Their third album, Rubber Factory (2004), received critical acclaim and boosted the band's profile, eventually leading to a record deal with major label Nonesuch Records in 2006. 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 broad licensing of their songs. After signing with indie label Alive, they released their debut album, The Big Come Up (2002), which earned them a new deal with Fat Possum Records. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson.įriends since childhood, Auerbach and Carney founded the group after dropping out of college.

The band's raw blues rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach's blues influences, including Junior Kimbrough, R.L. The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their records, before they eventually emerged as one of the most popular garage rock artists during a second wave of the genre's revival in the 2000s. The group consists of Dan Auerbach ( guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney ( drums).

The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001.