Dave Matthews Band: History and Discography

Dave Matthews Band was formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia, by singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and backing vocalist Carter Beauford, violinist and backing vocalist Boyd Tinsley, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore.

The band's first incarnation consisted of Matthews, Beauford, and Moore.

After playing a few songs together and finding that they were not up to par, the trio enlisted the help of local drummer Carter Beauford.

After some rehearsals and further songwriting, the band became a four-piece and recorded their first album, Under the Table and Dreaming, in 1994.

The album was certified platinum six times and the band won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "So Much to Say".

The band has since released seven studio albums and has sold over 25 million concert tickets.

As of 2018, the band has only three remaining founding members: Dave Matthews, Stefan Lessard, and Carter Beauford.

The band was founded in 1991 by Dave Matthews, Stefan Lessard, Peter Griesar, Boyd Tinsley, and Carter Beauford.

Tinsley joined the band in 1992 and became a full-time member.

The band's first public show was at Charlottesville's 1991 Earth Day Festival.

Griesar left the band in 1993.

The band released its first album in 1994.

The band's first single was "I Will Play for You" in 1995.

The band's second album was released in 1998.

The band's third album was released in 2000.

The band's fourth album was released in 2002.

The band's fifth album was released in 2006.

The band's sixth album was released in 2009.

The band's seventh album was released in 2012.

The band's eighth album was released in 2016.

The band was formed in 1994 in Charlottesville, Virginia

Under the Table and Dreaming was their debut album and it was certified six times platinum

Crash was their second album and it was also certified six times platinum

Before These Crowded Streets was their third album and it was a change in direction for the band

They took part in the Woodstock '99 concert during the summer

They released Listener Supported in 1999 and it was also their first DVD

They were nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1999.

In 2000, DMB set up their own recording studio at a large countryside home outside Charlottesville.

With longtime producer Lillywhite at the helm, the band began work on a fourth studio album.

The songs were heavily influenced by personal conflicts, notably the death of Matthews's uncle from alcoholism.

In October 2000, an energized Matthews began writing with Glen Ballard, most famous for his work with Alanis Morissette.

The rest of DMB (along with special guest Carlos Santana) soon joined Matthews in a Los Angeles studio and quickly recorded Everyday.

While the album gave the band a fresh start, Ballard's production, which featured a pop-rock music sound and no songs over 4:43, was very different from the acoustic sound and long jams that the albums produced by Steve Lillywhite featured.

Carter Beauford has said that the album was a product of Matthews and Ballard and that it did not showcase the rest of the band.

The February 27, 2001 release of Everyday was a huge commercial success.

In March 2001, the Lillywhite studio sessions from the previous year were leaked over the Internet.

The tracks spread quickly over established Internet channels such as Napster.

Collectively known as The Lillywhite Sessions, these tracks were lauded by both the fan base and the popular press.

After critical comparison of the two simultaneous albums, fans who were less than pleased with Everyday's more electric sound were frustrated with the band's decision to scrap the work in exchange for Everyday.

Many of the songs from The Lillywhite Sessions would, however, eventually be officially released.

In response to overwhelming fan support, coupled with a popular and widely publicized online campaign known as the Release Lillywhite Recordings Campaign, DMB returned to the studio in 2002 to record Busted Stuff.

Produced by Stephen Harris, the recording engineer who worked under Lillywhite on previous albums, the resulting CD provided new treatments of much of the Lillywhite Sessions' material, along with newly written songs "You Never Know" and the single "Where Are You Going", which was subsequently used in the movie Mr. Deeds.

Busted Stuff hit the shelves on July 16, 2002.

During these two years the band released two live albums.

The first, Live in Chicago 12.19.98, features Tim Reynolds on guitar as well as many other special guests such as bassist Victor Wooten, guitarist Mitch Rutman, and saxophonist Maceo Parker.

The second, Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado, highlights songs from both Everyday and Busted Stuff and was released as both a CD and a DVD.