Dave Matthews

Dave had lost his father to Lung Cancer in 1977. If few biography writers are to be believed, this could have possibly been an inspiration for the lyrics of the song ‘Carpe Diem’.

One of Dave’s toughest phases was the tragic deaths of his sister and brother-in-law. The tragedy disturbed Dave Matthews greatly, and also significantly influenced the music in the later part of his career.

In 2000, Dave got married to his girlfriend Jennifer Ashley Harper after a long period of courtship. The couple is blessed with three children, twin daughters named Grace Anne and Stella Busina, as well as a son named Oliver, who was born in 2007.

Dave was born on January 9, 1967, to Valerie and John Matthews, in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the third of the couple’s four children. Dave’s father worked for the IT giant, IBM.

Dave’s family shifted base to New York when he was barely two-year-old, but post his father’s death, they returned back to South Africa in 1977. During his short stay at New York, Dave witnessed a musical performance by Pete Seeger.

After graduating in the year 1985 from ‘St. Stithians College’, Dave faced the pressure to join the South African military service to fight against the growing problem of Apartheid in the region. However, he left the country to avoid being a soldier.

Matthews started working for IBM in 1986, at their office located in New York. After this short stint, Mathew moved to his ancestral town of Charlottesville in Virginia, a place where his musical career took wings.

Dave first became a part of a Charlottesville local band named ‘Devastator’. After a few shows spanning over several months, the band split. During this time Dave also pursued other interests such as acting.

Dave later collaborated with the well known guitarist, Tim Reynolds. This collaboration paved way for Dave’s first musical performance named ‘Miki Liszt Dance Company’.

Dave, later, penned a few singles such as "Recently", "I'll Back You Up", and "The Song that Jane Likes". At this time Dave first thought of starting his own musical venture.

Dave finally formed his band in 1991. The band was christened ‘Dave Matthews Band’, and consisted of members like Carter Beauford, LeRoi Moore, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar. Their first gig was a fund raiser for the ‘Middle East Children’s Alliance’.

Other than being the founder of the famous ‘Dave Matthews Band’, Dave is also known for his solo album ‘Some Devil’, which won him a Grammy award. It’s believed that over many years, Dave had penned songs which didn’t fit into the kind of music which his band played, which motivated Dave to make such a move.