Jack White has paid tribute to his former White Stripes bandmate Meg White on her 50th birthday with a post on social media.
The rocker took to his official Instagram account and posted a Polaroid of Meg White – the drummer of The White Stripes and his ex-wife. The post’s accompanying caption read: “HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY to my big sister, the great Meg White. There’s only one of you Meggo, they broke the mold. You’re still inspiring people, including me. Love you so much.”
Both musicians formed the duo in 1997 and went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 21st century. The band went on to release six studio albums between 1999 through 2007 before disbanding in February 2011.
Following The White Stripes’ breakup, Jack went on to work on his solo career while Meg decided to retire and return to Detroit, Michigan. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, Jack opened up about how Meg’s emotionally reserved nature was a source of tension within the band, sharing: “We’d be working in the studio and something amazing would happen: I’m like, ‘Damn, we just broke into a new world right there!’ And Meg’s sitting in silence.
“I remember hearing Ringo Starr say, ‘I always felt sorry for Elvis, because in The Beatles we had each other to talk about what it felt like. Elvis was by himself.’ I was like, ‘Shit, try being in a two-piece where the other person doesn’t talk!’”
However, in the same interview, Jack went on to praise his former bandmate, adding: “I would often look at her onstage and say, ‘I can’t believe she’s up here.’ I don’t think she understood how important she was to the band, and to me and to music.”
He continued: “She was the antithesis of a modern drummer. So childlike and incredible and inspiring. All the not-talking didn’t matter, because onstage? Nothing I do will top that.”
The White Stripes portrayed themselves as siblings but in 2001, proof of their 1996 marriage and divorce in 2000 came to light. However, the duo still insisted that they were siblings, with Jack explaining in a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone: “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see…’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ You care more about the music, not the relationship – whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”
Last year, journalist Lachlan Markay sparked discourse about Meg’s drumming abilities after tweeting: “The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’ve been with a half decent drummer. Yeah yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having sh*tty percussion.” Markay has since deleted the tweet.
A number of musicians went on to defend Meg, including The Roots’ Questlove and Portishead‘s Geoff Barrow. Unknown Mortal Orchestra‘s Ruban Nielson also said “there’s no one like meg white”, and recalled that “kids would lose their mind to her drumming”.
Jack took the time to speak out about the discourse by celebrating the drummer, posting a photo of Meg at her drum kit on social media along with a poem that read: “To be born in another time, any era but our own would’ve been fine. 100 years from now, 1000 years from now, some other distant, different, time.
“One without demons, cowards and vampires out for blood, one with the positive inspiration to foster what is good.”
The musician’s ex-wife, Karen Elson, also stepped in to defend Meg, tweeting: “Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack [White] also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her. To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex-husband’s ex-wife name out of your f*cking mouth. (Please and Thank You)”
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello also chimed into the discourse and shared: “I hear there’s some controversy on this matter lately so let me set fools straight: #MegWhite is one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock n roll,” in a post on his Instagram.
In other news, Jack White recently announced the details of a UK and European tour for 2025.
