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Matthews moved from his
native South Africa to New York when he was just two years old. When his
father died he moved back to Johannesburg with his mother, where he
finished high school. He finally settled back in Charlottesville,
Virginia, and assembled his self-titled, multiracial band in 1990.
Matthews (guitar/vocals), Leroi Moore (reeds/saxophone), Boyd Tinsley
(violin), Steffan Lessard (bass), and Carter Beauford (drums) forged a
vibrant, individual sound from their wide instrumental range, with the
eclectic mix significantly complementing Matthews' own expanded world
view. Together they built a formidable reputation on the back of a
punishing touring schedule, which helped their self-produced and
financed debut, Remember Two Things, sell over 150,000 copies.
In its wake the band were afforded the luxury of picking from the
majors. Eventually choosing RCA Records (who offered the most malleable
contract), their major label debut, Under The Table And Dreaming,
produced by Steve Lillywhite, entered the Billboard charts in 1994 at
number 34. Because of the record's continued success, the band were
faced with the problem of having new material written to perform at gigs
and yet having an album that was still selling strongly.
They wisely issued Crash, to satisfy
demand for a new product and it immediately went to number 2 in the US
chart, confirming their arrival as one of the most successful rock acts
of the 90s. Before These Crowded Streets debuted at US number 1,
deposing the Titanic soundtrack album in the process, but showed little
sign of any creative progress, indicating that the band may have become
victims of their own astonishing success. Their popularity was confirmed
when Live At Luther College, a 1996 recording by Matthews and
collaborator Tim Reynolds, debuted at number 2 in February 1999.
Everyday rather predictably went straight in at number 1 on the US
charts in March 2001, a feat matched by the following July's Busted
Stuff.
Dave Matthews Links
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