Meg White
Meg White (born Megan Martha White; December 10, 1974) is an American drummer from Detroit, Michigan best known for her work with Jack White in the Detroit rock duo The White Stripes. After she played on her husband Jack's drums on an impulse in 1997, the two decided to form a band and began performing two months later. Calling themselves The White Stripes, because of their last name and Meg's preference for peppermint candy, the band quickly became a Detroit underground favorite, before reaching national, then international fame. Meg has been nominated for various awards as a part of the group, and has won several, including four Grammy Awards. Her drumming style has been called "primal" for its simplicity, and drew both praise and criticism from fans and critics. Jack has been a vocal advocate for her playing, calling her critics "sexist." Her musical influences are wide and varied, with Bob Dylan being her favorite artist. By her own admission, Meg is "very shy," and has kept a very low public profile. Though publicly insisting they were siblings, public records emerged in 2001 that indicated that she and Jack got married in 1996, prior to the band's formation; they divorced in 2000, before The White Stripes ascended to international fame. In 2009, she married guitarist Jackson Smith—son of musicians Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith—but they divorced in 2013. While on tour in support for their sixth studio album, Icky Thump, she suffered from acute anxiety, and the remaining dates of the tour were cancelled. After a few public appearances, and a hiatus from recording, The White Stripes announced in February 2011 that they would be disbanding. She has not been active in the music industry since.