White is not only the best background color for websites, but is also one of the most common. It is neutral, so you can use it with anything. The primary concern with a white background is using darker colors for contrast. Don't use white and a soft yellow, for example, as the text will fade into the background.
Which color background attracts the most attention?
The color red attracts attention in an emotional context.
What color background is easiest to read?
What colors work best. Light yellow and light blue were found to be the paper colors that were the easiest to read off of. It could easily be read in all lighting conditions, and the effectiveness of the colors weren't diminished if someone wore tinted glasses (like I do).