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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Musician Dave Matthews

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Musician Dave Matthews

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Dave Matthews is the lead singer of one of the most successful bands of all time — The Dave Matthews Band. From 2000 to 2010 the band had an amazing run, becoming a top-selling tour in North America. Fans have come to know this prolific artist through his music from his many performances, but some aspects of his life might come as a surprise. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about musician Dave Matthews.

Sources: Biography.com977music.comFuntrivia.comLyricsfreak.comWikipedia.orgCN.com, Ask.comLooktothestars.org

Biography.com
Biography.com

1. He was born in South Africa 

Despite his band’s distinctly American sound, Dave Matthews is a native of South Africa. He was born in Johannesburg on Jan. 9, 1967. His family moved to the U.S. in 1969, when his father took a job with IBM.

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

2. He was not a good guitar student

Dave Matthews is known around the world as a talented guitarist, but this gift was not evident early on. Matthews admits he was not a good guitar student when he first started to learn the instrument.

Because of Winn-Dixie movie scene nytimes.com
“Because of Winn-Dixie” movie scene
nytimes.com

3. Dave Matthews is also an actor 

He had an interest in acting around the same time he was starting his music career. He appeared onstage in a number of amateur productions in Charlottesville. He has also appeared in a number of big screen projects such as “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” and “Because of Winn-Dixie.”

billboard.com
billboard.com

4. He and his band have won one Grammy each

Despite their repeated chart-topping success, the Dave Matthews Band has only managed to take home one Grammy each. This was in 1997 when they took the award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “So Much to Say.” Matthews himself won a Grammy for his solo effort in the category Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for the song “Gravedigger” in 2004.

cnn.com
cnn.com

5. He is also an accomplished artist 

Dave Matthews has always had an interest in drawing and painting. In 2013 he staged his own exhibition, a collection of silk-screened paintings. The project was the result of a collaboration with his friend Beezy Bailey. The works were shown at the Robert Miller Gallery in Chelsea.

huffingtonpost.com
huffingtonpost.com

6. His family moved around during his early years

As children, Dave Matthews and his siblings had to move with their parents to different countries. When he was 2, they moved from South Africa to Westchester County, New York. They moved to England for a year before returning to New York, then returned to South Africa in 1977.

Getty Images
Getty Images

7. He lost his father at a young age

When Dave Matthews was 10 years old, his father died of lung cancer. According to his biographer, this influenced the way he wrote his songs.

Alexander Joe, AFP for Getty Images
Alexander Joe, AFP for Getty Images

8. He left South Africa to avoid being forced to join the Army

During apartheid, the South African Army had a conscription policy forcing young white men to enlist. Matthews made the decision to leave the country in 1985 to avoid Army training. As a Quaker, he said he did believe in war. South Africa ended conscription of whites in 1993.

Source: NYTimes archives.

 

huffingtonpost.com
huffingtonpost.com

9. His older sister was murdered 

His older sister Anne was killed by her husband, who then killed himself. Dave Matthews and his younger sister Jane became guardians of the surviving children. The tragedy affected the singer, and he kept his sister’s memory alive by mentioning her in some of his songs and dedicating one of his performances to her.

bbc29.com
bbc29.com

10. Dave Matthews is a philanthropist 

Dave Mathews and his band have been involved in numerous charity events and have supported a number of relief organizations over the years. The band’s charity, the BAMA Works Fund, has donated more than $8.5 million to various causes. Matthews has been a director of Farm Aid since 2001. He has supported Habitat for Humanity, HeadCount and Artists for a New South Africa.