Biography
Meg White (b. December 10, 1974) was the drummer and occasional vocalist of The White Stripes. She met Jack White in 1994 while working as a bartender in Detroit, and formed the band with him 1997. They were married from 1996 until she divorced him in 2000.
Meg has never taken a lesson. While playing in circles with local garage and punk bands, Meg White's minimalistic, primal drumming style fit in. Since The White Stripes' 2002 breakthrough, it has been the subject of attention. She plays Ludwig Drums with Paiste cymbals, and says her pre-show warm-up consists of "whiskey and Red Bull."
Jack White downplays criticisms of her style, insisting:
"I never thought 'God, I wish Neil Peart was in this band.' It's kind of funny: When people critique hip hop, they're scared to open up, for fear of being called racist. But they're not scared to open up on female musicians, out of pure sexism. 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."
Of her playing style, Meg White herself says:
"I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it's not my style or what works for this band. I get 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 … I just know the way plays so well at this point that I always know kind of what he's going to do. I can always sense where he's going with things just by the mood he's in or the attitude or how the song is going. Once in a while, he throws me for a loop, but I can usually keep him where I want him."
While Jack is the lead vocalist, Meg does sing lead vocals on four of the band's songs: "In the Cold, Cold Night" (from Elephant), "Passive Manipulation" (from Get Behind Me Satan), "Who's a Big Baby?" (released on the "Blue Orchid" single), and "St. Andrew (This Battle is in the Air)" (from Icky Thump). She also accompanies Jack on the songs "This Protector" and "I Can't Wait", from their album White Blood Cells, the song "Rated X", "Rag & Bone" from their album Icky Thump, and sings alongside Jack and Holly Golightly on "It's True That We Love One Another", from Elephant.
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