• 2009-

  Alison MosshartLead vocals, guitar

  Jack WhiteLead vocals, drums, guitar

  Dean FertitaGuitar, keyboards

  Jack LawrenceBass
• The band formed after Alison Mosshart's group The Kills opened some shows for Jack White's group The Raconteurs on their 2008 tour. They got on well and, as soon as the tour was over, went into White's new studio in Nashville (Third Man) to record a single - a cover of Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?" - with fellow Raconteur Jack Lawrence. They ended up adding Dean Fertita and turning the project into a full band.
• All of the members of the Dead Weather first rose to prominence in other bands: The Kills (Alison Mosshart), Queens of the Stone Age (Dean Fertita), The Greenhornes (Jack Lawrence), and The White Stripes (Jack White).
• The group's 2009 EP, Live at Third Man Records West, opens with the tune "Forever My Queen," which was originally done by Doom Metal trailblazers Pentagram.
• Jack White produced the first two Dead Weather studio albums, Horehound and Sea of Cowards.
• A little more than a week before their sophomore full-length, Sea of Cowards, was released, The Dead Weather premiered the album at Jack White's Third Man Records in Nashville - by performing the entire album front to back.
• Although more and more bands nowadays seem to create music with their members in different states (or even different parts of the world), Jack White explained to Rolling Stone that this is hardly the case with The Dead Weather. "All The Raconteurs and all The Dead Weather live in Nashville now, so we often go on trips together, because we're all just good pals. We've recorded some things, too."
• Alison Mosshart has enjoyed painting since she was a kid. She told American Songwriter: "My mother was a high school art teacher, so I grew up around it. She just put paints, paper, markers and crayons and everything in front of me from the time I could sit up, so it's always been a huge part of my life. I went to school for it for a little bit but I was never kinda sure of what I wanted to be or do. By the time I was 14 I was on tour, and I never stopped doing that."
• The Dead Weather didn't kill The Kills, or The Raconteurs for that matter. Both bands remained active, although White's other band, The White Stripes, came to an end soon after The Dead Weather formed and officially retired in 2011.
• Alison Mosshart told Uncut magazine about working with Jack White: "Making those Dead Weather records with Jack, bouncing ideas back and forth and moving at perilous speed, I know firsthand how fast his mind works. Musical literally jumps out of him with ease and precision as if he's made of it. Nothing slows his train. Being on stage with him it's like flying."
• Mosshart's brother, Matthew Mosshart, is a chef. He was engaged to Ozzy Osbourne's daughter, Kelly Osbourne, until they announced their split in early 2014.
• The group had a burst of activity in 2009 and 2010 when they released two albums and toured behind them, but they didn't put out another album until 2015 and didn't tour for that one. Their last performance was on Stephen Colbert's late-night show that year.
• White and Mosshart were both in boy/girl duos when the band formed. White's partner in The White Stripes was Meg White (they were married when they started the group but separated before releasing their first album), and with The Kills, Mosshart teamed with Jamie Hince.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Cleveland RocksIan Hunter

"Cleveland Rocks" was written by an Englishman. Ian Hunter wrote the song after touring America in the late '70s and finding that Cleveland was by far the most receptive city to his brand of Glam Rock.

Big Yellow TaxiJoni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" is about the commercialization of Hawaii. On her first trip to the islands, she looked out of her hotel window and saw a parking lot as far as the eye could see.

Gives You HellThe All-American Rejects

The first US Top 10 hit with the word "hell" in the title was "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects in 2008.

White as SnowU2

Bono came up with the idea of focusing on a soldier's last thoughts as he dies from his wounds in the U2 song "White As Snow" after reading William Golding's 1956 novel Pincher Martin.

Always On My MindWillie Nelson

Elvis Presley recorded "Always On My Mind" in 1972, but Willie Nelson's version 10 years later was the hit and won the Song of the Year Grammy.

PanamaVan Halen

"Panama" by Van Halen is not about the country or the canal, but about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona.

Editor's Picks

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.