In Charlottesville, Matthews initially gravitated toward acting; but by 1990, he decided to form his own band with the original intention of having someone else sing his songs. In 1991, The Dave Matthews Band was formed, featuring Boyd Tinsley, Leroi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Peter Griesar. Meanwhile, Dave kept his day-job as a bartender at Miller's in Charlottesville. The band toured across the country throughout the early 90s, focusing on college campuses and building a following mainly through word-of-mouth. Shortly after their self-released album, Remember Two Things debuted in 1993, The Dave Matthews Band signed with RCA, and released Under the Table and Dreaming in 1994. The album went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. alone. The band followed up with albums Crash in 1996 and Before These Crowded Streets in 1998, and they continued to tour aggressively for the rest of the late 90s.

In 2001, The Dave Matthews Band headed to the studio to record their fourth album, Everyday with Glen Ballard, who has produced albums for Alanis Morissette and co-written songs for Michael Jackson. In 2002, the band followed up with Busted Stuff, and in 2003, Matthews recorded his first solo album, Some Devil. The single "Gravedigger" from the album earned him a Grammy in the category of Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

In 2004, The Dave Matthews Band resumed for more touring and the recording of more live albums. That same year, they played in Bruce Springsteen's Vote for Change tour and released a series of mail-order-only DMB Live Trax.

Matthews has also acted in two feature films. In 2003, he played Will Coleman in an adaptation of the novel Where the Red Fern Grows, and in 2005, played Otis in Because of Winn-Dixie, also based on a novel.

Since 2001, Matthews has been one of the directors of Farm Aid, a cause that is close to his heart. Dave owns over 1,000 acres of farmland in Virginia called Maple Hill Farm, where he grows produce for a community-supported agriculture program. He also owns a four acre vineyard, Blenheim Vineyards, located near his farm.

In 2000, Matthews married his girlfriend of eight years, Jennifer Ashley Harper. In 2001, the couple welcomed the birth of twin daughters, Stella Busina and Grace Anne.

YUDDY