he Black Keys, a two-piece band with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney as the members, were formed in 2001. They were in their early twenties when their debut album, "The Big Come Up", was issued in 2002. They played raw blues-rock music with funk, soul and rock influences from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown that avoided undue repetition of the overdone chord progressions and stock riffs common to so many such acts. Before the year's end, the band inked a deal with Fat Possum Records.

A year later, they dropped "Thickfreakness" and followed it up with a mini album "The Six Parts Seven" and another full-length studio project "Rubber Factory". Despite being recorded only in an abandoned warehouse, "Rubber Factory" led them to stardom. Their music was everywhere, from being used as Victoria's Secret commercial to being featured in a movie starring Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake to being performed live at major events with Pearl Jam and Radiohead as headliners.

The success of "Rubber Factory" didn't make them rush their next studio installment though. Instead of releasing a full album, they came out with another extended play titled "Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough" in 2007. Beside tiding fans over their new album, this EP was also recorded to pay tribute to their dear friend Junior Kimbrough who died in 1998.

In 2009, they treated their devotees with "Attack & Release". Leaked ahead of its release date, it still managed to perform well on the chart. It debuted at No. 14 on Billboard Hot 200 and its songs "I Got Mine" was named as one of the songs of the year by Rolling Stones. Having tasted the success as a duo, they tried their hands on working on a side project of their own. Auerbach crafted a solo album called "Keeping It Hid", and Carney formed another band under the moniker Drummer.

The reunion of those two musicians happened soon after they finished their side projects. On May 18, 2010, they dropped "Brothers" with 15 tracks on the line-up. It debuted at No. 3 on Billboard Hot 200 with 73,000 copies, marking their best chart performance and highest-selling debut to date. The first and only single from the album "Tighten Up" peaked at No. 1 on Billboard Rock and Alternative Songs charts. They also wrote a song "Chop and Change" for "The Twilight Saga's Eclipse".