Meg White biography

On March 24, 2000, Meg and Jack White divorced. But the divorce, if anything, only strengthened their musical partnership. Still almost entirely unknown to the general public, Meg and Jack White told interviewers that they were siblings; somewhat remarkably, this white lie was accepted at face value and repeated in many respectable publications for several years before it became widely known that they were, in fact,

a divorced couple. Jack White explained in a later interview that they had devised the lie as a way to get people to focus on their music rather than their personal lives. "When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, 'Oh, I see...'" he said. "When they're brother and sister, you go, 'Oh, that's interesting.' You care more about the music, not the relationship."

Only several months after their divorce, The White Stripes released their second album, De Stijl. Entirely self-recorded on eight-track analog tape, the album received universal praise. Although it sold very few copies at the time of its initial release, it would later become a cult classic after the band achieved mainstream success. The Whites Stripes finally scored that mainstream success with their 2001 album White Blood Cells, featuring their first hit song, "Fell in Love with a Girl." The band's profile rose further when the album was included on many publications' lists of the year's best albums.

The Whites Stripes became even more popular with their 2003 album Elephant, featuring the ubiquitous single "Seven Nation Army." At once infectiously catchy and childishly simplistic, "Seven Nation Army" became the first song an entire generation of would-be rock stars learned to play in their guitar lessons. Elephant won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and "Seven Nation Army" won for Best Rock Song.

The White Stripes' next album, 2005's Get Behind Me Satan, presented a decidedly different sound, significantly more complex, with piano featured more prominently than electric guitar. Featuring the single "Blue Orchid," the album earned the White Stripes a second Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. Icky Thump, released in 2007 and featuring the singles "Icky Thump," Rag and Bone" and "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)," then became the band's third consecutive album to win the Best Alternative Album Grammy Award.

As it turned out, Icky Thump would also be the duo's last album. After a long hiatus, the White Stripes officially announced their dissolution on February 2, 2011. The band's official website explained, "The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health. It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way."

Meg White married guitarist Jackson Smith in 2009 in a ceremony hosted by Jack White in the backyard of his Nashville home.