Boyd Tinsley | |
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 Tinsley playing an electric violin in July 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 16, 1964 Charlottesville, Virginia, United States |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | RCA |
Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.
Tinsley was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. His was a musical family; his father was a choir director and his uncle a bassist who also played the trumpet for local bands. [1] Tinsley was an aspiring guitarist until middle school, when he discovered his proficiency on the violin. He studied with Isidor Saslav, then concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra but, at age 16, decided he did not want to pursue a career in classical music. [2]
Tinsley studied history at the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. While in school, he formed a two-man band called Down Boy Down. After graduation, the band was expanded to The Boyd Tinsley Band, which became a popular Charlottesville band, performing covers and its own tunes, and opening several times for Blues Traveler. [3]
In 1991, Dave Matthews asked Tinsley to play violin on the song "Tripping Billies" with his band for their demo tape. He still had his own band and would often join Matthews' concerts after playing his own gigs. He became a full-time member in 1992. Matthews later said, [4] "We had no plans of adding a violinist. We just wanted some fiddle tracked on this one song "Tripping Billies", and Boyd was a friend of Leroi. He came in and it just clicked. That completely solidified the band, gave it a lot more power." [4]
Tinsley and Peter Griesar were the first to share song-writing credits with Matthews, on the song "So Much to Say", which won the band its first Grammy. [5] Tinsley was also the first to call the band 'Dave Matthews Band', a name which was meant to be temporary but which stuck. [4]
Tinsley's other (co-) song-writing credits with the band include "41", "American Baby", "Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives)", "Funny the Way It Is", "Pig", "Proudest Monkey", "Too Much", "Grux", "Shake Me Like a Monkey", "Lying in the Hands of God", "Why I Am", "Drunken Soldier", "Can't Stop", "Baby Blue", "Snow Outside", and "Idea of You". He also co-wrote the Jurassic 5 song "Work It Out", and a song which he co-wrote, "Break Free", appeared on the Dave Matthews Band's 2023 album Walk Around the Moon . He performed on all 10 of the band's studio albums, and its 14 live albums.
After noticeably struggling during the band's 2014 Australian tour, Tinsley revealed on Twitter that he had developed arthritis in his right hand. [6] He underwent surgery to correct carpal tunnel syndrome. [7]
On February 3, 2018, Tinsley announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the band, citing exhaustion and the need to focus on his health and family. On the same day, lawyers for former Crystal Garden band member James Frost-Winn sent Tinsley a demand letter, formally accusing Tinsley of sexually harassing Frost-Winn over a one-year period, and requesting a settlement. On May 17, Frost-Winn, then age 28, filed suit against Tinsley. On May 18, the band confirmed that Tinsley was no longer a member, saying "we are shocked by these disturbing allegations", and "Boyd has been a member of the family since the band began and we want him to focus on his health and get better. We support his decision to do this and we're sending positive thoughts his way." [8] [9] [10] [11]
Tinsley responded to the suit, saying that reports of his alleged behavior were "one-sided" and that he would defend himself in and out of court. [12] The parties reached an out-of-court settlement in June 2019. [13] [14] On February 21, 2024 another lawsuit was filed by Frost-Winn's representatives claiming that Tinsley had breached the mutual non-disparagement clause of their settlement via social media posts he made on February 22, 2022. [15]
In 2000, Tinsley made a guest appearance on The Getaway People's second album, Turnpike Diaries. [16]
In 2003, Tinsley released a solo album, True Reflections , featuring the title track he had written over a decade earlier. Tinsley was the principal songwriter of the album. True Reflections focuses on Tinsley as a singer-songwriter and does not feature much violin playing. [17]
On March 20, 2009, Tinsley appeared with former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville when she launched her poetry book Sonata Mulattica, about 19th-century violin virtuoso George Bridgetower; Tinsley is mentioned in the first poem in the book, "The Bridgetower". He composed and performed a musical piece for the event, read a poem from the book and discussed his musical life in particular and the role of classically trained African-American musicians in general with Dove. [18]
Tinsley was the producer, writer and composer for the 80-minute cinematic opera Faces in the Mirror, in which he also appeared as an actor. The film premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival on October 13, 2012. [19] [20]
In August 2015, Tinsley formed the band Crystal Garden with Mycle Wastman, Charlie Csontos and Matt Frewen. For two years, he looked for a specific group of musicians who would form a modern day rock band. On the forming of the band, Tinsley commented, "The band was an idea I had maybe three years ago. I really wanted to create a young rock band – not a pop band – but a real rock band that had the same sensibility that rock from the 1960s and 1970s had to it. You know, something rocking from the heart and expressing something real". In their first week of recording sessions at Boyd's studio in Virginia they tracked the bulk of their first studio album, Let The Rocks Cry Out, which Tinsley produced. The album was released digitally on all platforms March 14, 2017 and physically on April 22, 2017. The band appeared on numerous morning shows. [21] [22] [23] [24]
Tinsley has two children with his wife Emily: a daughter, Abigail (born 1995) and a son, Noah (born 1999). [25]
Tinsley played in a celebrity doubles tennis match in 2007 with John McEnroe against Pete Sampras and Autria Godfrey. [26] He has recorded a song called "The Ghosts of Wimbledon" for the 2006 ESPN coverage of the tournament. [27] Tinsley sponsored the Boyd Tinsley Tennis Program in Charlottesville.
True Reflections (2003) – #3 Billboard Internet Sales chart [28]
Dave Matthews Band is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's lineup originally consisted of Dave Matthews, Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford, Boyd Tinsley, and LeRoi Moore (saxophonist). As of 2024, Matthews, Lessard, and Beauford are the only remaining founding members.
David John Matthews is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, and moved frequently between South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States while growing up. He started playing acoustic guitar at the age of nine.
Crash is the second studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band, released on April 30, 1996 by RCA Records.
Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band. It was released on April 28, 1998, through RCA Records. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, his last collaboration with the group until 2012's Away from the World. Recording took place at The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California and Electric Lady Studios in New York.
Remember Two Things is the first full-length album release by the Dave Matthews Band. It was released independently through the band's own Bama Rags label on November 9, 1993. The album received wider release with a reissue by RCA Records on June 24, 1997, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002. Consisting of live tracks interspersed with studio recordings, the album contains many songs that have remained setlist staples for the band.
Busted Stuff is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band. It was released on July 16, 2002, through RCA Records. Much of the album's material was first recorded in 2000 during sessions with longtime producer Steve Lillywhite which were later scrapped. After the release of the Glen Ballard–produced Everyday in 2001, the band returned to the material, re-recording it with producer Stephen Harris.
The Lillywhite Sessions (tLWS) is a collection of songs recorded by Dave Matthews Band in 1999 and 2000 and produced by Steve Lillywhite. The songs, recorded by the band as a follow-up to their 1998 album Before These Crowded Streets, were ultimately scrapped by the band's label. Upon being forced by the label to abandon the album-in-progress, Dave Matthews was assigned to work with producer Glen Ballard who, in association with Matthews, wrote the album Everyday in just ten days. This contrasted with the band's prior style of writing, which included significant collaboration between the band members in the studio. The recordings later emerged on the Internet shortly after the release of Everyday, and created controversy among fans as well as the music industry, which was early in its campaign to curb illegal file downloads. The Lillywhite Sessions were never officially released, but most of the songs were later recorded for their 2002 album Busted Stuff.
Stand Up is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band. It was released on May 10, 2005 through RCA Records. The album was primarily recorded at Haunted Hollow Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia and was the band's first album to be produced by Mark Batson. It is the band's last album to feature full participation from saxophonist LeRoi Moore before his death in 2008.
Tim Reynolds is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master".
True Reflections is a rock album by American musician Boyd Tinsley released in June 2003. Though best known as a violinist with The Dave Matthews Band, the album focuses on his singing. He was the first member of the group to release a solo album.
Listener Supported is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released on November 23, 1999. It was recorded live at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on September 11, 1999.
LeRoi Holloway Moore was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's songs, notably "Too Much" and "Stay ".
Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado is the fourth live album released by the Dave Matthews Band. It was recorded in Boulder, Colorado at Folsom Field, the football stadium of the University of Colorado Boulder on July 11, 2001. It was released on the RCA Records music label on November 5, 2002 on Compact Disc, VHS, and DVD. The DVD was directed by Fenton Williams of Filament Productions. In promotional material prior to the release, the album was originally titled Open up the Curtains, a reference to the song "I Did It."
"JTR" is a song by Dave Matthews Band from their unreleased album, The Lillywhite Sessions. The song originated from "John the Revelator," a song written by Dave Matthews with the help from Carlos Santana. Matthews and Santana wrote "John the Revelator" as a love song about someone calling out to their unattainable lover. The "John the Revelator" lines that originally appeared in the song were suggested by Santana who got the idea from the traditional gospel song of the same name.
Peter Griesar is an American musician, known for playing keyboards, harmonica and providing backing vocals with the Dave Matthews Band from August 1990 to March 1993. He grew up in Westchester County, New York and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to attend the University of Virginia. He met Dave Matthews, later joining his band. After leaving the band in 1993, he continued playing, releasing several solo albums.
Live at Mile High Music Festival is a live album by the Dave Matthews Band from the 2008 Mile High Music Festival outside Denver, Colorado. In its first week of sales, the album debuted at #97 on the US charts. The concert featured many old songs such as "Don't Drink the Water", "Two Step" and "#41", as well as more recent songs such as "Corn Bread" and "Eh Hee".
Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band, which was released by RCA Records on June 2, 2009.
Europe 2009 is a live album and video release by the Dave Matthews Band from several 2009 concerts in Italy and London. The concert on the three CDs was held during the Lucca Summer Festival in Lucca, Italy, on July 5, 2009. The concert featured on the DVD was at Brixton Academy in London, on June 26, 2009. Tim Reynolds, who resumed touring with the band in 2008, appears on both the audio discs and the DVD.
Away from the World is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band. It was released on September 11, 2012 through RCA Records. The album was primarily recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, Washington from January to May 2012 and is the band's first to be produced by Steve Lillywhite since Before These Crowded Streets (1998). It is the band's last album to feature full participation from violinist Boyd Tinsley before his departure in 2018.
Come Tomorrow is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band, and was released on June 8, 2018. The album is their first since 2012's Away from the World.
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