Dave+Matthews

As you research your selected guitarist, you will need to note some specific information from his or her life and career. Include the following in your final writing: Details for your written assignment: ,
 * Introduction
 * Biography
 * Discography
 * Legacy
 * Conclusion

Your Name: (first name, last initial): Alec V.

Write your essay here! : My guitarist is Dave Matthews. He is an artist famous for his unique blend of styles. In his music, there is a mixture of rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies. His strange and different music has gained him fans worldwide. Dave Matthews was born on January ninth in 1967 in Johannesburg, South Africa. When he was only two years old, he moved to New York City. Sadly, his father died of lung cancer when he was ten. His family was torn to pieces, and they moved back to South Africa to seek refuge with their relatives. He finished high school there, but at age thirteen, he moved back to the United States so that he would not have to serve in the army. When he was nineteen, he became a clerk at the very same place that his father used to be employed. Once again, he moved- this time to Charlottesville. Dave tried college for a year, but decided that it wasn't for him. He ended up working a couple of temporary jobs, and soon found himself working at a bar. By this time, he was a pretty good guitar player, and he started the Dave Matthews Band after he played at the bar and got a lot of encouragement. Dave Matthews and his band came out with a couple hit albums and singles. They signed with RCA Records and released //Under the Table and Dreaming// which sold over five million copies. Also, they released //Crash// in 1995 which gave them the number two spot on the //Billboard// chart. Dave said that the Grateful Dead band influenced them tremendously. Rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies influenced him too. I think that Dave Matthews has influenced many people including Joni Mitchel. She plays in kind of the same way with all of the different styles mixed in. He has really made a mix of styles a lot more common, and he has influence a bunch of musicians. I learned from Dave Matthews that when you seem to lose all hope, keep working hard, and it might pay off. He was a poor man, with alcohol and other substances problems, and not a very well-paying job. However, he kept his head up, and ended up becoming one of the most famous guitarists of all time. Works Cited

Sources : 1. "Dave Matthews." //Newsmakers //. Detroit: Gale, 1999. //Biography In Context //. Web. 1 May 2013. 2. Almanac of Famous People, June 8, 2011 3. Newsmakers, July 2, 1999 Updated: December 1, 2008

Guitarist Research Notes Table
//cells will expand as you enter your findings// ||
 * ** Information Feature ** ||= **Your Findings**
 * The guitar style I am researching is: || ===== Rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies ===== ||
 * ===== The artist I am researching is: ===== || =====Dave Matthews===== ||
 * ===== This guitarist lived from __to__ ___ ===== || =====January 09, 1967 ===== ||
 * ===== Define and describe the guitar style you are researching. ===== || ===== =====

Rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies
||
 * ===== What kind of musical training did the guitarist have? ===== || =====None. He just started playing in a tavern in Charlettsville.===== ||
 * ===== What types of music influenced this artist? ===== || ===== =====

Rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies
||
 * ===== Name some musicians who influenced the guitarist you are researching. ===== || =====The Grateful Dead influenced him===== ||
 * ===== Has this guitarist played more than one style? If so, what other styles? ===== || =====Yes.Rock, jazz, African and Latin beats, world music, and Southern pop melodies ===== ||
 * ===== What type of guitar does this musician play? ===== || =====He plays acoustic guitar.===== ||
 * ===== What are some interesting facts about your guitarist’s childhood? ===== || =====He was a very good painter.===== ||
 * ===== What did this guitarist do before he became famous? ===== || =====he worked as a clerk, and he worked in a bar.===== ||
 * ===== List two interesting facts about the guitarist’s life. ===== || =====~He never went to college.=====

~His sister died in a car crash just before he released his first album
||
 * ===== List two albums or songs your artist released, the dates they were released and why they are important. ===== || ===== =====

"Under the Table and Dreaming" was their first album released in 1944
|| What do you like about his/her style? || Joni Mitchell plays this style today. I like her strumming, however, I don't like her singing ||
 * Who is playing this style of music today?
 * What legacy has this guitarist left to the world of music? || He made a mix of styles popular. ||