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Dave Matthews music biography continued...

Johannesburg, South Africa, Matthews and his family moved around the world throughout his childhood, finally resettling in Johannesburg. To avoid South Africa's compulsory military service, Matthews moved back to the United States after high school, where he became a bartender at a jazz club in Charlottesville, Virginia, where, as a self-taught guitarist, he began to harbor dreams of starting a band. In 1990, Matthews decided to record a demo tape and asked his favorite jazz musicians to join him: sax player Leroi Moore and drummer Carter Beauford signed on, as did bass player Stefan Lessard, a 16-year-old local prodigy, and violinist Boyd Tinsley. With the help of a manger and guerilla marketing techniques, the Dave Matthews slowly built a grassroots following by playing colleges and beach clubs around the country. In 1994, the band released its major label debut, Under The Table And Dreaming, which went to number 11 in the Billboard 200. The band's second album, Crash, was released two years later, debuting at number 2 and brought the band national attention, culminating in a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "So Much to Say" as well as four other nominations between the years 1996 and 1997, making Dave Matthews one of music's best loved frontmen.



Matthews continued to primarily focus on his work with Dave Matthews Band until 2003, when he recorded his first solo album, Some Devil. The album's lead single, "Gravedigger" won Matthews another Grammy Award. The album was followed by the Dave Matthews & Friends tour, and soon after a reunion with DMB. The band has since become known for their annual summer-long, nationwide tours featuring lengthy improvisational renditions of their songs accompanied by elaborate video and lighting. Meanwhile 2009's album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King debuted at number one on Billboard 200, giving the band their fifth consecutive number one debut. Dave Matthews and his band have sold over 31 million records in the United States alone, putting them in the Top 100 highest selling music acts of all time and ensuring them a significant place in music history.