The History of Dave Matthews Band

   The Dave Matthews Band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in early 1991, when vocalist/guitarist Dave Matthews decided to put some songs he had written on tape. Instead of simply recording himself with a guitar, he opted to bring in some instrumental help to give his musical ideas more depth. Dave found assistance in drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who were both accomplished jazz musicians in the local Charlottesville music scene. Based on the recommendation of distinguished local jazz guru John D’earth, 16-year-old musical prodigy Stefan Lessard came on board to play bass. Completing the band was keyboard player Peter Griesar, who left the band after a couple of years, as well as the talented and classically trained violinist, Boyd Tinsley.

   The first public performance of Dave Matthews Band occurred at the City of Charlottesville’s Earth Day Festival in April 1991. On November 9, 1993, DMB released its first album, Remember Two Things, on its Bama Rags label. During the first part of 1994, Dave Matthews Band recorded its RCA debut, Under The Table and Dreaming. Just before the album’s release on September 27, 1994, Dave Matthews Band hit the road for their first official national tour. The tour lasted well over a year and included sold out theater dates across the country, a trip to Europe, and two summers playing on the main stage of the H.O.R.D.E. Festival.

   The band spent much of 2000 on tour, finishing as the top-grossing touring band in the U.S. DMB spent the summer of 2001 touring the country and exposing sold-out audiences to songs from Everyday. The band's 2003 summer tour culminated with a performance in New York’s Central Park in front of an estimated crowd of in excess of 100,000 fans. The concert helped raise $2 Million for public education and parks in New York City.

   Summer/Fall 2003 also saw the release of the first solo projects from DMB with the release of Boyd's True Reflections and Dave's Some Devil. The first single from Some Devil, entitled "Gravedigger," earned Dave a Grammy Award for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance".

   Dave Matthews Band's 2004 summer tour proved to be another stream of dynamite concert performances. Days after the summer tour ended, DMB played in front of thousands of fans at a "Concert to Benefit Bay Area Charities" in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. In the first few days of October, Dave Matthews Band joined forces with many other musicians on the "Vote for Change" Tour. Presented by MoveOn PAC, all proceeds from the tour benefited American Coming Together (ACT). Dave Matthews Band returned to the studio in the fall of 2004 and continued to shape their next album.

   In early 2005, Dave Matthews Band launched a web site devoted to their new studio album. www.dmbnewstudioalbum.com provides fans with video footage and ongoing updates on the album's progress. In the spring of 2005, Dave Matthews Band made their first trip "down under"; playing four theater shows in Australia as well as the renowned East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Byron Bay, Australia. Back in the US, DMB played the 36th Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The release of the album was celebrated by an intimate performance at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC. Dave Matthews Band headlined the 4th Annual Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN and also hosted their own festival at the end of July, the two-day Island Getaway event at New York City's Randall Island. DMB, through their Bama Works Village Recovery Fund, partnered with CARE in 2005 to help tsunami-struck communities in eastern Sri Lanka put their lives back together. All donations made through the DMB and Warehouse websites were matched 100% by Dave Matthews Band. DMB performed in Philadelphia, PA on July 2nd, a performance that was part of a series of free global concerts called "Live 8".

   Dave Matthews Band made a trip to New Orleans in late April 2006 for the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Shortly before making the trip to Louisiana, DMB issued a $1.5 million challenge grant to help build the ’New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village . A high point in DMB’s career occurred on July 7-8, 2006 when the band performed back-to-back nights in historic Fenway Park with Cheryl Crow performing as support both evenings. Dave Matthews Band hosted the second annual two-day Island Getaway event at New York City's Randall Island in August 2006. Dave Matthews Band announced their plan in June to arrange for NativeEnergy and Clean Air-Cool Planet to offset 100% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their touring activities since 1991.

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