Dave Matthews
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Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews in 2000
Background information
Birth name	David John Matthews
Born	January 9, 1967 (1967-01-09) (age 41) Johannesburg, South Africa
Origin	Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Genre(s)	Rock, jazz fusion, jam band
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1989–present
Label(s)	RCA Records Sony BMG
Associated acts	Tribe of Heaven (1989–1990) Dave Matthews Band (1991–present) Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds (1993-present) Dave Matthews & Friends (2003–present)
Website	www.DaveMatthewsBand.com

David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African, now naturalized American, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band, but 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 several feature films.

Biography

Early life

Matthews is the third of four children born to John and Valerie Matthews. At age two, Matthews' family migrated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.¹

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. Biographer Nevin Martell argues that Dave's father's death may be an impetus for his "carpe diem" lyrics.² The family moved back to Johannesburg, South Africa in 1980.^{citation needed}

Upon Matthews' graduation from St Stithians College high school, he was faced with conscription into the South African military just as civil disobedience to the practice was becoming widespread.³ A Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.⁴

Matthews moved to New York,^{citation needed} then Charlottesville, Virginia in 1986, a town Matthews' family had lived in before he was born. It was in Charlottesville that he became part of the local music community.⁴ Pursuing various interests, Matthews acted in various local productions.^{citation needed} While enthusiastic for music, and a popular bartender at a local restaurant named Miller's, Matthews was intimidated by the quality of the local musicians and largely shied away from performing publicly.^{citation needed} But local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds had Matthews join him on stage one night, and Matthews reputedly did well.⁵ 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.^{citation needed} In 1990 he hatched the idea to form his own band.^{citation needed}

In 1994, Matthews' older sister, Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by her husband, who subsequently committed suicide, on or around January 27 of that year.⁶ The event had a drastic effect on Matthews' outlook on life.⁷ Immediately following her death, Matthews was forced to return to the United States from South Africa, due to professional obligations.^{citation needed} On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at The Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance "to her memory". Dave Matthews Band's "Under the Table and Dreaming," released later that year, was dedicated to her.⁸ Anne Matthews was survived by her two children who, upon her death, traveled to America, where Dave and his younger sister Jane took responsibility for their upbringing.⁹

Formation of Dave Matthews Band

Matthews had originally envisioned someone else singing his songs, but instead decided to use his own vocals.^{citation needed} After writing his first few songs, including "The Song that Jane Likes" and "Recently", he began to consider starting his own band.^{citation needed} Matthews formed Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar (who left the band in 1993) while working at Miller's. The band's first show was on April 20, 1991, at the Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville. ¹⁰

Music

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Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds during an acoustic show in Amherst, MA in 2007.

Matthews sang on the track "Sing Along" on Blue Man Group's second album The Complex in 2003. Later that year he released a solo album, "Some Devil", which went platinum; its single, "Gravedigger", won a Grammy Award in 2004. To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (most of whom performed on "Some Devil") under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.

Matthews is also a close friend of Bela Fleck. Matthews appears as a guest vocalist on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' 1998 release Left of Cool and both Fleck and Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous appearances both live and studio with DMB. The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours.

Acting

Before he was known as a musician, Matthews was an amateur actor, appearing onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Live Arts theater in the early 1990s; the role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman.^{citation needed} Dave Matthews has also acted in four feature films. He played Will Coleman in the 2003 adaptation of the novel "Where the Red Fern Grows."¹¹ In the 2005 film "Because of Winn-Dixie" (based on the novel of the same name), Matthews portrayed the character of Otis, a timid pet-shop employee.¹² In 2007, Matthews appeared briefly in the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, where he plays a homosexual salesman.¹³ In 2008, he appeared in another Adam Sandler movie, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, as a racist character named James.¹⁴ His next film is Lake City with Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity, in which he portrays the character "Red."¹⁵

In 2007, Matthews guest starred in the FOX drama series House in the episode "Half-Wit." He played a piano-playing musical savant who ended up having half of his brain removed in order to recover from his mental retardation, but at the expense of his musical abilities.¹⁶ Matthews had a piano double for the complex pieces but played the simpler pieces.¹⁷

Business

Since 2000, Matthews has been one of the board members of Farm Aid along with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young.¹⁸ Matthews owns 542 hectares (1,340 acres) of farmland near Scottsville, Virginia named Maple Hill Farm, where he grows organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs through a community-supported agriculture program.¹⁹ He also has a 1.6 hectare (4 acre) wine-growing operation, Blenheim Vineyards, which utilizes gravity flow and other gentle winemaking techniques.²⁰

Matthews is one of the principles of ATO Records, founded in 2000.²¹

Personal life

Matthews married his long time girlfriend, Ashley Harper, a naturopathic doctor, on August 10, 2000.²² The couple have twin daughters, Stella Busina and Grace Anne, born on August 15, 2001, and a son, August Oliver, born on June 19, 2007. They currently reside in Seattle, Washington.²³²⁴

Charity

Matthews has been active in charity work, both on his own and with his bandmates. He has performed benefit concerts for music education,²⁵ Hurricane Katrina victims,"Dave Matthews Band to Perform Hurricane Katrina Benefit", Paste Magazine, Paste Media Group (2005-09-01). Retrieved on 13 October 2008.  farmers,²⁶ and victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.²⁷ The band's charitable organization, the Bama Works Fund is administered by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, benefiting charitable programs in the region.²⁸

In 2008 he participated in a music album called Songs for Tibet, together with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.²⁹

Politics

Matthews openly supported the 2008 presidential campaign for Barack Obama, both in the primaries and in the general election.³⁰ On April 6, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played a concert titled "Change Rocks" to encourage students in Indiana to register to vote. The tickets were distributed by the Obama campaign.³¹ Even though he was recently bereaved by the loss of band co-founder and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, he and Tim Reynolds played for DNC delegates on Sunday, August 24 at Red Rocks.³² Matthews has often supported environmental initiatives, such as biofuel availability and the fight against global climate change.^{citation needed}

Past and present equipment

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• Martin DM3MD Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar serial numbers 1, 2 and 3
• Martin HD-28V Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar
• Martin D-35 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar
• Martin D12-28 Steel 12-String Acoustic Guitar
• Taylor 914C Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar³³
• Taylor 714 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar³³
• Taylor W65 Steel 12-String Acoustic Guitar ³³
• Taylor Custom Baritone Jumbo Guitar (Based on LKSM6)
• Yamaha Country Jumbo CJ-818SB 6 String Guitar
• Gibson J-150 6 String Guitar
• Gibson Chet Atkins SST Solid Body Acoustic Guitar (not used since 2000)
• Lakewood M-32 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar
• Veillette Gryphon³³
• Veillette Baritone 12-String³³
• Modulus Genesis Three SH
• Jerry Jones Baritone Electric Guitar³³
• Santa Cruz Bob Brozman Baritone
• Dunlop Tortex .6mm Guitar Picks
• D'Addario EXP17 Strings (6-String)
• D'Addario EJ39 Strings (12-String)
• Matchless DC-30 Amplifier³³
• Shure UHF Wireless System³³
• Shure UHE Antenna Distro³³
• UltraSound/BSS Audio Soundweb Custom Switcher³³
• Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner³³
• Taylor GS7
• Taylor T5
• Taylor 854ce 12-string Acoustic Guitar

Discography

See also: Dave Matthews Band discography

Studio albums

• Some Devil (2003)
• Imagine We Were (2005) – as Tribe of Heaven; originally recorded in 1989

Live albums

• Live at Luther College (1999) – with Tim Reynolds
• Live at Radio City (2007) – with Tim Reynolds
• Live at Piedmont Park (2007)
• Live at Red Rocks

Singles

• "Gravedigger (2003)
• "Save Me" (2003)
• "Oh" (2004)
• "Eh Hee" (2007 - iTunes exclusive)

Awards

Grammys

• 1997: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group – "So Much to Say", Dave Matthews Band
• 2004: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance – "Gravedigger", Dave Matthews

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards

• Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture – "Where Are You Going" (for Mr. Deeds)

Honorary degrees

• Dave Matthews was awarded D.Ma honoris causa by Haverford College on May 15, 2005, and was invited to speak at Commencement.³⁴

Guitar

• 2002: Orville Gibson Award for Best Acoustic Guitarist

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Dave Matthews

• Official Website
• The Official Dave Matthews Band Fan Association
• The Hook weekly on the upcoming House, M.D. episode
• Driven, an episode of the VH1 show, featuring Matthews
• Interview
• Live Earth 2007 Live Performance Video
• Dave Matthews at the Internet Movie Database