The Black Keys

The Black Keys is an Americanrock duo formed inAkron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists ofDan Auerbach (guitar,vocals) andPatrick Carney (drums). The duo began as anindependent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their records, before they eventually emerged as one of the most populargarage rock artists during a second wave of the genre's revival in the2010s. The band's rawblues rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach'sblues influences, includingJunior Kimbrough,Howlin' Wolf, andRobert Johnson.

Originally friends from their childhood, Auerbach and Carney founded the group after dropping out of college. After signing withindie label Alive, they released their debut album,The Big Come Up (2002), which earned them a new deal withFat Possum Records. Over the next decade, the Black Keys built an underground fanbase through extensive touring of small clubs, frequent album releases and music festival appearances, and substantiallicensing of their songs. Their third album,Rubber Factory (2004), received critical acclaim and boosted the band's profile, eventually leading to a record deal with major labelNonesuch Records in 2006. After self-producing and recording their first four records in makeshift studios, the duo completedAttack & Release (2008) in a professional studio and hired producerDanger Mouse, a frequent collaborator with the band.

The group's commercial breakthrough came in 2010 withBrothers, which along with its popular single "Tighten Up", won threeGrammy Awards. Their 2011 follow-upEl Camino received strong reviews and peaked at number two on theBillboard 200chart, leading to the first arena concert tour of the band's career, theEl Camino Tour. The album and its hit single "Lonely Boy" won three Grammy Awards.