The White Stripes: Sweethearts of the Blues

by Denise Sullivan

Book Overview

This engrossing book tells the tale of the Detroit duo who shook up the music world with their "candy-colored, gothic-coated world of melody, rhythm and storytelling." These unlikely-looking saviors reinvigorated the blues and blues-rock for a new generation. Writer Denise Sullivan relates The White Stripes' story with a keen eye for detail, a music lover's ear for influences and references, a fan's appreciation of the layers and subtleties, and a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879308052
• ISBN13: 9780879308056
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Backbeat Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

I enjoyed this biography!

One of the things I liked best about this book is that even though I thought I knew all there was to know about the White Stripes, I came to find out there's way more to explore in their music than meets the eye-and that's kind of the whole point of the "mystery" behind them, isn't it? More than a standard rock bio, Sullivan's book is a guidebook for further exploration into the world of the Stripes. For example, I really didn't know very much about Jack and Meg's love of Bob Dylan till I read this book and now for the first time in my life, I want to know more about Bob Dylan-precisely because he is so important to the White Stripes! Sullivan's personal style which fuses fact with a humorous point-of-view kept me interested even while I read about the stuff I did know about (like the fact they aren't really brother and sister...duh!). I even found myself nodding in agreement (which is always a sign to me that I'm reading the right book) to her thoughtful descriptions of the albums and live shows. So if you think you know everything about the White Stripes, think again because this book provides plenty of food for thought: Not only will you find some important clues as to what the band is about, but you'll end up with a list of further questions that you hadn't even thought to ask before you sat down to read it!

great rock biography

I bought this book because I didn't know much about the White Stripes and wanted to know more (including, to some extent, what the big deal is). I got a lot more than I was looking for, and am very glad I read it. In addition to the expected details of their biography, I had the unexpected pleasure of discovering our shared love of their influences. I have to say that understanding the links to their predecessors really helped me develop a lot more respect and understanding for the White Stripes. The book also provides an intimate history of Meg and Jack as well and the "scene" they matured in. Unlike many rock biographies, this book doesn't feel like an attempt to cash in on a band's popularity or shore up their celebrity mythology. Instead it is an honest analysis of individuals and their music by someone who clearly loves them - but is still capable of being objective when necessary.

denise does the white stripes right

denise sullivan does the white stripes right. you can put down your magazines now. you want to get any deeper into all things white stripes? denise gets you to the meat of the -- in fact, she gets down to the bone of what makes jack and meg tick by tracing back their roots. from early gigs, to upholstery apprenticing to bar tending and marriage by way of Howlin' Wolf and Lorreta Lynn and the kings and queens of the blues. and such a beautiful package. great pictures. you'll want to hold on to this "rock book" for a long long long time.- stephie the white stripes fan

Black and White and Read It Again and Again

The first time I heard The White Stripes, alone in my car, I said aloud to no one, "Well. Where did that come from?" And now, thanks to Denise Sullivan's great, fun, reverent read, we know. Part documentary, part love letter, part Memo To All Music Fans, "Sweethearts of The Blues" is a meticulously researched delight for those of us scrounging for actual roots in today's fallow musical field of all things derivative. Loaded with anecdotes and starry-eyed peer praise, everyone from White's fifth grade pals to Ben Swank to Holly Golightly checks in, creating an intimate mix of recollection, speculation and appropriate adulation. A dissertation-worthy analysis of Dylan's influence on The White Stripes is a must-ponder for anyone who wants to walk their White Stripes talk at cocktail parties. Sullivan separates fact from lore, and adds fascinating historical perspective, but leaves room for theories of alchemy and magic. I have given this book as a gift twice, and received gushing thanks from both parties. Chock-full of candid photos,"Sweethearts" makes a once-discovered-hard-to-put-down addition to any coffee table, and confirms the consensus, "The White Stripes are about the music...and the story-telling." And so is this book.

Detroit Rock City

As a native Detroiter, now living in Los Angeles, I was happy to stumble upon this great book about the White Stripes. Though I've never been a fan of the duo myself, as a Detroiter I felt I needed to understand what it was about them that everyone was so hyped up about. I'm usually very "Go Team" about any music that comes out of my fair city, but was never able to fall in love with them the way I was with Seger, Nugent and - to a degree - Eminem. So I went out and bought two CDs and this book. I must say that this book did more to endear them to me than their CDs did. It was informative, well-written and easy to follow. Buy this book, it's a good read. If you're a fan, you'll learn a lot that you didn't know. And if you're a casual observer as I was, it's a great introduction to this colorful act. I can only hope that Denise Sullivan will soon pen a book about Detroit's other favorite son - Kid Rock!