John Anthony White, formerly Gillis, was born in America on July 9, 1975. He is a musician, singer, songwriter, and music producer best known for being the lead guitarist and singer of the rock band the White Stripes. White is regarded as one of the major contributors to the 2000s garage rock renaissance because of his sustained critical and commercial success. Three of his solo albums have peaked at number one on the Billboard charts, and he has received 12 Grammy Awards. On its 2010 list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” Rolling Stone put him at number 70. On David Fricke’s list from 2010, he came in at position 17.
White and his fellow Detroit native and then-wife Meg White created the White Stripes in 1997 after White moonlighted as a drummer in a number of underground Detroit bands. With the smash track and corresponding music video “Fell in Love with a Girl,” off of their 2001 first album White Blood Cells, they achieved global renown. Due to her success, White was given the chance to work with well-known musicians like Loretta Lynn and Bob Dylan. White established the Raconteurs in 2005 alongside Brendan Benson and the Dead Weather in 2009 alongside Alison Mosshart of the Kills. He collaborated with Alicia Keys to record “Another Way to Die,” the theme song for the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, making them the only duo to perform a Bond song. Four solo studio albums by White have received widespread acclaim and economic success.
