As the frontwoman of the Nashville-based, Jack White-endorsed the Black Belles, Olivia Jean cultivated something of a cult following. After the band split up, she delved deeper into garage and surf on a series of records for White’s Third Man Records, gravitating toward playing the majority of the instruments on such albums as 2019’s Night Owl and 2023’s Raving Ghost, which split the difference between fashionable retro-sensibility, pop classicism, and punk smarts.
Born and raised in the Detroit metro area, Olivia Jean began playing guitar as a child. Soon, she learned other instruments, all with the intent of recording original songs. She received her first big break when Jack White invited her to record at his Third Man studios in Nashville, Tennessee, after hearing some of her demos. During these recording sessions, White recruited musicians who would go on to form the Black Belles. The group released their first single, “What Can I Do?,” in 2010, with the White-produced debut The Black Belles following in 2011. That year, the band received a profile boost when horror goddess Elvira used “What Can I Do?” as part of her Elvira’s Movie Macabre show. The group also recorded “Charlene (I’m Right Behind You)” with comedian Stephen Colbert that year.
After the Black Belles went their separate ways, Olivia Jean maintained a connection with Third Man Records, playing on a variety of White-related projects, including his solo tour and a record by Karen Elson. Finally, in 2014, she went solo with the White-produced Bathtub Love Killings. Five years later, she returned with Night Owl, which she produced. After delivering Palladium, a joint EP recorded with kindred spirit April March, in 2021, Olivia Jean married White in 2022 at an on-stage ceremony at Detroit’s Masonic Temple during his supporting tour for Fear of the Dawn. She returned in 2023 with Raving Ghost, her third full-length album. Like Night Owl before it, the LP was self-produced and featured Olivia Jean playing both guitar and bass.
REF: AllMusic
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