Photo: slgckgc / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Dave Matthews is one of those artists whose studio records never quite capture what makes him special, because the real magic lives in the live shows. The improvisational interplay between him, the late LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford's busy drumming and Boyd Tinsley's violin built a sound that nobody else really has. His acoustic-driven, percussive guitar style and that distinctive yelping baritone are instantly recognizable. I respect that he turned a Charlottesville bar band into a stadium institution largely through relentless touring rather than radio. He is an acquired taste, but few frontmen command a crowd with such warmth and looseness.
Overview
Dave Matthews is a South African-born American singer-songwriter, guitarist and frontman of the Dave Matthews Band, which he founded in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the early 1990s. Born in Johannesburg in 1967, he emigrated to the United States and built one of the most commercially successful touring acts in American rock. The band is known for its eclectic blend of rock, jazz, folk and worldbeat influences and a devoted live following.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Dave Matthews
- Name (Japanese)
- デイヴ・マシューズ
- Reading
- でいゔ・ましゅーず
- Born
- January 9, 1967 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Sheep
- Origin
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Singer-songwriter / Guitarist / Singer / Music producer / Composer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Guitarist — see all → · More people from South Africa →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.