Jack White (born July 9, 1975), often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor best known for being the lead vocalist of the rock duo The White Stripes until their split in February 2011. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely credited as one of the key artists in the garage rock revival of the 2000s. He has won 12 Grammy Awards, and three of his solo albums have reached number one on the Billboard charts. Rolling Stone ranked him number 70 on its 2010 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". David Fricke's 2010 list ranked him at number 17. In 2012, the New York Times called White "the coolest, weirdest and savviest rockstar of our time.
After moonlighting in several underground Detroit bands as a drummer, White founded the White Stripes with fellow Detroit native and then-wife Meg White in 1997. Their 2001 breakthrough album, White Blood Cells, brought them international fame with the hit single and accompanying music video "Fell in Love with a Girl". This recognition provided White opportunities to collaborate with famous artists, including Loretta Lynn and Bob Dylan. In 2005, White founded the Raconteurs with Brendan Benson, and in 2009 founded the Dead Weather with Alison Mosshart of the Kills. In 2008, he recorded "Another Way to Die" (the title song for the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace) with Alicia Keys, making them the only duet to perform a Bond song. White has released four solo studio albums, which have garnered wide critical and commercial success.
White is a board member of the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Foundation. His record label and studio Third Man Records releases vinyl recordings of his own work as well as that of other artists and local school children. His second studio album, Lazaretto (2014), holds the record for most first-week vinyl sales since 1991. White has an extensive collection of guitars and other instruments and has a preference for vintage items that often have connections to famous blues artists. He is a vocal advocate for analog technology and recording techniques.
White values his privacy and has been known to create misdirection about his personal life. He and Meg White married in 1996 but divorced in 2000 before the height of the band's fame. They then began calling themselves siblings. He was married to model and singer Karen Elson from 2005 to 2013; they have a son and daughter. In 2022, he married musician Olivia Jean. He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
He appeared on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest with The White Stripes for their only time on October 19, 2002, the third episode of Season 28, hosted by the politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator Senator John McCain. They are performing "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and "We're Going to Be Friends."
White returned to Saturday Night Live for his 2nd musical guest stint, as well as his solo musical guest debut on March 3, 2012, the sixteenth episode of Season 37, hosted by actress Lindsay Lohan, where he performed "Love Interruption" and "Sixteen Saltines,".
White returned to Saturday Night Live as the musical guest for his 3rd musical guest stint and his 2nd solo musical guest appearance, on April 14, 2018, the eighteenth episode of Season 43, hosted by former SNL writer, stand-up comedian and actor John Mulaney, where he performed "Over and Over and Over" and "Connected by Love".
White returns to Saturday Night Live again for his 4th musical guest stint, as well as 3rd solo musical guest appearance on October 10, 2020, the second episode of Season 46, hosted by stand-up comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster Bill Burr, which he created, co-wrote, and voiced the lead character in the Netflix animated sitcom F is for Family. He performed a medley of songs "Don't Hurt Yourself", "Ball and Biscuit" and Blind Willie Johnson's "Jesus is Coming Soon" for his first set and "Lazaretto" for his second.
He returned to Saturday Night Live once again for his 4th solo musical guest appearance and his 5th musical guest stint once again on February 25, 2023, the thirteenth episode of Season 48, hosted by actor Woody Harrelson, where he was recognized as a member of the Five-Timers Club and presented with the official jacket by Kenan Thompson and Scarlett Johansson.
He was also impersonated by then cast member Jimmy Fallon on the February 14, 2004 episode during the "The White Stripes" sketch and by longtime former cast-member Will Forte on the February 19, 2005 episode, during the "After the Grammys" sketch.
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