David John Matthews
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa on January 9 1967, the third of four children born to John and Valerie Matthews. At the age of two his family relocated to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.
When Dave graduated high school he was faced with conscription into the South African military just as civil disobedience to the practice was becoming widespread. A Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service. He first toured around Europe before going to the United States and ultimately settling in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1986. It was here that Dave tended bar at Miller's bar which introduced him to most of his future bandmates.
Before forming the Dave Matthews Band, Dave wanted someone else to sing his song rather than himself. Dave also acted. In the early 90's Dave appeared onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Offstage Theatre and Live Arts theater. The role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman in Offstage Theatre's "Just Say No". Dave formed the Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with Boyd Tinsley, the late LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar who left the band in 1993. The Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville was the band's first show, and it was on April 20, 1991.
Prior to forming the Dave Matthews Band, Dave recorded some songs with fellow bartender Mark Roebuck. Most of these tracks were finally released in 2005 on the Tribes of Heaven album Imagine We Were. In 2003, Dave started working on a solo album, titled Some Devil, and contributed on other musicians songs, such as music by The Blue Man Group, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Emmylou Harris among many more. In the more recent years Dave has acted in some major motion pictures such as Where the Red Fern Grows, Because of Winn-Dixie, and I know Pronounce you Chuck and Larry among other movies.
On August 10, 2000, Dave married his long time girlfriend, Ashley Harper. They have two twin daughters, Grace Anne and Stella Busina , that were born on August 15, 2001. They also have a son, August Oliver, that was born on June 19, 2007.