Early this afternoon via their website The White Stripes announced the "band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.  The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.  It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way."

Jack White has been working ceaselessly with his Third Man Records based of out of Nashville for the past few years.  He just recently helped relaunch the career of rockabilly trailblazer Wanda Jackson on top of recording prolifically with The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs.  And the whole Third Man catalog is a veritable vinyl fetishists wet dream.  No word yet if Meg White and her husband Jackson Smith - who has played guitar in Jack's wife Karen Elson's band, with his mother Patti Smith and recently with some guys named Elton John and Leon Russell - intend to start a band.

No doubt this means The White Stripes will be on the cover of Mojo magazine within a month or two.  Say what you will, but the White Stripes first four records - The White Stripes, De Stijl, White Blood Cells and Elephant - changed the face of Detroit music and indie music worldwide, inspired countless kids to pick up drums and guitars, made cheap old Airline guitars a lot more valuable and the band was a key part in boosting the thriving Detroit indie rock scene starting in 2000.  I can't wait to hear what's kicking around in the vaults.  And hopefully this means a reunion tour is a go for 2016.

Here's a photo of the White Stripes at Blowout in 1999.