Dave Matthews Band

Leaving South Africa to avoid military service, Dave Matthews – born in Johannesburg on January 9, 1967 - worked as a bar man in Charlottesville, Virginia until he teamed up with some of the local jazz musicians and started recording demos. The Dave Matthews Band initially featured the group’s namesake on lead vocals and guitar plus Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), LeRoi Moore (saxophone), Boyd Tinsley (violin), and Peter Griesar (keyboards), who would leave in 1993. Mixing together rock, funk, jazz and blues influences, the band built up a loyal fan base and released Remember Two Things (1993) through their own independent label Bama Rags. An industry bidding war led to them signing with RCA, with their major label debut Under the Table Dreaming (1994) quickly becoming a huge success earning the band an acclaimed live reputation for New Orleans-style jams. Their third album Crash (1996) took the band to a new level, reaching Number 2 in the US charts, selling over seven million copies, and producing the Grammy-winning single “So Much to Say.” The US Number 1 albums Before These Crowded Streets (1998), Everyday (2001), Busted Stuff (2002) and Stand Up (2005) followed as they established themselves as one of America's most popular rock acts with huge shows at iconic venues like Central Park, Folsom Field, and Wrigley Field. Saxophonist LeRoi Moore died in 2008 after an accident on his farm, but the band returned with a tribute album to him Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King in 2009. In 2011, instead of embarking on a 20th anniversary tour as fans expected, they put together a four-day festival with other artists including Ray LaMontage, The Flaming Lips, and David Gray. They headlined the 2012 Hangout Music Festival in Alabama before announcing dates for a US tour. Their eighth album Away from the World came out later that year and debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200. They continued to tour with shows across the US and they revealed their ninth album, Come Tomorrow (2018), which was another Number 1 album for the group. Known as a popular live act, the band released official and limited-edition live albums throughout their career, which helped to elevate their popularity even more. After longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley was dismissed from the band, they began work on their 10th album during the COVID-19 lockdown. The resulting album, Walk Around the Moon, was released in May 2023 and included the single “Madman’s Eyes.”