50 Fun Facts About Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band formed in 1991 in which city?

The band still marks its birthplace with shows at the John Paul Jones Arena there.

What was Dave Matthews doing for a living in 1990 when a lawyer friend persuaded him to record a demo?

He watched LeRoi Moore play jazz there while serving the musicians whiskey.

Which drummer, then playing on a BET jazz show, was the first musician Matthews approached?

Matthews said he went to him not because he needed a drummer but because he was 'the baddest thing I'd ever seen'.

Which instrument did founding member LeRoi Moore play?

A local jazz musician with the John D'earth Quintet, he was the second recruit after Beauford.

Bassist Stefan Lessard was how far through his studies when he joined the band?

UVA jazz director John D'earth recommended him; he was still a teenager.

Boyd Tinsley was originally brought in just to add fiddle to which one song?

Matthews said the band had no plans for a violinist, but 'it just clicked' and Tinsley stayed until 2018.

The band's first keyboardist, who left in March 1993, was a waiter at Miller's named what?

His farewell show at Trax is known to fans as 'Big League Chew'.

The band considered calling itself 'Dumwelah', a Tswana word meaning what?

Nobody was keen; the name Dave Matthews Band arrived when someone added 'band' to a booking or a flyer.

Which Charlottesville club hosted the band's regular Tuesday-night shows, widely traded on tape?

The earliest known show, a March 1991 benefit, was rediscovered there via a tape in 2010.

The band's long-time manager, Coran Capshaw, first knew them as owner of which Richmond venue?

Capshaw took over from Charles Newman and went on to found Red Light Management.

The band's first official release, Remember Two Things (1993), came out on which of their own labels?

It debuted as the highest independent entry on the college charts and went platinum in 2002.

The 1994 major-label debut Under the Table and Dreaming was dedicated to whom?

Anne was killed by her husband in a murder-suicide in 1994; the album went six-times platinum.

Which Blues Traveler frontman plays harmonica on 'What Would You Say'?

The song was the band's first commercial hit, alongside 'Satellite' and 'Ants Marching'.

The band's only Grammy win, in 1996, was for which song?

The award was Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group; Crash and 'Too Much' were nominated the same year.

The band's first full-length live album, released in 1997, was recorded at which venue?

Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95 features Tim Reynolds on electric guitar.

Which singer guests on Before These Crowded Streets alongside Béla Fleck and the Kronos Quartet?

The 1998 album sold more than 900,000 copies worldwide in its first week.

What was the lead single from Before These Crowded Streets?

'Stay' and 'Crush' followed; 'Crush' picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

The live album Listener Supported was recorded in September 1999 for a special on which broadcaster?

The East Rutherford show also became the band's first DVD.

Everyday (2001) was written and produced with which collaborator known for Jagged Little Pill?

Its pop-rock sound and short songs split fans; Carter Beauford said it did not showcase the rest of the band.

Which guitar legend guested on the Everyday sessions in Los Angeles?

The singles 'I Did It', 'Everyday' and 'The Space Between' all charted on the Hot 100.

The abandoned 2000 recordings that leaked online in March 2001 are known to fans as what?

A fan campaign to release them led to Busted Stuff, which reworked much of the material in 2002.

The Busted Stuff single 'Where Are You Going' was used in which 2002 Adam Sandler film?

The album was produced by Stephen Harris, Lillywhite's former engineer.

In August 2004, a band's tour bus dumped waste off a bridge onto a tour boat in which city?

The driver pleaded guilty; the band donated $100,000 to local causes and paid $200,000 to settle a lawsuit.

Which actress and long-time fan appears in the video for 'Dreamgirl' from Stand Up?

Stand Up, produced by Mark Batson, debuted at No. 1 with 465,000 sales in May 2005.

The band's Labor Day 2006 concert at which venue drew 64,468 people, the largest crowd in its history?

The Gorge in George, Washington, remains the site of the band's traditional Labor Day three-night stand.

Which guests featured at the band's September 2007 free concert for Virginia Tech?

More than 50,000 attended; two days later a Piedmont Park benefit in Atlanta became the city's biggest one-day concert.

The band's saxophonist died in August 2008 from complications of what?

Jeff Coffin of the Flecktones filled in on the tour and later joined permanently; only two shows were cancelled.

In the title of the 2009 album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, who is said to be 'the King'?

The album was made in New Orleans after the loss and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Which saxophonist, from Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, took over after the founding sax player's death?

Trumpeter Rashawn Ross had joined the touring line-up in 2005 and 2006.

Which guitarist, a longtime collaborator, became a permanent member of the band in 2008?

Reynolds had guested since 1993 and made the acoustic duo albums with Matthews.

Why did the band not tour in 2011?

Instead they staged four multi-day festivals, one of them released as Live in Atlantic City.

Away from the World (2012) marked the return of which producer after twelve years?

It was the band's sixth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1, a record at the time.

Dave Matthews was born in which country?

The band toured his birthplace for the first time only in 2013.

Boyd Tinsley revealed in 2014 that he had developed what condition in his right hand?

He had carpal tunnel surgery and recovered in time for the summer tour.

The band's fall 2015 European tour opened with its first-ever show in which city?

The tour also brought the band's first show in Poland.

Boyd Tinsley left the band in 2018 after which event?

He had announced a leave of absence in February; the band confirmed his exit in May as keyboardist Buddy Strong joined.

Come Tomorrow (2018) made DMB the first band with how many consecutive studio albums debuting at No. 1?

Its 292,000 first-week units were the biggest week for a rock album in more than four years.

When Beauford and Lessard tested positive for COVID-19 before the 2021 Gorge run, who moved to drums?

The weekend became a rotating jam with guests including Mavis Staples and Robert Randolph.

The band's tenth studio album, released in May 2023, is titled what?

'Madman's Eyes', debuted live in 2021, was the first single.

In what year was Dave Matthews Band selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

By 2018 the band had sold more than 25 million concert tickets and 38 million CDs and DVDs.

What is the band's official fan club, whose members got tickets to the 2008 Madison Square Garden benefit, called?

The name comes from a song played at the band's earliest known show in March 1991.

The DMB Drive-In, launched during the 2020 pandemic, was what?

Matthews also played mutual-aid livestreams from his homes in Seattle and Charlottesville for more than 400,000 viewers.

The 1994 live EP Recently drew on shows at Trax and which Alexandria, Virginia venue?

RCA reissued the five-track EP in 1997 once the band had broken nationally.

Under the Table and Dreaming was eventually certified platinum how many times?

Its hits included 'What Would You Say', 'Satellite' and 'Ants Marching', and it earned the band its first Grammy nominations.

Roughly how many copies did Before These Crowded Streets sell worldwide in its first week?

The 1998 album leaned on 'Stay (Wasting Time)' and 'Crush' rather than upbeat hit singles.

Which famous 1999 festival did the band play the summer before releasing Listener Supported?

That year also brought Grammy nods for Best Rock Album and, for 'Crush', Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Until 1995 the band offered tapers what unusual access at concerts?

It ended when some tapes reached commercial bootleggers who overcharged fans; the band credits college tape-trading for its rise.

By 2018 the band had sold roughly how many concert tickets?

The New York Times later compared its devoted travelling fans to Deadheads in a 2023 feature.

What is the band's own charity, founded in 1999 for the Charlottesville area, called?

By February 2023 it had raised over $65 million and made more than 6,500 grants; the NAACP gave the band its chairman's award.

The 2017 'Concert for Charlottesville' raised money for victims of what?

Coldplay, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder joined the free show, which raised nearly $2 million.