Meg White | |
|---|---|
.png) White performing in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Megan Martha White |
| Born | (1974-12-10)December 10, 1974 (age 50) Grosse Pointe Woods,Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1997–2011 |
| Formerly of | The White Stripes |
| Spouses | |
Megan Martha White (born December 10, 1974) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the rock duothe White Stripes. Though she typically performed backing vocals for the band, she occasionally sang lead, including in the song "In the Cold, Cold Night".
White began playing the drums onBastille Day in 1997, and she formed the White Stripes with then-husbandJack White that same year. Their 2001 breakthrough album,White Blood Cells, brought them international fame. Her simultaneous solo ventures include acting, appearing in the 2003 filmCoffee and Cigarettes and a2006 episode ofThe Simpsons, and briefly modeling. While the band were on tour in support of their 2007 album,Icky Thump, she suffered a bout of acute anxiety, and the remaining dates of the tour were canceled. The band disbanded in 2011following a lengthy hiatus and she ceased performing.
White is a key artist of the 2000sgarage rock revival, and her style of drumming has been called "minimalistic" and "primal" bycritics. Reviews of her playing were initially ambivalent, but it has earned retrospective praise and continues to be discussed. She is also noted for her elusive media image, calling herself "veryshy" and reclusive. With the White Stripes, she won aBrit Award and sixGrammy Awards. In 2015,Rolling Stone included her on their "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" list. She and Jack were nominees for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, but were not inducted; they were again nominated in 2025.
Megan Martha White was born inGrosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, on December 10, 1974[1] to parents Catherine and Walter Hackett White Jr.[2][3] She has an older sister, Heather. She was not "brought up in any religion".[4] She attendedGrosse Pointe North High School and, according to one classmate, was "always the quiet, obviously artistic type, and she just kept very much to herself".[5]
While still in high school, White decided not to go to college and instead pursue a career as a chef.[5][6] She worked at Memphis Smoke, a restaurant in downtownRoyal Oak, where she met budding musicianJack Gillis, a fellow high school senior from a Detroit neighborhood known as Mexicantown.[5][6][7] They formed a relationship and frequented the coffee shops, local music venues, and record stores of the area.[8][7]
OnBastille Day in 1997, White began learning to play the drums after attempting to do so on Jack Gillis's drumkit.[6][9][10] Gillis said that "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing. There was something in it that opened me up."[11] The two then formedthe White Stripes, where they stuck to certain motifs: Gillis and White presented themselves as siblings to an unknowing public,[12][13] and kept to a chromatic theme, dressing only in red, white, and black.[14][15] They played their first gig at the Gold Dollar in Detroit,[16][17] and achieved popularity in Michigan'sundergroundgarage rock scene,[14][6][18] opening for and playing with established local bands such asBantam Rooster andthe Dirtbombs, among others.[19][6] In 1998, they were approached by Dave Buick, the owner of Detroit-basedindependent record labelItaly Records,[20] who offered to pay for their debut single. "Let's Shake Hands" was then released in February 1998.[21][22]
In 1999, the band signed with the California-based labelSympathy for the Record Industry, and released theirself-titled debut album.[15]AllMusic said that White's drumming "balances out thefretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and boomingcymbal,bass drum, andsnare..."[23] Following their divorce in 2000, White insisted that they keep the band going.[24][25] Their second album,De Stijl, was released in 2001.[26]Rolling Stone's Jenny Eliscu said that White's drumming "forces a smile because, like everything about the White Stripes, it proves that you don't need bombast to make a blues explosion."[27] It became asleeper hit in 2002 after the White Stripes gained popularity, reaching 38 onBillboard'sIndependent Albums chart in 2002.[28]
The White Stripes rose to widespread recognition in 2001 with the release of their albumWhite Blood Cells. She shared vocal duties with Jack on the tracks "Hotel Yorba" and "This Protector", and also on theLoretta Lynn cover "Rated X" which features as theB-side to "Hotel Yorba".[29]White Blood Cells would have amajor label re-release withV2 Records in 2002, which brought them to the forefront of thegarage rock revival and made them one of the most acclaimed bands of the year.[30][6][31] It was their last album to be released with the Sympathy for the Record Industry. Chris Deville ofStereogum praised White for bashing "the bejesus out of her drums" and called the pair "too compelling for the rest of the world to ignore."[32] The album included the groundbreaking single "Fell in Love with a Girl", which won them three awards at the2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[33]
The White Stripes released their fourth studio album,Elephant, through V2 Records andXL Recordings in 2003.[15] The album was acclaimed, and is often considered the band's best work.[34] Their continued success helped establish Meg and Jack White as key figures of 2000s rock, andElephant, along withWhite Blood Cells, were included on numerous editions ofRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.[35][36] AllMusic writers described White's drumming onElephant as "hypnotic" and "explosively minimal", and Bram Teltelman ofBillboard described it as "simple but effective".[37][38][39]Elephant's first single, "Seven Nation Army", became the band's signature song and asports anthem.[40] The album's third single, "The Hardest Button to Button", features what critics called some of Meg's best drumming.[41] Additionally, the track "In the Cold, Cold Night" features White singing lead for the first time.[42] Tom Breihan ofStereogum described her voice as "magnetic",[43] and Andrew Katchen withBillboard wrote that she sounded "delicate and sweet".[44] "In the Cold, Cold Night" and "Seven Nation Army" are considered two of the greatest songs made by the band.[41] The album won aGrammy Award forBest Alternative Music Album and "Seven Nation Army" won the Grammy forBest Rock Song.[45]
In 2004, she starred in the band's first music filmUnder Blackpool Lights, which was shot entirely onsuper 8 film.[46][47] Jamie Russell ofBBC described her as "orgasmically pounding the drums" and "exhilarating".[48] The band's fifth albumGet Behind Me Satan saw the pairexperimenting, with White usingpercussion bells,maracas andtambourines. Critically acclaimed, it was released in 2005 and won the band their second Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.[49] She performed lead vocals on "Passive Manipulation", for whichRob Sheffield ofRolling Stone described her vocals as "chilling"[50] while Matthew Murphy ofPitchfork thought that the song "begs the gentle suggestion that Meg not be allowed to sing lead."[51]
The White Stripes released their sixth and final album,Icky Thump, in 2007. Winning the Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album andBest Rock Song,[52][53] the album was praised and saw the band returning to styles present on their first album.[54] White spoke on thebagpipe-heavy track "St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)" and provided backing vocals for the tracks "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" and "Rag and Bone".[55][56]
In the summer of 2007, before a show inSouthaven, Mississippi,Ben Blackwell (Jack White's nephew and the group's archivist) says that Meg White approached him and said, "This is the last White Stripes show". He asked if she meant of the tour, but she responded, "No. I think this is the last show, period."[57][58] On September 11, 2007, the White Stripes announced via their website that they were canceling 18 tour dates due to White'sacute anxiety.[59][60] The following day, the duo canceled the remainder of their 2007 UK tour dates as well.[61] Jack White worked with other artists in the meantime, but Meg White remained largely out of the public eye, though in June 2008 she appeared briefly onstage during an encore set of a Detroit show with one of Jack's bands, theRaconteurs.[62][63] In an interview withMusic Radar, Jack explained that Meg's acute anxiety had been due to the combination of a very short pre-tour rehearsal time—that was further reduced by the birth of his son—and a hectic, multi-continental touring schedule.[64] He said, "I just came from a Raconteurs tour and went right into that, so I was already full-speed. Meg had come from a dead-halt for a year and went right back into that madness."[64]
Jack revealed the band's plan to release a seventh album by the summer of 2009.[65][66] On February 20, 2009—and on the final episode ofLate Night with Conan O'Brien—the band made their first, and what would be their last, live appearance after the cancellation of their tours, performing the song "We're Going to Be Friends".[67][68][69] A documentary about their Canadian tour—titledThe White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights—premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2009.[70][71][72] Directed by Emmett Malloy, the film documents the band's summer 2007 tour across Canada and contains live concert and off-stage footage.[73][74] Bill Bradley forVanity Fair opined that it was "impossible" not to see Meg as "road-weary and worn-out" at the end of the film.[75]
A second feature titledUnder Nova Scotian Lights was prepared for the DVD release. On February 2, 2011, the band reported on their official website that they were disbanding. Their statement said it was not due to health issues or artistic differences, but "mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band".[76] White has not been active in the industry since.[77]
White appears on the cover ofWhirlwind Heat's single "Pink" wearing abunny costume; the photo was taken while the White Stripes and Whirlwind Heat toured together in Japan.[78] She made her film debut appearing with Jack White inJim Jarmusch's 2003 filmCoffee and Cigarettes.[79] They star in the segment "Jack Shows Meg HisTesla Coil", which expands on White Stripes motifs such as childhood innocence andNikola Tesla.[80]
In 2004, White starred asLittle Red Riding Hood in the music video for "Cha Cha Twist" bythe Detroit Cobras.[81] White modeled forMarc Jacobs' 2006 Spring line.[82] Two of her pictures appeared in the March 2006 issue ofELLE. She was chosen byBob Odenkirk to compose a drum theme forDax Shepard's character in the 2006 filmLet's Go to Prison; against Odenkirk's wishes however, the studio removed it from the film.[83][84]
The White Stripes guest starred onThe Simpsons in an episode titled "Jazzy and the Pussycats", which first aired on September 17, 2006.[85] White had previously expressed interest in aSimpsons role, saying that "A guest appearance would be amazing. I wouldn't want to be in aLisa episode. They're kind of boring. Maybe aHomer one would be better."[86][87] White appeared with Jack in the 2009 documentaryIt Might Get Loud.[88]
Throughout her tenure with the White Stripes, White extensively used theLudwig Classic Maple kit withPaiste cymbals.[89][90] From their early years toGet Behind Me Satan, the resonantheads of the toms and bass drum almost exclusively featured peppermint swirls.[91][92][93] The idea to do so came from Jack, when he and Meg "walked into a drugstore and saw this bag of peppermint candy and I said 'That should be painted on your bass drum because you've been drumming like a little kid".[94] The peppermint decor became signature in her kit, and appeared in several live shows and music videos such as "The Hardest Button to Button" and "Seven Nation Army".[95] She donated her last Ludwig kit to the 2009 Jim Shaw Rock 'N' Roll Benefit, an auction to raise money for the Detroit musician who was suffering from cancer.[96][95]
While recordingFrom the Basement: The White Stripes, the design on the bass drum was switched to an image of her hand holding the apple from theGet Behind Me Satan cover. Beginning in 2006, White used a pair of Paiste 14" Signature Medium Hi-Hats, a 19" Signature Power Crash, and a 22" 2002 Ride.[91][97] On theIcky Thump tour, the bass drum head design was switched to a button inspired by thePearlies clothing Jack and Meg wore for the album cover. She also used Remo and Ludwig drumheads, various percussion instruments and Vater drumsticks.[98]
White's Pearl Export bass drum—complete with original peppermint-painted bass drum that she used with the band's first show—and thePearly Queen outfit she wore in the photos for theIcky Thump album, were featured in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame "Women Who Rock" exhibition.[99]
White's musical influences are wide and varied.Bob Dylan is her favorite artist and primary inspiration, and she is also a fan ofLoretta Lynn.[100][101] She has said of her influences: "I don't want to know about my biggest idols. I don't want to read their autobiographies, I don't want to find out what they're really like."[13] Her pre-show warm up included "whiskey andRed Bull."[102]
In reference to her "primal" approach to drumming,[19] White remarked, "That is my strength. A lot of drummers would feel weird about being that simplistic". She expanded by saying that "I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it's not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible".[102] On her style, Jack said "Meg is the best part of this band. It never would have worked with anybody else, because it would have been too complicated... It was my doorway to playing the blues."[11]The New York Times'sKelefa Sanneh said her "drumming is more sophisticated than many fans (and many more non-fans) realize. She refuses to imitate a metronome, refuses to flatten the songs by making them conform to a steady pulse. Instead she seems to hear the music the way Mr. White does: as a series of phrases, each with its own shape and tempo."[103]
White's minimalistic approach to drumming divided audiences and critics of the time.[104][105] Writers ofPitchfork in 2001 said that "Meg White's kit is bashed with such force you'd imagine her as some kind ofincredible hulk [sic], though in photos, she appears the prototypical indie girl-- waifish, with pigtails and a nasty smirk. Yet she whips all of her 98 pounds into a tornadic fury likeE. Honda's hundred-hand slap."[106] After the White Stripes' breakthrough in 2001, UK newspaperThe Times said that White "reduced the art of drumming to its primary components, bashing the snare and cymbal together on alternating beats with the bass drum in a way that recalledMoe Tucker ofthe Velvet Underground."[18] In a 2002The Washington Post article analyzing the band's style, writer Richard Harrington described White's drumming as "a surprisingly full sound, loud and raucous -- like theCarpenters on steroids".[94] Of a 2002 concert inCleveland, Ohio,Chuck Klosterman said, "[Meg] never grimaced and didn't appear to sweat; yet somehow her drums sounded like a herd ofClydesdales falling out of the sky, one after another. Clearly this is a band at the apex of its power".[107]
There was criticism of White's performances and technique. In 2003,Associated Press called White's playing "maddeningly rudimentary".[108] The satirical news siteThe Onion featured the 2007 headline "Meg White Drum Solo Maintains Steady Beat For 23 Minutes".[109] In a review of their 2007Madison Square Garden performance, a writer forVulture said of her singing, "Oh, God, it was awful ... Meg, great as she looks onstage, is pure amateur hour".[110] Tyler Golsen ofFar Out simplified the debate of the time: "There is a strong misconception about Meg White's drumming: because it's simple, it's not very good. For some reason, it's OK when drummers likeCharlie Watts andRingo Starr purposefully play songs without flash, but when White does it, she gets criticised and commented on for her lack of ability."[111]
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White is considered a key figure in thegarage rock revival of the 2000s, and has since been praised for her "primal" style.[112] She is one of the most discussed drummers in rock music, and her style continues to be evaluated after her retirement. On the enduring discussion of White's drumming, Chris Willman ofVariety magazine observed that "Years after she disappeared from the scene, either too shy or just too disinterested to continue a rock ‘n’ roll career, she seems to have been absorbed into rock orthodoxy as a great drummer by near-acclamation, and ironically stands as more of an icon than she ever did in her active years — although naysayers obviously persist."[113] Negative reviews both at the time and in the present have been called "sexist" by Jack, who states that Meg's drumming is "best part of this band",[11] and called her a "strong female presence in rock and roll".[114]
Several musicians have praised White.Dave Grohl ofFoo Fighters and previouslyNirvana stated in an interview that White is "one of my favorite fucking drummers of all time. Like, nobody fucking plays the drums like that."[115][116][117]Tom Morello ofRage Against the Machine wrote in anInstagram post that White "has style and swag and personality and oomph and taste and awesomeness that's off the charts and a vibe that's untouchable".[118][119][120]Nandi Bushell cited White as one of her influences, and said that "I saw Meg playing the drums and thought she was the coolest person in the world. I still do." She wrote on Twitter that the White Stripes "moved me at 5 years old to want to play the drums and still move me today! My screams are for you Meg! You are and always will be my role model and hero!"[121][122]Tré Cool ofGreen Day called Meg White one of his favorite drummers.[123] MusiciansTracey Thorn andWanda Jackson have covered the song "In the Cold, Cold Night" as tributes.[124][125]Ray LaMontagne wrote and recorded a single named after her, featured on his albumGossip in the Grain (2008) and performed at the 2014Santa Barbara Bowl.[126][127]
In March 2023,National Review magazine published an article celebrating the 20 year anniversary of "Seven Nation Army".[128] In response to a tweet concerning the article on Twitter, journalist Lachlan Markay wrote "The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would've been with a half decent drummer. Yeah yeah I've heard all the "but it's a carefully crafted sound mannnn!" takes. I'm sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having shitty percussion."[113][129] The tweet wentviral, and Jack, along with several musicians and critics, came to her defense.[130] Markay later apologized and deleted his comments.[131] He wrote that "It was an over-the-top take ... I don't know if Meg White herself saw that tweet. I hope not, because I imagine it wouldn't feel great to see a stranger dumping on you like that, so to Meg White: I am sorry. Really. And to women in the music business generally, who I think are disproportionately subject to this sort of shit, I am sorry to have fed that as well."[131] As a result, White trended that month.[113][132][131] White did not respond to the controversy.
Robin Murray ofClash titled her "One of Rock's Greatest Drummers" in 2023.[133] In a 2024Euronews article, Jonny Walfisz likened White to Ringo Starr ofthe Beatles, calling her a "sheer genius of a drummer" who, like Starr, had a deceptively simple style which showed creativity through minimalism to best support each song.[134] Erica Banas atWRAT called her "Rock's Favorite Recluse" in 2024, quipping that "No other drummer can rattle a rearview mirror quite like Meg White".[135] Also in 2024, writers atConsequence of Sound concluded her "minimalistic style was the perfect counter to Jack's shredding, a primal dynamic that gave their tunes that definitive garage stomp. [...] Meg provided the feel." In 2025, while profiling the White Stripes, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wrote, "Meg’s drumming is raw, powerful, and perfectly suited to the band’s sound – embracing a primal, minimalist approach that gives the music its pulse and urgency, her pounding beats are the backbone of the band’s signature style."[136]
White and Jack White dated in the mid-1990s, and were married on September 21, 1996,[137] with Jack taking her last name. They divorced on March 24, 2000.[24] In May 2009, she married guitarist Jackson Smith in a small ceremony in Jack White's backyard inNashville, Tennessee. Jackson is the son of musiciansPatti Smith andFred "Sonic" Smith. They divorced in July 2013.[138][139] White resides in Detroit as of 2016.[140] She lovespeppermint, and it inspired many of the White Stripes' artistic schemes.[141][142]
White suffers from acute anxiety, and has described herself as "very shy".[11] She toldRolling Stone in 2005 that "the more you talk, the fewer people listen".[143] Her strict maintenance of her privacy and giving few interviews has been the subject of significant commentary.[144][145] She said in 2006 that she "never really cared about all the things that other people cared about, you know? Like, people recognizing me on the street never interested me. I've always been kind of suspicious of the world, anyway, so it's pretty easy for me to live in my own little world."[146] As of 2023, she has not made any public appearances since 2009.[147]
During the2016 United States presidential election, White made a joint statement with Jack criticizingDonald Trump after "Seven Nation Army" appeared in his campaign without their consent.[148] After the Trump campaign used the song again in the2024 United States presidential election, she and Jack filed acopyright infringement lawsuit in September 2024.[149][150] The lawsuit was dropped in November 2024.[151]
With the White Stripes, White sold over 5 million albums.[152] She receivedseveral accolades with the band, which includes winning oneBrit Award from six nominations and winning sixGrammy Awards from eleven nominations; she has been twice nominated for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023 and 2025.[153][154]
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VH1 | 2012 | Top 100 Greatest Women in Music | 81st | [155] |
| Rolling Stone | 2016 | 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time | 94th | [156] |
| NME | 2018 | 32 of the Best Drummers to Grace Rock ‘n’ Roll | 12th | [157] |
| Universal Music Group | 2022 | 100 Best Drummers | 97th | [158] |
| Consequence of Sound | 2024 | 100 Best Drummers of All Time | 88th | [159] |
With the White Stripes
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Coffee and Cigarettes | Herself | Segment: "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil" | [79] |
| 2004 | Under Blackpool Lights | Direct-to-video film | [46] | |
| 2005 | The Fearless Freaks | Documentary | [160] | |
| 2008 | It Might Get Loud | [88] | ||
| 2009 | Under Great White Northern Lights | Rockumentary | [75] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "SenatorJohn McCain/The White Stripes" | [161] |
| 2003–2009 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Herself (host) | Also performer; 9 episodes | [162][163] |
| 2004 | Pancake Mountain | Herself | Unknown episode | [164] |
| 2005 | From the Basement | Episode: "Pilot" | [165] | |
| 2006 | The Simpsons | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Jazzy and the Pussycats" | [86] |
| Studio albums |
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| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Video albums | |
| Singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
