electric Six lead singer Dick Valentine talking openly about White singing on this song as well as speculating on the amount of money he was paid ($60,000). Also, in Q magazine in an article specific to The White Stripes it stated that Jack White did in fact work with Electric Six and the vocals in the song "Gay Bar".

Solo discography

As musician

As producer

Filmography

Further reading

Notes

^ b: This should not be taken as evidence that Jack White lives in the UK, since their qualification comes from the fact that Karen Elson was born there.[59] The couple (as of 2007) resides in Tennessee.

References

  1. ^ CD liner notes: Grammy Nominees 2008
  2. ^ 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ "Roots, childhood fantasies spark cross-Canada White Stripes tour". CBC.ca (May 2, 2007). retrieved on January 17, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Fricke, David (September 8, 2005), "White on White". Rolling Stone. (982): 66-72 Cite error: The named reference "WOW" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Sullivan, Denise (2004). The White Stripes: Sweethearts of the Blues. Google Print Retrieved on June 1, 2006
  7. ^ Scaggs, Austin (May 1, 2003), "Jack White". Rolling Stone. (921):16
  8. ^ Staff writer (2006). "The White Stripes Biography" NotableBiographies.com Retrieved on June 8, 2006
  9. ^ Wallace, Mike (2005). "Choosing Music Over Religion". CBS News Retrieved on January 24, 2006
  10. ^ de la Manzana, Tobias (2003). "Jack White: Your Furniture is not Dead" The Believer Retrieved on April 12, 2006
  11. ^ Handyside, Chris. "The White Stripes: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2008-05-23. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "Motor City Is Burning". trakMARX.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-22. Retrieved 2008-08-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "White Stripes - De Stijl". MusicStack.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2008-08-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ "BPI". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  15. ^ RIAA Recording Industry Association of America.
  16. ^ Fricke, David (March 25, 2003). "Elephant: White Stripes - Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  17. ^ "The White Stripes: Elephant (2003): Reviews". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  18. ^ Phares, Heather. "Elephant - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  19. ^ "Meg White Surprises With Raconteurs In Detroit"Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
  20. ^ http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/2009/02/i-just-dont-know-what-to-do-with-myself.html
  21. ^ http://www.whitestripes.net/index.php
  22. ^ Sisario, Ben (2008-02-06), "Metallica And Pearl Jam and Kanye West and". New York Times. :2
  23. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (2003). "ROCK REVIEW: Contradictory and Proud of It"The New York Times Retrieved on May 2, 2006
  24. ^ Scaggs, Austin (2004-01-22), "Fan Gives Jack White the Ax". Rolling Stone (940):20
  25. ^ "White Stripes Equipment/Technique" Broken Bricks Retrieved on 2 May, 2006
  26. ^ Seven Nation Army tablature and notes. Broken Bricks Retrieved on 2 May, 2006
  27. ^ Brian "The Unofficial White Stripes FAQ Version 6". WhiteStripes.net Retrieved on April 12, 2006
  28. ^ "White Stripes Marriage License" Glorious Noise Retrieved 2007-12-11
  29. ^ "White Stripes Divorce Certificate" Glorious Noise Retrieved 2007-12-11
  30. ^ Smytek, John (2006). "Do they make striped Pampers?" The Detroit Free Press (accessed May 4, 2006)
  31. ^ No byline (2004-03-11), "VON BONDIES SPEAK OUT OVER JACK WHITE COURT CASE" NME.com Retrieved 2007-11-28
  32. ^ Devenish, Colin; Swanson, David; Tsang, Teri. (2003-08-07), "IN THE NEWS". Rolling Stone (928):22
  33. ^ Miller, Kirk (2003-09-04). "White Under the Knife". Rolling Stone (930):48
  34. ^ White-Out for Renee - MSN Movies News
  35. ^ Surreal Thing: A Peek Inside The Ethereal World of Floria Sigismondi
  36. ^ WhiteStripes.com staff (2005). "06.02.05" TheWhiteStripes.com Retrieved on June 1, 2006
  37. ^ Huhn, Mary (2006). "Time to Get Saved by Song" The New York Post Retrieved on May 5, 2006
  38. ^ AP (August 8, 2007). "White Stripes' couple welcome baby boy" CNN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
  39. ^ AP (August 8, 2007). "Jack White and Karen Elson welcome second child" Celebrity-babies.com. Retrieved September 11, 2007
  40. ^ People correspondent (August 8, 2007). "http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050539,00.html" People.com Retrieved September 11, 2007
  41. ^ Flippo, Chet. CMT : News : NASHVILLE SKYLINE: When Country Goes Pop, April 6, 2006, last accessed November 7, 2008.
  42. ^ "Karen Elson's Otherworldly Boutique Opens In Nashville," Black Book magazine (2008)
  43. ^ Venus & Mars - The Showroom
  44. ^ NME staff writer (2006). "Coldplay make the rich list" NME.com Retrieved on April 30, 2006
  45. ^ Grossberg, Josh (2007-08-07). "Jack White's Little Stripe" EOnline.com. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  46. ^ Sullivan, James (October 12, 2004)"#6: Rock's Wildest Myths — White Striped Siblings" RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2007-11-02
  47. ^ Brown, David (2005-06-05). "Get Behind Me Satan (2005)" EW.com. Retrieved 2007-11-02
  48. ^ Frampton, Scott (July 2007), "Jack & Meg White". Esquire. 148 (1):p118-119
  49. ^ Jenkin, Eve (2005). "Jack White Changes Name Whilst Band Releases New EP" Undercover.com Retrieved on November 7, 2005
  50. ^ (2005). "Jack White changes his name" NME.com Retrieved on November 7, 2005
  51. ^ The Chad (2005). "My Name Is...Three Quid" MTV Retrieved on November 7, 2005
  52. ^ Paste Magazine :: Feature :: The White Stripes Play Us a Little Number (Page 1)
  53. ^ Hochman, Steve (March 16, 2003). "Pop Music; Pop Eye; Dave Matthews remix is reloaded for 'Matrix'" volume unknown:E.55
  54. ^ Glorious Noise staff (2003). "White Stripes [sic] Divorce Certificate". Glorious Noise Retrieved on April 12, 2006
  55. ^ "And on that note, the White Stripes tour is over". CBC News. 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
  56. ^ Laurence, Alexander (2003). "Electric Six Interview" Free Williamsburg Retrieved on May 17, 2006
  57. ^ Collective editor (2002). "Detroit funk-rock to set the disco on fire" BBC.co.uk Retrieved on May 17, 2006
  58. ^ a b Hay, Carla (2002-04-27). "White Stripes' Garage Rock Goes Pop". Billboard. 114 (17):80
  59. ^ Armstrong, Lisa (2006). "Manchester's greatest export" Times Online Retrieved on May 31, 2007
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