Dec 14

The Raconteurs

THE RACONTEURS
 
 
The Raconteurs  also known as The Saboteurs in Australia, are an American rock supergroup that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, featuring four members known for other musical projects:  Jack White (formerly of The White Stripes, currently The Dead Weather, as well as solo), Brendan Benson (solo), Jack Lawrence (of The Greenhornes, Blanche and The Dead Weather), and Patrick Keeler (also of The Greenhornes).  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Jack White has since formed another successful rock band called the Raconteurs.  He also performed music for the 2003 Civil War-era film Cold Mountain and even had an acting role; for a time, Jack White dated one of his co-stars, Renée Zellweger.  This was a hint of White’s appreciation for classic country music as well:  He master-minded acclaimed comeback albums for two different country legends, Loretta Lynn for her 2004 album Van Lear Rose; and Wanda Jackson, the “Queen of Rockabilly” in her 2011 release, The Party Ain’t Over.  Jackson has a concert scheduled at the nearby Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis next month, and I can’t tell you how excited I am at the prospects of seeing her! 

(January 2013)
 
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The 2008 documentary, It Might Get Loud shows rock guitarist legends from three generations discussing their music and their careers and their influences:  Jimmy Page (the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (the White Stripes, the Raconteurs).  Needless to say, they all three made the Rolling Stone list of 100 Greatest Guitarists also:  #3, #38 and #70, respectively. 

 

At one point, Jimmy Page starts flipping through a pile of 45’s and pulls out “Rumble” by Link Wray and His Ray Men.  To see a rock legend grooving along with that song, to see that big beaming smile on his face, to hear him discussing how the song developed, to see Page actually doing “air guitar” to “Rumble”:  that really is something special.  The clip from It Might Get Loud is well worth a viewing:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLEUSn8y9TI . 

 

(February 2013)

 

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I had thought that “Funnel of Love” appears on Wanda Jackson’s 2011 comeback album, The Party Ain’t Over that was produced by Jack White of the White Stripes.and the Raconteurs, but that ain’t true either. 
 
(June 2013/2)
 
Last edited: March 22, 2021