Home » Music » Dave Matthews Band » DMB 101: How it All Began

DMB 101: How it All Began

© Jennifer Scott

Part One: Dave Finds His Way Home… and to Music

One thing's for sure. Dave Matthews certainly did a whole lot of globe trotting in the first half of his life -- bouncing from South Africa to America, to the U.K., back to South Africa, only to return to America. I know military kids who have moved less!

But, it seems before Dave Matthews could find his way to music, he had to find his way home. Fate had it all worked out. The place he did ended calling home would be where he found his calling, and, his band mates.

David J. Matthews was born on January 9, 1967, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Just a couple of years later, the Matthews family -- which included Dave's two sisters and a brother -- moved to New York where they settled in Westchester County, New York and Dave's physicist father, John, took a position with IBM. By the way, Westchester County isn't an asphalt jungle; on the contrary, it's a place where wine tastings, farmer's markets and scenic autumn foliage drives are the norm!

But, as appealing as it sounds, the Matthews clan only resided in the area for a few years before moving again, this time to Cambridge, England, home of Cambridge University and well, a lot of Cambridge students. I recently noted in a conversation with a fellow DMB fan that I haven't heard Dave refer to living in England very much. I know one thing though -- he retained a spot on generic Englishman impression that he often (hilariously!) takes on during his typical "Davespeak" at shows!

Tragedy struck the family not long after they returned to New York in the mid 70's. Dave's father passed away in 1977. In 1980, Dave's mom moved herself and the Matthews kids back to South Africa. Now in his early teens, Dave says that it was during this return to South Africa that he began to realize things about his homeland. According to his biography at the official DMB Web site, he says he "got more wise about the evils of the government there, and in general."

To be continued…

Coming soon in the next installment of DMB 101: Dave makes the move that determines his fate and a chain of events at Miller's bring together the core musians of the first incarnation of The Dave Matthews Band!

If you enjoyed this article, you may also wish to read:
Matthews Family Donates to UVA

The copyright of the article DMB 101: How it All Began in Dave Matthews Band is owned by . Permission to republish DMB 101: How it All Began in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.