JACK WHITE

FROM BLUES CRUSADER TO ALT-ROCK OBSESSIVE.

AS THE DRIVING force behind the White Stripes, White rebooted the blues for the post-grunge era. The ethos was simple: Take drummer Meg’s kit, one beat-up amplifier and a barely in-tune guitar, and let it rip. The group’s thudding mix of blues, punk and metal (“I don’t trust anybody who doesn’t like Led Zeppelin,” White once declared) laid the groundwork for his eclectic career. Since the Stripes parted ways, he’s branched out with the more poporiented Raconteurs and the goth-blues supergroup the Dead Weather, as well as with his own solo releases. His life and work remain heavy with dizzying musical ideas, all of which he undertakes and performs with a passion that draws his audience to his obsession. “There aren’t that many things left that haven’t already been done, especially with music,” he explains. “I’m interested in ideas that can shake us all up.”

RECOMMENDED TRACK “BALL AND BISCUIT” ( WHITE STRIPES— ELEPHANT)