Then the group, never intended to play beyond the padded walls of a studio, had to gel with a young teenage bassist, Stefan Lessard, a keyboardist, Peter Griesar, they just happened to pick up one day while playing in the bar in which Matthews worked, and a violinist, Boyd Tinsley they had never intended to use beyond the demo.

In the end the Charlottesville, Virginia band formed in 1991. Dave Matthews Band’s first show was on Earth Day in 1991 at a Charlottesville celebration. The group’s sound, with a collaboration of instruments, made them an instant local hit. The group also did not have a name at the time. The jazz fusion, rock band eventually came to the conclusion that because the group was called the Dave Matthews Band on the flyer for their first show that that name should stick.

Dave Matthews Band began to play at the local clubs Eastern Standard and Trax. The group had begun to get the vibe that they were on the verge of making it to the big time. Consequently, Peter Grieser left the band not wanting the grueling tour-schedule type of life.

The group released their first album, Remember Two Things, on the Bama Rags label in November 1993. Dave Matthews Band was a huge hit on college radio and the album was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002.

Their first LP, Under the Table and Dreaming, debuted in September 1994 and included Dave Matthews Band’s first big hit, “What Would You Say”. The follow up album, Crash, brought the band into the national stratosphere and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “So Much to Say”.

The Dave Matthews Band continued their ascension with the release of their first live album, Live at Red Rock 8.15.95. The group was at the top of their music world and went back to the studios to work on their third album for RCA. With the help of Alanis Morissette and the unofficial sixth member, keyboardist Butch Taylor, the group put out Before These Crowded Streets in 1998. On the strength of singles “Stay”, “Crush”, and “Don’t Drink the Water” the album reached number one on the U.S. charts.

The journey to Dave Matthews Band’s fourth album was a long one that dealt with a great deal of change. No longer did Dave Matthews write uplifting songs. Instead, hampered by the tragic passing of his uncle from alcoholism, the songs became darker. Also the relationship between the band and their producer for seven years, Steve Lillywhite, became strained. The recording session at a house in the country outside of Charlottesville yielded nothing. Matthews met up with Glen Ballard in October 2000 in Los Angeles. The band met up with him and the group quickly recorded the album Everyday.

“I Did It”, “Everyday”, and “The Space Between” made the band even more popular than they already were. The work that had been done with Lillywhite was leaked over the Internet and made some fans angry. They preferred the happy work of the Dave Matthews Band to the darker release of the official album. The group eventually gave in and released the leaked tracks as another album.

Afterward, Matthews began to tour with the accompaniment of Tim Reynolds, playing in small clubs telling the stories behind the writing of the songs. The band finally came back together in the studio in 2004, working on Stand Up, which was released in May 2005. Once again the Dave Matthews Band hit number one on the charts.

The group has been present at several live concerts to help raise money for victims of tragic events throughout their history, most notably for the victims of 9/11 and for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

External links
Official site
Warehouse — Official DMB Fan Association
DMB Taping Policy
DMB FAQ (Open Content License)
nancies.org — established DMB fan website (Established: August 1998)
WeeklyDavespeak.com — DMB fan site with MP3s, a newsletter, forums, and news
antsmarching.org — fan-created site with DMB concert downloads, news, show trading and personal show statistics, forum, set lists (Established: January 2002)
DMB Almanac — Song and concert history and statistics (Established: April 2002)
DMBforums — unofficial DMB discussion forum (Established: April 2003)
DMBvideos.com — a free DMB video download each week (Established: July 2003)
One Sweet Whirled — Campaign to fight global warming with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream