The Motor City gets its musical due in Los Angeles this weekend as the White Stripes becomes the 37th metro area Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree.
Jack White (nee Gillis), who co-founded the groundbreaking duo with ex-wife Meg White in 1997, will be attending, although it's not known if Meg, who's been seldom seen since the group ended in 2011, will be at the ceremony, which takes place Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and livestreamed at 8 p.m. via Disney+.
We do know that the Ohio alt-rock duo Twenty One Pilots will be performing the White Stripes' signature anthem "Seven Nation Army," while longtime band friend Conan O'Brien is rumored to be making the induction speech. The Stripes performed on the final episode of his "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" show on Feb. 20, 2009.
The duo -- which released six studio albums and won an equal number of Grammy Awards -- is well-represented in the recently opened inductees exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. The display includes a guitar and amplifier from Jack White, as well as the peppermint-styled kick-drum Meg played at the White Stripes' second show. It also includes matching, pearl-encrusted suits that the two wore on stage (Meg's was already on display in the Rock Hall's Revolutionary Women in Rock exhibit).
The White Stripes are being inducted alongside OutKast, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, Bad Company and the late Joe Cocker in the Performers Category. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will each receive a Musical Influence Award, while Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye are getting the Musical Excellence Award. Veteran record executive and record producer Lenny Waronker is this year's recipient of the Ahmed Ertegun Award for non-performers.
Checker will not be attending because of a performance commitment elsewhere, while Kaye, bassist in the famed studio musicians' collective known as the Wrecking Crew, has refused her honor. Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers recently revealed he will not be attending due to health reasons.
The metro area will also be represented during the ceremony by Oak Park native Don Was, a Grammy Award-winning producer and musician who will be part of a tribute to the late Brian Wilson. Iggy Pop, a 2010 inductee with his band the Stooges, is also on the list of performers and presenters.
A primetime special of highlights from the show will air at 8 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC (WXZY, Channel 7 in Detroit), moving to Hulu the next day.