Jack White (Favorite Entertainer)

                I’m not typically the kind of music fan who picks a favorite band or artist. I’m essentially a walking Pandora station, listening to any genre you care to name. However, there is one artist I constantly fall back on. Jack White is an extremely talented musician with multiple bands, and he is without question my favorite entertainer.

                John Anthony Gillis was born July 9th, 1975 in Detroit, Michigan. He first started out playing drums and guitar at the age of six, and was listening to blues music that would later influence his first band (and my personal favorite) The White Stripes in 1997. Taking the name Jack White and partnering with his drummer ex-wife Meg White (yeah, it’s weird), he released several superb albums, like the piano beat-driven alternative album Get Behind Me Satan and their final album Icky Thump. Despite a long and successful run, however, Jack and Meg parted ways in early 2011.

                However, White is not only an excellent guitarist; he is also the king of side projects. In 2005, he formed his first side project The Raconteurs. While the band is very similar in style to The White Stripes and still touring (opening for acts such Bob Dylan), they have only released two albums. The second, Counselors of the Lonely, was the only one nominated for a Grammy. Four years later, White formed yet another band called The Dead Weather. This was the first band White exclusively drummed for, giving the group a gothic blues-like feel.

                White has taken a temporary hiatus from these two side projects, but is still in the midst of a lucrative solo career. White still continues to be known for his striking vocals and unique guitar work. He has recently started his own record label Third Man Records based in Nashville, Tennessee. Also, his first solo album Blunderbuss on April 24, 2012.