Dave Matthews Band

About Dave Matthews Band

David Matthews grew up across multiple continents, born in Johannesburg in 1967 before his family moved through Westchester County, Cambridge, and back to South Africa before settling in Virginia. He began performing in Charlottesville clubs while working as a bartender, eventually gathering musicians around him to form the Dave Matthews Band. The original lineup included bassist Stefan Lessard, saxophonist LeRoi Moore, violinist Boyd Tinsley, drummer Carter Beauford, and keyboardist Peter Griesar, who departed in 1993. Through weekly shows at local venues Trax and Floodzone, an active bootleg taping community, and the independent release Remember Two Things, the band developed a cult following that caught the attention of RCA Records.

Producer Steve Lillywhite shaped the band's commercial identity across their first three studio releases. Under the Table and Dreaming arrived in 1994 as a critical and commercial breakthrough, establishing their signature blend of accessible melodies with complex improvisation. The album was dedicated to Matthews's sister Anne, who died in 1994. Crash followed in 1996 and became their bestselling album, introducing mainstream radio audiences to tracks like Crash Into Me, Two Step, and the Grammy-winning So Much to Say. The band maintained their touring intensity through the late 1990s and into the 2000s, working with various keyboard and horn players including Butch Taylor and later Jeff Coffin, who joined as a touring member following LeRoi Moore's death in 2008. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 7 editions of Dave Matthews Band vinyl, including Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash Anniversary Edition, Everyday, Before These Crowded Streets, and the live document Live At Red Rocks 8.15.95.