Meg White: Bio, Drum Gear, Albums & More

An introvert, yet a loud rockstar, Megan White is the drumming powerhouse and singer behind the legendary Detroit rock duo, The White Stripes!

Also known as Meg White, she and her ex-husband, Jack White had joined forces to create some of the most iconic and influential rock music of the 21st century.

With unique blends of punk, blues, and garage rock, the brand left an everlasting mark on the music world along with their unique visual style.

Early Life

Megan White was born on December 10, 1974 in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

A humble childhood and according to a classmate, always a quiet person but obviously the artistic type as she mostly kept to herself. In high school, she decided not to continue her studies in college, rather pursue her career as a chef.

From there, she went on to work at Memphis Smoke, a restaurant in downtown Royal Oak. This is where she first met her future bandmate Jack Gills, who happened to be her fellow high school senior. After going out together many times, they started dating and eventually got married on September 21, 1995 and Jack took on her last name.

Career

Meg’s career began on a whim as she tried playing on Jack’s drum kit on Bastille Day, July 14 1997. Inspiration took over Jack as he saw her potential and they began playing together.

They called themselves The White Stripes because of Meg’s favourite peppermint candies and they started performing just two months after with their first gig at the Gold Dollar in Detroit.

From there, they quickly became Detroit’s underground favourite.

The couple presented themselves as siblings to the unknowing public and kept to a theme of red, black, and white. They expanded their career as they played along with more established local bands such as Rocket 455, the Dirtbombs, Bantam Rooster and Two Star Tabernacle, among others.

The White Stripes released their debut album, "The White Stripes" in 1999 followed by “De Stijil” in the next year which raked in for them tons of fans and earning the number 38 spot in the Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

Despite their growing success, Meg and Jack found themselves struggling in their personal relationship which ended up in their divorce in the same year, 2000.

However, it didn’t stop them from crafting their arts as they continued their momentum to release their third album “White Blood Cells” featuring the hit single "Fell in Love with a Girl” in 2001. This album took them onto the national stage with credits from the New York Magazine.

Over the next decade, the band released five more albums and became one of the most popular and critically acclaimed rock bands of their era.

Drum Gear

As a drummer, White is known for her minimalistic and energetic playing style.

While her specific gear preferences are not widely discussed, it is known that she primarily used Ludwig drums, Zildjian cymbals, and Remo drumheads during her time with The White Stripes.

She also played a smaller drum kit which is considered her signature set up.

Drum sets

• Ludwig Accent 5-Piece Drum Set
• Ludwig Classic Maple Drum Kit

Cymbals

• Paiste 14” Signature Medium Hi-Hats
• Paiste Signature Full Crash 19”
• Paiste Signature Power Crash 19”
• Paiste 22” 2002 Ride

Drumsticks

• Zildjian 5A Nylon Black Dip Drumsticks
• Zildjian 5A Nylon Red Dip Drumsticks
• JingleMute Drumsticks

Drumheads brands

• Remo
• Ludwig

TV Appearances

In addition to their albums, The White Stripes also made several television appearances, including performances on ”The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn” in 2001, ”Saturday Night Live” in 2002, and "Late Show with David Letterman” in 2002 among others.

Meg didn’t limit her screen time to only appearing on talk shows, she also made appearances in other forms of media including numerous music videos and documentaries.

Two documentaries she starred in were “Under Great White Northern Lights” and “The White Stripes: Under Blackpool Lights”. She even did a voice-over act for an episode in the famous show, The Simpsons in 2006.

Awards and Nominations

As a member of the successful band, The White Stripes. Meg has been nominated and won for quite a number a notable awards.

Such awards include the American Music Awards, Brit Awards, Kerrang! Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, NME Awards USA, Q Awards and Shockwaves NME Awards.

In fact, she won a total of four out of seven nominations for the most prestigious and significant awards in the music industry worldwide, The Grammy Awards. This would include the Best Alternative Music Album in 2004, 2006, and 2008 along with the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal also in 2008.

Swansong

The White Stripes disbanded in 2011, but Meg’s contributions to the band were widely recognized and respected. She was included in the list of "The 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" by RollingStone in 2016.

White has been relatively private since the band's disbandment, and she has not released any solo music or announced any new projects.

However, her work with The White Stripes has had a lasting impact on the music industry, and she is considered one of the most memorable drummers of her generation.

Because she decided to become a private individual, her social media accounts are not publicly available online.

Meg White videos

Discography

Albums

• 1998: Lafayette Blues with The White Stripes
• 1998: Let's Shake Hands with The White Stripes
• 1999: The Big Three Killed My Baby with The White Stripes
• 1999: The White Stripes with The White Stripes
• 2000: De Stijl with The White Stripes
• 2000: Hello Operator with The White Stripes
• 2000: Lord Send Me an Angel with The White Stripes
• 2000: Soledad Brothers with Soledad Brothers
• 2001: Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit with The White Stripes
• 2001: White Blood Cells with The White Stripes
• 2002: Fell in Love with a Girl with The White Stripes
• 2002: Hotel Yorba with The White Stripes
• 2003: Elephant with The White Stripes
• 2003: I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself with The White Stripes
• 2003: Later Louder with Jools Holland
• 2003: Seven Nation Army with The White Stripes
• 2003: The Hardest Button to Button with The White Stripes
• 2003: Tuxicity with Richard Cheese
• 2004: Under Blackpool Lights with The White Stripes
• 2005: Get Behind Me Satan with The White Stripes
• 2005: My Doorbell with The White Stripes
• 2005: The Denial Twist with The White Stripes
• 2005: Walking with a Ghost with The White Stripes
• 2006: Coachella [DVD] with Coachella
• 2007: Conquest with The White Stripes
• 2007: Icky Thump with The White Stripes
• 2007: You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told) with The White Stripes
• 2010: Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn with Loretta Lynn
• 2010: The Shine with Tony Joe White
• 2016: Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016 with Jack White
• 2020: The White Stripes Greatest Hits with The White Stripes
• 2001: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground with The White Stripes

Frequently asked questions

At what age did Meg White start playing the drums?

Meg White started playing the drums in 1997 at the age of 23.

How long has Meg White been playing the drums for?

Meg White has been playing the drums for 25 years now.

Which drum brands does Meg White use?

Throughout her career Meg White has used Zildjian, Ludwig, JingleMute, AKG, Paiste, Neumann, Sennheiser, Shure, Coles and Remo.

What genres is Meg White known for?

She is known for playing Rock and Alternative Rock.

How many recordings has Meg White been featured on?

Counting all her Albums, Meg White has been featured on at least 32 recordings.

References

1. Meg White, Wikipedia
2. White Stripes: Under Blackpool Lights, IMDB
3. Meg White Is The 21st Century's Loudest Introvert, NPR
4. White Stripes' Meg White auctioning Ludwig kit, Musicradar
5. Meg White, Equipboard
6. Episode dated 18 March 2002, IMDB
7. Meg White, IMDB
8. Meg White, TMDB
9. 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, Rolling Stone
10. Credits Meg White, AllMusic
11. Meg White, Discogs