Dave Matthews is a self-taught life long lover of music. He was born in South Africa in 1969. His family moved around the world a whole lot while he was young. He finally settled in America. Whithout a high school diploma there wasn't much for him to do. So he got a job as a bartender at Miller's, a Charlottesville, Virginia jazz club, and dreamed of starting his own band. He decided to make a demo tape of some songs he had writen over the years. He and his manager, Ross Hoffman, approached his favorite jazz players to join him. He approached Leroi Moore and Carter Beauford, two musicians that he admired greatly. They were invited to his house to listen to a few songs he had recorded. They really liked them and decided to make a tape together.