David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg,[1][2] 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.
From 1991 to 2003, Matthews predominantly focused on songwriting and performing with the Dave Matthews Band, which he started in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. He also has done various solo performances and produced other records. During the period from 2000 to 2010, his band toured constantly, selling more tickets and earning more money than any other act in North America.[3] The band's 2012 album Away from the World made them the only group to have six consecutive studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard charts. This record was extended to seven consecutive number one albums with the 2018 release, Come Tomorrow.
David John Matthews was born on January 9, 1967 in Johannesburg,[5] the third of four children born to South African parents, John and Val Matthews.[6] At age two, Matthews moved with his family to Yorktown Heights, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.[7]
In 1974, the Matthews family moved to Cambridge, England, for a year, then returned to New York, where his father died from lung cancer in 1977 when Matthews was ten years old.[8] At some point, while residing in New York, Matthews attended his first concert, when his mother took him to a performance by Pete Seeger.[9] The family returned to Johannesburg in 1977.[10]
Matthews naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1980.[11]
Upon Matthews's graduation from secondary school in 1985, he was faced with conscription into the South African military just as civil disobedience to the practice was becoming widespread.[12] As a Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.[13]
Matthews moved to New York in 1986 where he worked for IBM for a short time,[10] then joined his mother that same year in Charlottesville, Virginia, a town Matthews's family had lived in before he was born.[10] In Charlottesville, he became part of the local music community, rehearsing in a warehouse owned by Roulhac Toledano.[14] Although Matthews had started playing the guitar at age nine, it was only in Charlottesville that he started performing publicly.[10] Matthews met local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds through mutual friend, Nic Cappon. In time, Reynolds had Matthews join him on stage, and Matthews was persuaded to record some of his own songs.[10][15] This led to his first professional musical gig at a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company, based at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, singing "Meaningful Love", composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson.[16] In 1991, he hatched the idea to form his own band.[10] Before recording his first demo, Matthews bartended at Miller's in Charlottesville.[17]
Matthews's older sister Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by her husband in early 1994. Her husband then died by suicide on or around January 27 of that year.[19] The event had a profound effect on Matthews's outlook on life and was referenced in a few of his songs. On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at the Wetlands in New York, where he dedicated that performance "to her [Anne's] memory". Dave Matthews Band's Under the Table and Dreaming, released later that year, was dedicated to her.[19] Anne Matthews was survived by her two children, and they traveled to the United States following her death. Dave and his younger sister Jane (after whom the Dave Matthews Band song "The Song That Jane Likes" is named) took responsibility for the children's upbringing.[19]
Other musical work
Toots and the Maytals with Dave Matthews when performing together in 1998L to R: Reynolds and Matthews in 2007 performing in Amherst, Massachusetts, in one of many acoustic shows the two play as a duo
Matthews focused primarily on songwriting and performances with Dave Matthews Band from 1990 to 2003. The band's sound blends acoustic guitar, bass, saxophone, drums and violin. In 1994, DMB signed with RCA Records.[17][20] Since that period, he has occasionally ventured outside the band in various solo performances and records. Matthews sang on the track "Sing Along" on Blue Man Group's second album The Complex in 2003.[21] Later that year he released the solo album Some Devil, which went platinum; its single "Gravedigger" won a Grammy Award in 2004.[22] To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (many of whom performed on "Some Devil") under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.[23][24]
Dave often collaborates with banjoist Béla Fleck.[25] Fleck is the frontman and namesake of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones; Matthews appears as guest vocalist with the band on their 1998 release, Left of Cool. Both Fleck and the Flecktones' bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous live appearances and in studio with the Dave Matthews Band. Wooten soloed in the second part of the Daniel Lanois song "The Maker", and also in "#41" on the 1998 live album Live in Chicago. The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours. Matthews performed a duet with Emmylou Harris on "My Antonia" on her 2000 album Red Dirt Girl.[26] They also appeared together on the musical television show CMT Crossroads,[27] where the two performed Matthews's "Gravedigger" and the folk song "Long Black Veil".[28]
Before he was known as a musician, Dave Matthews was an amateur actor, appearing onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Offstage Theatre and Live Arts theater[30] in the early 1990s; the role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman in Offstage Theatre's "Just Say No," directed by John Quinn, co-starring Kylie Suture.[31] He played Will Coleman in the 2003 adaptation of the novel Where the Red Fern Grows.[32] In 2005, he played in Because of Winn-Dixie as Otis, a man who works at a pet store and plays guitar. In 2007, Matthews appeared briefly in the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, where he plays a homosexual salesman.[33] In 2008, he appeared in the Adam Sandler movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan as a racist redneck character named James.[34] He also had a significant role in Lake City with Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity, in which he portrays the character Red.[35] He was in one movie in 2011: the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston comedy Just Go with It.
In 2007, Matthews guest-starred in the medical-drama series House in the episode "Half-Wit". He played a piano-playing musical savant who had the two hemispheres of his brain severed from each other in order to recover from his epilepsy, but at the expense of his musical abilities. Dave had a piano double for the complex pieces, but played the simpler pieces himself.[36] In the season one episode of House, "Love Hurts", the song "Some Devil" can be heard playing at the end. In another episode, one of the tracks from Stand Up, "You Might Die Trying" was played in the season five episode, "Not Cancer".[37]
The fifth time Matthews appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009 (which was also the fourth time the Dave Matthews Band appeared on the show), he made an appearance as Ozzy Osbourne in a skit called "The Mellow Show". Bill Hader impersonated Matthews in the same skit.
Matthews was also a cast member and performer in the popular music documentary Before the Music Dies.[38] In 2018, Matthews guest-starred on Pete the Cat as the voice of Gustavo's father, a platypus.
Other activities
In 1999, Matthews purchased more than 10 acres of land in Albemarle County, Virginia, known as Blenheim Farm, to preserve its historical significance. He later decided to plant grapes on the property, since it is located within both the Virginia and Monticelloviticultural areas. Blenheim Vineyards was founded in 2000, and currently produces 5,500 cases of wine per year, including its signature Petit Verdot and several special edition wines that have featured unique labels with drawings by Matthews.[39]
In 2011, Matthews collaborated with wine makers Steve Reeder and Sean McKenzie in creating the Dreaming Tree Wines.[40][41][42]
In April 2012, Matthews was credited as producer on the documentary Last Call at the Oasis, directed by Jessica Yu.[43]
In early 2013, Matthews participated in a jam session at Blade Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, with Jakob Dylan, Charlie Sexton, Blade studios co-owner Brady Blade, and Sexton's brother Will. This led to the formation of a band named The Nauts with Matthews, Dylan, Blade, and the Sexton brothers as members. However, there has been no news regarding an album release since that jam session.[44]
On May 16, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 quarantine, Matthews appeared streaming on the virtual graduation ceremonies for the University of Virginia. He wished students his best and said "it is now your small opportunity to make the world a better place, as you see fit." He then sang the song "Singing from the Windows".[45]
Personal life
Dave Matthews married longtime girlfriend Jennifer Ashley Harper in 2000. They have twin daughters born in 2001, and a son born in 2007.[46] They reside in Seattle.[47] In a 2001 interview, Matthews stated that he was agnostic.[48] He joined the Farm Aid board of directors in 2001,[49] to serve alongside fellow musicians Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young to raise money for family farmers in the United States.[50]
Political activism
Matthews published an Internet video before the 2000 U.S. presidential election, urging viewers to vote without advocating any candidate. He mentioned only Ralph Nader by name, and updated fans about the recording sessions for Everyday. Although his music often explores political and social issues, Matthews refrained from public campaigning for presidential candidates until 2004. He cast his support strongly with Democratic nominee John Kerry, performing at political events including the Vote for Change tour.
Matthews also supported Barack Obama for president in 2008, both in the primaries and in the general election.[51] On April 6, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played a concert titled "Change Rocks"[52] at Indiana University to encourage students to register to vote. The tickets were distributed by the Obama campaign.[53] Questions regarding his citizenship were answered by advertisements and videos on YouTube, where he says he is a "real American" and a "real Virginian," stating that "real Virginians get out and vote."[54] Although bereaved by the loss of band co-founder and saxophonist LeRoi Moore on August 19, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played for the Democratic National Convention delegates on Sunday, August 24, at Red Rocks,[55] and again with Reynolds at Virginia Commonwealth University on October 26, 2008,[56] among other places. Matthews has often supported environmental initiatives, such as biofuel availability and the fight against global climate change.[57][self-published source?]
On September 21, 2009, Matthews stated that some of President Barack Obama's harsher critics were motivated by his race, and stated that he "sees it [racism] everywhere" in the United States.[58] Matthews is also a strong supporter of gay rights and participated in "Love Unites Shepard Fairey Equality Project", a gay marriage advocacy project.[59]
On May 10, 2012, Matthews entertained a sellout crowd at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle where President Obama was hosting a campaign fundraiser.[60]
In a September 28, 2015, interview with Rolling Stone, Matthews said that "when I hear someone like Bernie Sanders talking, I think there's a hope."[61] Matthews performed at a San Francisco rally for Sanders during the 2016 presidential primaries and later, during the general election campaign. He was a major donor to the 2017 gubernatorial campaign of progressive Charlottesville politician Tom Perriello.[62]
On October 30, 2021, Matthews performed at a Democratic get out the vote event in Charlottesville, Virginia with gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.[63][64] During the 2022 election campaign, Matthews performed at campaign events for Democratic candidates Tim Ryan in Ohio and John Fetterman in Pennsylvania.[65]
During a Dave Matthews Band concert in Virginia Beach on June 15, 2024, Matthews paused in the set to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. [citation needed]
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.
Boyd Calvin Tinsley is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band.
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".
Butch Taylor is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band.
Coran Capshaw is an American music industry executive, entrepreneur and founder of Red Light Management, a company that represents recording artists.
Carter Anthony Beauford is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumming styles. He plays the drums and sings backing vocals in the band. Beauford was ranked number 10 by a Rolling Stone magazine reader's poll in 2010 for the greatest drummers of all time.
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 ".
Recently is an EP by the Dave Matthews Band, released in 1994. All songs are live recordings. "Recently" is an edit of the live version found on Remember Two Things, recorded at The Flood Zone in Richmond, VA on August 10, 1993; "Dancing Nancies" and "Warehouse" were recorded at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia on February 21, 1994; "All Along the Watchtower" and "Halloween" were recorded at Trax in Charlottesville, Virginia on February 22, 1994.
Dave Matthews & Friends is an American jam band that was put together for a tour to support Dave Matthews' solo debut, Some Devil. Most of the musicians participated in the album's production. The band consists of:
Mark Roebuck is an American composer and musician living near Charlottesville, Virginia, known primarily for his work as the main songwriter for the 1980s underground power pop group The Deal, and for his later project, Tribe of Heaven. Imagine We Were, recorded with Dave Matthews in 1989-90 and was finally put out as an independent release in 2005.
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.
Ben Arthur is an American singer-songwriter and novelist. He has released multiple full-length recordings and novels, and shared stages with several notable acts.
"Everyday" is the closing track and third radio single from Dave Matthews Band's album Everyday. It reached #38 on Modern Rock Tracks, and #8 on Adult Top 40. A live version of "Everyday" is featured on the Dave Matthews Band compilation album The Best of What's Around Vol. 1. The song evolved from an earlier DMB song entitled "#36" and references The Beatles' song All You Need Is Love.
Warehouse is a song by Dave Matthews Band which was released on their first studio album, Under the Table and Dreaming. A live performance of the song was also released on their early EP Recently. This song ranks near the top of the list in terms of all time fan favorites. It’s been played since the very beginning and has remained a highlight of nearly every show in which it is played.
Live Trax is a series of live albums released by Dave Matthews Band's Bama Rags label. The albums in the series feature performances by Dave Matthews Band and also Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. The majority of the releases are not sold in commercial stores, but rather by means of order or download from the band's official website. The name Live Trax is a reference to the former Trax Nightclub in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the band played over 120 shows during their early years from 1991-1996.
"Proudest Monkey" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, featured on the 1996 album Crash.
Shannon Worrell is a singer-songwriter based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Known for a series of critically acclaimed albums in the 1990s culminating with an appearance on the Lilith Fair tour and for collaborations with fellow Charlottesville-based musicians Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Worrell's acoustic songwriting has been described as "subtly orchestrated chamber pop" and "like a lean country cousin of the Throwing Muses."
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds or Dave and Tim is a musical act composed of Dave Matthews, member of Dave Matthews Band, and Tim Reynolds, member of TR3 and Dave Matthews Band.
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.
"Loving Wings" is a song by the American band Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Having been released on 6 different live albums, "Loving Wings" is the most widely released song that has not been recorded for a studio album that Dave Matthews Band has released. It has been fully played a total of 94 times during various concerts.
↑ Martell, Nevin (2004). The Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People (reviseded.). New York: Simon and Schuster. pp.3–4. ISBN0-7434-9382-6. OCLC762211281.
↑ At Ease, ECC newsletter, May 1986, cited in Cock, Jacklyn (1991). Colonels and Cadres: War and Gender in South Africa. Oxford University Press. p.81. ISBN0-19-570706-0. OCLC925251407.
↑ "Blue Man FAQs". Blue Man Productions. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2009. "Sing Along," a track from The Complex, featuring Dave Matthews on vocals, is Blue Man Group's first music video.
↑ "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
↑ Williams, Allison (November 20, 2018). "The Sainthood of Dave Matthews Has Been Indefinitely Postponed". Seattle Met. Retrieved June 2, 2019. Though the band formed in a Virginia college town back in 1991, Dave Matthews has been a Seattle resident since Bush II's first term.
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