Music career
White began as a singer in his native Germany in the late 1960s, and found local success performing at bars. At the same time, White also began to produce and write music for other German musicians, and had his first hit, "Schöne Maid", sung by Tony Marshall, in 1971. As his popularity in Germany increased, he began to work with international artists, and produced for a wide range of artists, establishing himself as a producer. He decided to adopt a stage name after seeing the success that Roy Black (real name Gerhard Höllerich) enjoyed in the international market, and so he decided upon Jack White with the recommendation from his agent at the time. Among the songs he produced or co-produced for the international market were Laura Branigan's "Gloria" (1982), "Solitaire" (1983), "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" (1983), "Self Control" (1984) and "The Lucky One" (1984), as well as Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora's "When the Rain Begins to Fall" (1984). He also worked with Paul Anka, Barry Manilow ("You're Looking Hot Tonight"), Engelbert Humperdinck and Audrey Landers. He wrote several hit songs with Mark Spiro, including Zadora's "Let's Dance Tonight" (1984) and Hazell Dean's "Who's Leaving Who" (1988). He also worked with Anne Murray, producing tracks on her 1986 album Something to Talk About and all tracks on her 1987 album Harmony. White also produced the soundtrack to the 1984 film Voyage of the Rock Aliens.
In the 1980s, White worked with David Hasselhoff. White's production work with Hasselhoff consisted of four albums, but the most popular song was "Looking for Freedom". The record experienced great success both in America, and in Germany, was used in protests against the Berlin Wall and the separation of East and West Germany. In 1989, Hasselhoff performed this song on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and two years later, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Berlin Wall was destroyed. The song remains popular in German speaking nations, as its political impact created a lasting impact in its audience. The song has also been analysed in philosophical studies discussing the nature of freedom in the modern world.
In 1984, White founded his own record label, White Records, and published his work through the label, continuing to work with German and English speaking artists as a songwriter and producer. White was also director of Jack White Productions (JWP AG), which was established in 1998. In 2006, White was terminated from JWP AG, due to a "breach in trust", between White and chairman at the time, Thomas M. Stein. In June 2010, JWP AG became known as 7days entertainment AG, and then filed for bankruptcy in April 2014. The chairman of JWP AG, Thomas M. Stein claimed that a breach of trust was the reason behind the dismissal. In 2012, Munich based record label Telamo purchased White Records and now works with indie German musicians to produce and write new music.
In 2008, White re-entered the production market through a new label, Gloriella Music, where he continued to produce and write for artists. After his retirement in 2014, he sold distributing rights to Sony Music, although he remained involved with Gloriella, as an executive.
In January 2014, White announced on The Great Festival of the Best that he was going to perform a final time before retirement. Then in May, White made his last public performance as a musician, at a festival hosted by Florian Silbereisen called The Summer Festival by the Lake, where he played his own music, along with covers of his productions, and a final "Last Song". Since then, he has officially stopped performing, and has become less involved in the music scene. Throughout his career, White still made and performed his own music, and his international fame resulted in his own work becoming successful in German speaking nations. White is credited on 2513 records over his career and has created 25 of his own.
