DETROIT – A trial began Monday on a federal lawsuit by a producer who worked on the first two White Stripes albums and says he played a pivotal role in creating the two-member rock band's signature sound and deserves a share of the royalties.
Jim Diamond, who is listed as co-producer on the band's self-titled first album, released in 1999, filed suit in April in U.S. District Court in Detroit. He is listed as sound mixer on "De Stijl," released in 2000.
The trial started Monday with jury selection before U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn and was expected to take about a week.
The White Stripes deny that Diamond helped create the band's style. The band said in court documents that it paid him $35 an hour for time at his Ghetto Recorders studio, which he started in 1996.
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