The Black Keys

Mixing the electric blues with a soulful, garage-rock groove, The Black Keys received frequent comparisons to the White Stripes when the group debuted during the early 2000s, before carving out a broader reputation that attracted fans of Top 40 pop during the decades that followed. The band formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. Recorded on an eight-track in drummer Patrick Carney's basement and released in 2002, The Black Keys' debut album The Big Come Up introduced the duo as an authentic, lo-fi rock & roll band driven by frontman Dan Auerbach's rootsy, old-time growl. Although the albums Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004) were well-received by critics, it took the use of The Black Keys' songs in TV shows and films to bring the band to mainstream attention. Their tireless years of touring came to fruition when their fifth studio album, 2008's Attack and Release, went to Number 14 on the US charts, followed by the Number 3 hit Brothers. Their success was capped when they won three awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards.

Following the release of 2011's double-platinum El Camino, the Black Keys reached Number 1 on the Billboard 200 for the first time with 2014's Turn Blue, which went gold. Auerbach and Carney focused on personal projects for several years before reuniting in 2019 for their ninth studio album, Let's Rock. Two years later, the longtime blues fanatics released Delta Kream, a covers album featuring the band's versions of hill country blues songs. Delta Kream reached Number 6 in the US, while its follow-up, 2022's Dropout Boogie, hit Number 8, becoming the band's sixth Top 10 release in a row. Two years later, the group returned with Ohio Players, which was preceded by the hit single "Beautiful People (Stay High)."