This year Jack White is once again taking the festival world by storm. After taking a break from live performances to focus on his third solo album, White is once again embarking on a festival tour and gearing up to promote his newest project. He has already been announced as a headliner for music festivals such as Shaky Knees, Governors Ball, Boston Calling, Bunbury, and has said that more shows will be announced soon. Known for his role in bands such as The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and now a successful solo career, Jack White has helped shape the music industry for nearly two decades now. With twelve Grammys and multiple albums and singles to reach the top of the Billboard charts, White is arguably one of the best rock musicians around. Whites interesting career and years of experience have set him up for a great festival run where anything is possible. 2018 is going to be a big year for Jack White so don’t miss your chance to see him live!
The White Stripes:
While living in Detroit, Jack met Meg White at a local restaurant and would eventually go on to marry her in September 1996. Meg learned to play the drums the following year and the duo soon formed the band The White Stripes. This band signed with Italy Records, a small Detroit-based garage punk rock label, and in 1998 and put out a self titled album followed by De Stijl. In 2002 the band released White Blood Cells which gained critical acclaim around the world. The following year the band put out the album Elephant and the single ‘Seven Nation Army’ shot to the top of the charts and propelled the band into the spotlight. The song eventually won the duo a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2004. Their fifth album Get Behind Me Satan marked a change in the bands minimalist style and started incorporating other instruments other than guitar and drums. The sixth and final album Icky Thump was released in 2007 and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. Later that year the band was forced to cancel a number of tour dates due to Megs acute anxiety. Rumors of a seventh album circled, however, no album was ever released and in 2011 the duo officially reported that they were disbanding. When asked why White emphasized that it was not due to health issues or artistic differences, “but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band.”
By the end, The White Stripes made a lasting impact on the music industry and helped revive an underground garage rock music scene. The band’s last three albums won the Grammy for Best Alternative Rock Album and countless other awards and nominations. Jack White’s unique sound and artistic brilliance has inspired countless bands over the years and has produced some of my favorite songs and albums. The White Stripes will go down in history as one of the greatest alternative rock bands of all time and has helped fuel White’s career.
(The White Stripes- Icky Thump)
The Raconteurs:
Towards the end of his time with The White Stripes, White started to focus on other music projects. While working with different solo artists Jack White joined forces with a fellow Michigander, Brendan Benson. The duo came up with the song ‘Steady As She Goes’ which inspired them to form a band and produce a full length album. The Raconteurs came to life in 2005 and their album Broken Boy Soldiers and hit single ‘Steady As She Goes’ quickly rose to the top of the charts the following year. The album led to a supporting tour including gigs at music festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Coachella, and a few dates as the opening act for Bob Dylan. The band eventually released a second, and last, album called Consolers Of The Lonely in 2008 which also had a lot of success. In 2011 the group announced that they all plan on focusing on other projects and the group would be disbanding. The bands two albums lead to a number of awards including one Grammy and three other Grammy nominations and once again made a lasting impact on the music industry.
(The Raconteurs- Level)
The Dead Weather:
During his stint with The Raconteurs, White lost his voice and Alison Mosshart of The Kills often stepped in to sing certain songs for him. Eventually White and Mosshart would collaborate with Dean Fertita of Queens Of The Stone Age and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs to form a new band called The Dead Weather. To date, the band has released three studio albums including Horehound, Sea Of Cowards, and Dodge And Burn respectively. The band has seen some success and their second album peaked at number five on the US Billboard Top 200 and was named as one of the greatest albums of 2010 by Rolling Stones. The band has also seen international success and is still working together to produce new music.
Solo Career:
Jack White’s success with The White Stripes helped open up endless possibilities to fuel his solo career including his own record label, collaborations with other musicians, and an acting career. In 2001 White created his own record label called Third Man Records and in 2009 purchased space to house it in Nashville, Tennessee. White helped produce an album for country music singer Loretta Lynn in 2004 and in 2008 he collaborated with Alicia Keys on the song ‘Another Way To Die’ which would be the theme song for a James Bond film. The following year he was featured in a film with Jimmy Page and The Edge called It Might Get Loud. In the film the three musicians discuss the electric guitar and their different styles. White has also appeared in movies including Cold Mountain, Walk Hard, and The Muppets as well as collaborated with countless other musicians including The Rolling Stones, Beck, Norah Jones, and Bob Dylan over the years.
Since his work with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, White has produced two solo albums. His first, Blunderbuss, was released in 2012 and resulted in a Saturday Night Live appearance and a summer festival run performing at Firefly, Sasquatch, Austin City Limits and others. The album was nominated for several Grammys and helped fuel a second solo album. In 2014 White released the album Lazaretto which would debut at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and broke the record for largest sales week for a vinyl album. Lazaretto would be nominated for three Grammys and led White to headline Coachella. While performing at Coachella, White announced that the festival would be his last electric set and that he would be taking a prolonged break from touring. In 2017, during an interview, White announced that he was working on new music and a third solo album. White just recently released his new song ‘Connected By Love’ & ‘Respect Commander‘ and has slowly been announcing headlining shows at festivals across the country.
(Jack White- I’m Shakin’)
Don’t miss your chance to see Jack White perform this festival year and keep an eye out for the release of his third studio album titled Boarding House Ranch!