Jack White (born Horst Nußbaum, 2 September 1940) is a German composer, producer and former footballer.
Born in Cologne, White developed an interest in both football and music in his childhood, but initially chose footballing as a career. He played professionally for six years, then chose to play at an amateur level while pursuing a career in music. As a singer, his work was popular in his native country and other German-speaking nations, but the majority of his success came from his production work on international records.
In his music career, White has created 25 of his own records, and is credited on 2512 other records, including 870 production credits. Some of the most notable artists he has worked with are Laura Branigan, Barry Manilow and David Hasselhoff. As most of his work was with English speaking musicians, White changed his name to make it easier to deal with English-speaking stars and their managers. In the international market, White's productions have sold millions of copies, earning Music Recording Certification awards. Personally, White has won several European music awards for his own work and influence on the international music scene, including the German Golden Tuning Fork, and the RTL Group Lion.
White created several record labels throughout his career. White Records, Jack White Productions, and Gloriella Music, from which he continued to work with and produce for German and international artists. Currently, White Records and Gloriella Music are still operating, although without White in any operational sense.
Officially, White retired from the stage in 2014, with his last song being performed at ‘The Summer Festival at the Lake’, hosted by Florian Silbereisen.
Football career
Before getting into music, White began playing professional football at the age of 20 for FC Viktoria Köln, and continued playing for six years (1961–1966) when he then decided to play at an amateur level with Tennis Borussia Berlin for ten years while pursuing his music career. As athletes usually struggle with new careers post-retirement, he remained with the club for the opportunity to resume his professional contract. He represented 5 different clubs over his career, mainly playing in the right-midfielder or right-back positions.
White first joined FC Viktoria Köln when he was scouted by legendary coach Hennes Weisweiler in the 1961–62 season of the Oberliga West, staying for two seasons, where the team finished tenth in the 1961–62 season, and eighth in the 1962–63 season. Because of the Bundesliga's introduction the following year, the club was relegated to Regionalliga West. He then transferred to FK Pirmasens in the 1963–64 season of the Regionalliga Sudwest, where he played the most games and scored the most goals for a single club, along with finishing second that season. After his transfer to TSC Zweibrücken, White also released his first single as a musician, and began to transition to music.
He finished his professional career at PSV Eindhoven, coming eighth in the 1965–66 season. He then continued an amateur career at Tennis Borussia Berlin for 10 years while furthering his music career. From 1992 to 1995, White served as their club president.
During this time, White financially supported the club in an attempt to bring it back to the top flight of German Football. During his time there as a player, the club was separated from the Bundesliga due to being in Berlin, and not West Germany, and thus was not allowed to play at the same level it did before the World War II. He loaned a total of 5.8 million Marks throughout his presidency, and was eventually succeeded by Göttinger Gruppe, a now bankrupt investment group. The club has struggled since, and has mostly sat in either the fifth (or fourth) tier of German football, NOVF Oberliga Nord.