DAVE MATTHEWS
Name: Dave Matthews
Birth name: David John Matthews
Born: 9 January 1967 Johannesburg, South Africa
David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African, now naturalized
American, Grammy-winning lead vocalist and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band.
He has also worked as a solo artist, and with other musicians such as Tim
Reynolds and Trey Anastasio. An occasional actor, he has also appeared in three
feature films.
Dave is the third of four children born to John and Val Matthews. At age two,
Dave's family migrated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York,
where his father, a physicist, went to work for IBM.
In 1974 the family again moved to Cambridge, England for a year before returning
to New York—where his father died from lung cancer in 1977. Nevin Martell argues
that his father's death may be an impetus for his "carpe diem" lyrics. The
family moved back to South Africa in 1980.
Upon Dave's graduation from St Stithians College high school, he faced a
requirement by the South African government to put in two years of compulsory
military service. Coming from a devoutly Quaker family, military service was not
an option.
Dave would move to Charlottesville, Virginia, a town Dave's family had lived in
before he was born. It was in Charlottesville that he became part of the local
music community. Pursuing various interests, Matthews tried his hand on stage,
acting in various local productions. While enthusiastic for music, and a popular
bartender at a local watering hole called Miller's, Matthews was intimidated by
the quality of the local musicians and largely shied away from performing
publicly. But local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds finally goaded
Matthews to join him on stage one night, and Matthews stunned the audience with
his performance. This eventually led to his first professional musical gig at
a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company, singing "Sensitive
Feelings," composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1990 he hatched the
idea to form his own band.
In 1994, Dave's older sister, Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by
her husband who subsequently committed suicide on or around January 27, 1994.
- an event that has had a drastic effect on Dave's outlook on life.
Immediately following her death, Dave was forced to return to the United States
due to unbreakable professional obligations. On January 29, 1994, he performed
with Tim Reynolds at Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance "to
her memory". His later album "Under the Table and Dreaming" would be dedicated
to her. Anne is survived by her two children who, upon Anne's death, traveled
to America, where Dave and his younger sister Jane took responsibility for their
upbringing. They continue to raise them to this day.
Matthews had originally envisioned someone else singing his songs but instead
decided to use his own vocals. Yet after writing his first few songs, including
"The Song that Jane Likes" and "Recently", he began to consider starting his own
band. Matthews formed The Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with Boyd Tinsley,
LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar (who left the
band a short time later) while he was working as a bartender at Miller's in
Charlottesville. The band's first show was on April 20, 1991, at the Earth Day
Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia.
They began booking gigs on local stages even though they did not have a name.
They considered "Dumela", the South African word for hello, but no real
enthusiasm was ever felt. They dropped the idea. It is reported that someone
from the band telephoned a place where they were booked and said to "just write
Dave Matthews and a band will show up." The person receiving the call wrote "band"
after the name, and consequently it stuck.
Name: Dave Matthews
Birth name: David John Matthews
Born: 9 January 1967 Johannesburg, South Africa
David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African, now naturalized
American, Grammy-winning lead vocalist and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band.
He has also worked as a solo artist, and with other musicians such as Tim
Reynolds and Trey Anastasio. An occasional actor, he has also appeared in three
feature films.
Dave is the third of four children born to John and Val Matthews. At age two,
Dave's family migrated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York,
where his father, a physicist, went to work for IBM.
In 1974 the family again moved to Cambridge, England for a year before returning
to New York—where his father died from lung cancer in 1977. Nevin Martell argues
that his father's death may be an impetus for his "carpe diem" lyrics. The
family moved back to South Africa in 1980.
Upon Dave's graduation from St Stithians College high school, he faced a
requirement by the South African government to put in two years of compulsory
military service. Coming from a devoutly Quaker family, military service was not
an option.
Dave would move to Charlottesville, Virginia, a town Dave's family had lived in
before he was born. It was in Charlottesville that he became part of the local
music community. Pursuing various interests, Matthews tried his hand on stage,
acting in various local productions. While enthusiastic for music, and a popular
bartender at a local watering hole called Miller's, Matthews was intimidated by
the quality of the local musicians and largely shied away from performing
publicly. But local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds finally goaded
Matthews to join him on stage one night, and Matthews stunned the audience with
his performance. This eventually led to his first professional musical gig at
a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company, singing "Sensitive
Feelings," composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1990 he hatched the
idea to form his own band.
In 1994, Dave's older sister, Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by
her husband who subsequently committed suicide on or around January 27, 1994.
- an event that has had a drastic effect on Dave's outlook on life.
Immediately following her death, Dave was forced to return to the United States
due to unbreakable professional obligations. On January 29, 1994, he performed
with Tim Reynolds at Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance "to
her memory". His later album "Under the Table and Dreaming" would be dedicated
to her. Anne is survived by her two children who, upon Anne's death, traveled
to America, where Dave and his younger sister Jane took responsibility for their
upbringing. They continue to raise them to this day.
Matthews had originally envisioned someone else singing his songs but instead
decided to use his own vocals. Yet after writing his first few songs, including
"The Song that Jane Likes" and "Recently", he began to consider starting his own
band. Matthews formed The Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with Boyd Tinsley,
LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar (who left the
band a short time later) while he was working as a bartender at Miller's in
Charlottesville. The band's first show was on April 20, 1991, at the Earth Day
Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia.
They began booking gigs on local stages even though they did not have a name.
They considered "Dumela", the South African word for hello, but no real
enthusiasm was ever felt. They dropped the idea. It is reported that someone
from the band telephoned a place where they were booked and said to "just write
Dave Matthews and a band will show up." The person receiving the call wrote "band"
after the name, and consequently it stuck.