The White Stripes were formed in 1997 by Jack and Meg White. Jack White had previously played guitar in garage rock band the Go, but his new project's musical output is equally informed by folk blues, country 60s Britpop and Broadway show tunes. The Whites, variously assumed to be husband and ex-wife or brother and sister, but both initially denied, formed their new band in 1997. Judging from their facial looks it initially seemed likely the duo were brother and sister, but the matter was confused by Jack White stating that the couple were once married, and the posting of a marriage license from October 1996 and divorce certificate from March 2000 on the Internet seemed to confirm this fact. They create a sound that is similar to the white blues/ rock bands of the '60s with a grunge-ish influence. The duo released 1997's debut 7-inch single, "Let's Shake Hands", on the Italy Records imprint. After one further single "Lafayette Blues" for the label, they relocated to the leading independent Sympathy For The Record Industry label, debuting with the single "The Big Three Killed My Baby". Their eponymous long-playing debut garnered immediate praise, mixing astute cover versions Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down Blues" and Bob Dylan's "One More Cup Of Coffee†with some devastating originals. The White Stripes released a self - titled debut album on Sympathy For The Record Industry two years later. In the following year they released De Stijl, named after the Dutch abstract art movement led by Gerrit Rietveld, the media buzz surrounding the White Stripes had reached new heights. Of particular note was the duo's incredible reception in the UK, where their music was lauded by a wide range of media outlets including The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and even Radio 4"s Today program, not normally known for its liberal music policy. The influential John Peel was quoted as comparing their importance to that of Jimi Hendrix and the Sex Pistols. The dispute here is that both these acts were originators, whereas the Whites are very good interpreters. In 2001 they released an excellent third album, White Blood Cells. The follow-up Elephant was recorded at London's tiny Toe Rag Studios using vintage analogue equipment and only eight tracks. The album offered a welcome respite from the deadening digital conformity of music in the new millennium. In July 2003, Jack White badly broke a finger in a car crash putting his creative efforts on hold. He made his credible acting debut later in the year in Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain, and contributed five tracks to the T-Bone Burnett produced soundtrack. Their follow-up, entitled Elephant, was released on April 1, 2003, again to widespread critical acclaim and even more commercial success. Elephant became The White Stripes' first UK chart-topper and US Top 10 album. On February 8, 2004 the song "Seven Nation Army" won a Grammy for Best Rock Song, and the album Elephant won for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2004 the band released a live dvd called Under Blackpool Lights. A fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was released in June, 2005.
