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Timeline : Dave Matthews Band

November 2, 1957

Carter Beauford, drummer for The Dave Matthews Band, is born in Charlottesville, Virginia. When Julia Roberts inducts the band into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024, she makes it clear that he's her favorite member.

January 9, 1967

Dave Matthews is born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He eventually settles in Charlottesville, Virginia, and forms The Dave Matthews Band.

June 4, 1974

Stefan Lessard (bassist for The Dave Matthews Band) is born in Anaheim, California. He's just 16 when he joins the band as a founding member in 1991.

November 9, 1993

The Dave Matthews Band release their first album, a mostly live collection called Remember Two Things that includes early versions of "Ants Marching" and "Satellite." The band is already signed to RCA Records but they release the album independently, with their major-label debut, Under The Table and Dreaming, coming a year later.

September 27, 1994

The Dave Matthews Band release their first major-label album, Under The Table and Dreaming. The band is road-tested, with a huge fanbase in the Virginia area, where they have been playing live since 1991. They earn a legion of new fans when the tracks "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching" get airplay across America, helping the album sell over 6 million copies.

February 24, 1995

Dave Matthews Band make their first appearance on national TV when they perform the hit "What Would You Say" on the Late Show with David Letterman.

April 15, 1995

Dave Matthews Band appear on Saturday Night Live for the first time, performing "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching."

October 1, 1995

Farm Aid 8 takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Hootie & the Blowfish and The Dave Matthews Band raising over $1 million to support American farmers.

April 30, 1996

With "Satellite" from their 1994 major-label debut album Under The Table and Dreaming still getting airplay, The Dave Matthews Band release Crash, which provides a new set of radio hits, including "Crash Into Me," "So Much To Say" and "Too Much."

September 23, 1997

The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon Tour opens in Chicago. Opening acts for the North American tour include Sheryl Crow, The Dave Matthews Band, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jamiroquai, Blues Traveler and Foo Fighters.

October 4, 1997

Farm Aid returns to Illinois for the first time since it started in 1985, selling out the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park. Performers include The Dave Matthews Band and Beck.

April 28, 1998

The Dave Matthews Band release their fourth album (third on a major label), Before These Crowded Streets. Fans get a glimpse of the band's darker side with the moody lead single, "Don't Drink The Water." It debuts at #1 to sink the Titanic soundtrack.More

May 16, 1998

The Dave Matthews Band go to #1 on the albums chart for the first time when Before These Crowded Streets debuts at the top spot, ending the Titanic soundtrack's 16-week berth at the top. Remarkably, their next six albums also debut at #1, a testament to their very loyal fans.

June 13, 1998

During the Dave Matthews Band set at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Washington, DC's RFK Stadium, concert-goer Lysa Selfon is struck by lightning. With help from an off duty paramedic, she is revived and eventually makes a full recovery.

May 1, 2000

David Gray's album White Ladder, which has been available in Europe for over a year, is finally issued in America as the first release on Dave Matthews' new label, ATO Records. It goes on to sell a million copies there; ATO goes on to sign Crowded House, Brandi Carlile, Alabama Shakes and many other big names.

January 3, 2001

The Dave Matthews Band become the first major artist to release a song on Napster when "I Did It" debuts on the controversial file-sharing platform.More

February 27, 2001

Dave Matthews Band release Everyday, trading producer Steve Lillywhite for Jagged Little Pill mastermind Glen Ballard. With the hit "The Space Between," the radio-friendly release expands their fanbase, but leaves diehards to seek out the unreleased Lillywhite Sessions.

July 16, 2002

After unfinished tracks from their shelved project The Lillywhite Sessions are leaked on the internet, Dave Matthews Band reworks the songs and release them as Busted Stuff.More

August 8, 2004

There is a big stink when The Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumps its sewage into an Illinois river from the Kinzie Street bridge. An unfortunate group of tourists are doused with the waste, which hits their tour boat. The band was not on the bus, and their driver denied it until he was confronted with surveillance video.

October 11, 2004

The Vote for Change tour wraps up in Washington, DC. with a concert featuring Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., The Dave Matthews Band, Dixie Chicks and James Taylor. The goal of the tour is to get president George W. Bush voted out of office in the November elections. Bush wins by a narrow margin.

March 9, 2005

The tour bus driver for The Dave Matthews Band pleads guilty to dumping sewage into the Chicago River, which hit a group of tourists cruising on an architectural tour. Stefan Wohl denied the charges at first, but admitted it when confronted with surveillance video. The band was not on the bus at the time.

September 30, 2006

Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young are joined by Dave Matthews (The Dave Matthews Band), Steel Pulse, Gov't Mule, Jerry Lee Lewis, Steve Earle and Allison Moorer for the organization's 21st anniversary concert at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey.

August 19, 2008

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist/arranger LeRoi Moore dies at 46 after being injured in an ATV accident in Charlottesville, Virginia.

December 18, 2009

Pollstar declares Dave Matthews Band the highest-grossing touring artist of the 2010s in North America, with about $530 million in earnings. Their secret: contant touring and affordable tickets. The rest of the Top 5: 2) Celine Dion 3) Kenny Chesney 4) Bruce Springsteen 5) The Rolling Stones

September 19, 2012

The Dave Matthews Band sees their album Away From the World debut at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. This continues the band's unbroken winning streak of six #1 albums on the Billboard 200.

September 12, 2017

Stevie Wonder, Demi Lovato and Dave Matthews are among the performers at the "Hand in Hand" telethon, which benefits victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.More

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