Dave Matthews was born on January 9th, 1967 in Johannesburg South Africa to John and Val Matthews. He was the first of four children. Since his parents were both American, they decided to move back to America to avoid a civil war that was brewing in the area. They moved to New York, where Matthews and his siblings grew up. Matthews had always loved music from a young age, and listened to music ranging from classical, blues, to rock. These genres would later show up in his music. After Matthews graduated high school, he went to UVA in Virginia. It is here where the beginnings of DMB would take form.

Working as a bartender at a bar called Millers in Charlottesville, Matthews served drinks and was also a regular performer. He would usually perform original compositions, but occasionally covered songs by Bob Dylan or Bob Marley. After writing four songs Matthews decided to put together a demo tape. W

The band began to take shape, and according to all the band members, they sounded horrible. Despite being very unorganized, the band stuck together and kept on improving. Their main goal was to record a demo tape, but at about the same time they began to perform at small local venues. People who attended liked what they heard and news of the Dave Matthews Band spread by word of mouth. 1991 is when the band began to take off; Matthews started a writing spree, creating some of their most notable songs such as “Satellite” and “Ants Marching”. Some people who went to the shows recorded them and later distributed tapes to other fans. This is how a large amount of people were first exposed to DMB’s music; the recording of DMB shows is still done today.

Dave Matthews Band has been primarily a live performing jam band through the years influenced by the greats such as the Grateful Dead and Rolling stones, but many albums have been produced. DMB’s first album was released in 1994 and was titled “Under the Table and Dreaming”. There is a variety of musical influences on the album, with a feeling of jazz found in the saxophone playing, bluegrass in the violin and a bit of African found in the guitar and drumming.

Just coming off of their summer tour, DMB is taking a break. With a new album in the works for the future, the Dave Matthews Band shows no sign of slowing down or breaking up. For me and thousands of others can only wait and listen for what sounds wi

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