White Stripes

Before becoming a household name, the White Stripes were already well on their way to the big time. The Detroit-based duo had released three critically acclaimed releases, appeared on every late-night talk show and toured with the likes of Pavement and Sleater-Kinney. Then Jack and Meg White released a video for "Fell in Love With a Girl," and the rest was history. Soon, the band was duking it out with Eminem and 'N Sync at MTV's annual video awards ceremony. The fourth Stripes album, Elephant, marked a huge departure from the duo's garage-grit roots and distanced it from alleged peers such as the Hives and the Vines. Earnest melodies replaced white noise, and the band's disparate influences (punk, blues, country and even showtunes) finally jelled for the first time.