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The White Stripes are an alternative or “garage-rock” duo that started out in Detroit, Michigan. The band was formed in 1997 when bartender Meg White married upholsterer Jack Anthony Gillis and they started making music. Jack decided to take Megan’s surname when they married. The dynamic duo adopted an image which consisted of a black, white and red colour scheme. The couple denied being married and claimed that they were brother and sister, but a newspaper blew their cover. The couple’s marriage did not last long, but they did continue making music together. Within a few years they had many albums that were chart-toppers and had won several Grammys.
When Meg (drums) and Jack (guitar/vocals) started out they played punk, blues, and garage rock. They signed with the indie-rock record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. In 1999 and 2000, the White Stripes went on tour with indie rockers Pavement and Sleater-Kinney. Their debut eponymous album was released in 1999, and the follow-up, De Stijl came out in 2000. Both records had original work by the duo, as well as covers of Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, Son House and Blind Willie McTell. The debut album was described as minimal, but the second album showed the band’s diversity.  After De Stijl’s release, the band went on tour to promote the album in Japan and Australia. The duo divorced in 2000, but this did not interfere with their work. Meg and Jack were said to have a real connection.
In 2001, the White Stripes had their real breakthrough with the release of their third album, White Blood Cells, produced by the renowned Doug Easley. In addition to getting a lot of buzz and media attention, the White Stripes also signed with the major record label, V2 Records. The big label re-released White Blood Cells and the duo was catapulted to stardom. There were glowing reviews in popular magazines. They performed at the MTV Movie Awards. The album made it on the Billboard 200, and the single Fell in Love with a Girl was a smash. It received four MTV Music Video nominations including Best Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video, Best Special Effects in a Video and Best Editing in a Video. The White Stripes then did four US shows with the alternative-rock band The Strokes.
The White Stripes’ fourth album, Elephant, was released in 2003, and was another critical and commercial triumph. This album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. It had hits such as Seven Nation Army and The Hardest Button to Button. It was described as dark, but not too dreary. In fact, critics were amazed that despite the fame that came with their previous album, the White Stripes defied expectations with this disc. The White Stripes won two Grammys in 2004 for Elephant for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song (Seven Nation Army).
In the meantime, Jack White received a lot of attention by the tabloids when he briefly dated actress Renee Zellweger, whom he met on the set of the movie Cold Mountain in which he had a small role. The couple had a car accident in 2003, which forced the White Stripes to cancel a few concerts. Jack White also had an altercation at a bar in December 2003 for which he pleaded guilty, and had to attend anger management classes, as well as pay a fine. Jack White was not getting only negative publicity. That same year Rolling Stone named him one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He was number 17, beating Eddie Van Halen and Pete Townshend.
In 2005, Jack White was in the tabloids once again after he married model/singer Karen Elson who appeared in the White Stripes’ Blue Orchid video. Meg White not only attended the wedding, but was Elson’s maid of honour. One week after the wedding, the White Stripes released the album Get Behind Me Satan, which was another sensation. It ranked at number 3 on the Billboard. The opening track was Blue Orchid, which became another hit for the band. The White Stripes again earned a Grammy in 2006 for Best Alternative Music Album.
During this time, there were rumours that the White Stripes were splitting up when Jack formed a new band, The Raconteurs. The Raconteurs debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers was released in 2006 and Jack spent most of that year promoting the album. Fans were reassured when Jack and Meg White signed a record deal with Warner Bros, and released Icky Thump in July 2007. This album received critical acclaim and went to number two on the Billboard. The single Icky Thump was a chart-topper. The album was a return to rock for the group and had singles with political lyrics. The White Stripes received four more Grammy nominations the following year for Icky Thump.
In September 2007, the White Stripes cancelled their tour because of Meg White’s “acute anxiety.” Jack also announced that he would be playing Elvis Presley in the movie Walk Hard.