Jennifer Ashley Popular Books

Jennifer Ashley Biography & Facts

David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, and moved frequently between South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States while growing up. Matthews started playing acoustic guitar at the age of nine. From 1991 to 2003, Matthews predominantly focused on songwriting and performing with the Dave Matthews Band, which he started in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. He also has done various solo performances and produced other records. During the period from 2000 to 2010, his band sold more tickets and earned more money than any other act in North America. The band's 2012 album Away from the World made them the only group to have six consecutive studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard charts. This record was extended to seven consecutive number one albums with the 2018 release, Come Tomorrow. In addition to music, Matthews has had multiple acting roles. He has also won two Grammy Awards: one with the Dave Matthews Band in 1997 for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("So Much to Say") and one in 2004 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Gravedigger") from his solo album. Early life David John Matthews was born in Johannesburg, the third of four children of John and Val Matthews. At age two, Matthews moved with his family to Yorktown Heights, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.In 1974, the Matthews family moved to Cambridge, England, for a year, then returned to New York, where his father died from lung cancer in 1977 when Matthews was ten years old. At some point, while residing in New York, Matthews attended his first concert, when his mother took him to a performance by Pete Seeger. The family returned to Johannesburg in 1977.Matthews naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1980.Upon Matthews's graduation from secondary school in 1985, he was faced with conscription into the South African military just as civil disobedience to the practice was becoming widespread. As a Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.Matthews moved to New York in 1986 where he worked for IBM for a short time, then joined his mother that same year in Charlottesville, Virginia, a town Matthews's family had lived in before he was born. In Charlottesville, he became part of the local music community, rehearsing in a warehouse owned by Roulhac Toledano. Although Matthews had started playing the guitar at age nine, it was only in Charlottesville that he started performing publicly. Matthews met local star (and future collaborator) Tim Reynolds through mutual friend, Nic Cappon. In time, Reynolds had Matthews join him on stage, and Matthews was persuaded to record some of his own songs. This led to his first professional musical gig at a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company, based at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, singing "Meaningful Love", composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1991, he hatched the idea to form his own band. Before recording his first demo, Matthews bartended at Miller's in Charlottesville. Formation of Dave Matthews Band After writing his first few songs, including "I'll Back You Up", "The Song That Jane Likes" and "Recently", Matthews formed Dave Matthews Band in early 1991 with LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, Peter Griesar (who left the band in 1993), and Boyd Tinsley while working at Miller's as a bartender. The band's first show was on March 14, 1991, as part of a benefit for the Middle East Children's Alliance at Trax Nightclub in Charlottesville, Virginia. Matthews's older sister Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by her husband in early 1994. Her husband then died by suicide on or around January 27 of that year. The event had a profound effect on Matthews's outlook on life and was referenced in a few of his songs. On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at the Wetlands in New York, where he dedicated that performance "to her [Anne's] memory". Dave Matthews Band's Under the Table and Dreaming, released later that year, was dedicated to her. Anne Matthews was survived by her two children, and they traveled to the United States following her death. Dave and his younger sister Jane (after whom the Dave Matthews Band song "The Song That Jane Likes" is named) took responsibility for the children's upbringing. Other musical work Matthews focused primarily on songwriting and performances with Dave Matthews Band from 1990 to 2003. The band's sound blends acoustic guitar, bass, saxophone, drums and violin. In 1994, DMB signed with RCA Records. Since that period, he has occasionally ventured outside the band in various solo performances and records. Matthews sang on the track "Sing Along" on Blue Man Group's second album The Complex in 2003. Later that year he released the solo album Some Devil, which went platinum; its single "Gravedigger" won a Grammy Award in 2004. Dave Matthews drew motivation for this song from the long-running Monster Jam celebrity Grave Digger. To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (many of whom performed on "Some Devil") under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.Dave often collaborates with banjoist Béla Fleck. Fleck is the frontman and namesake of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones; Matthews appears as guest vocalist with the band on their 1998 release, Left of Cool. Both Fleck and the Flecktones' bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous live appearances and in studio with the Dave Matthews Band. Wooten soloed in the second part of the Daniel Lanois song "The Maker", and also in "#41" on the 1998 live album Live in Chicago. The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours. Matthews performed a duet with Emmylou Harris on "My Antonia" on her 2000 album Red Dirt Girl. They also appeared together on the musical television show CMT Crossroads, where the two performed Matthews's "Gravedigger" and the folk song "Long Black Veil".Matthews played a cover of Neil Young's song "The Needle and the Damage Done" at the 2010 tribute MusiCares Person of the Year, honoring Young on January 29, 2010. The Dave Matthews Band opened for the Rolling Stones on their Bridges to Babylon Tour (1997–1998), and Matthews sang "Wild Horses" and "Memory Motel" with Mick Jagger. Acting Before he was known as a musician, Dave Matthews was an amateur actor, appearing onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Offstage Theatre and Live Arts theater in the early 1990s; the role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman in Offstage Theatre's "Just Say No," directed by John Quinn, co-starring Kylie Suture. He played Will Coleman in the 2003 adaptation of the novel Where the Red Fern Grows. In 2005, he played in Because of Winn-Dixie as Otis, a man who works at a pet store.... Discover the Jennifer Ashley popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jennifer Ashley books.

Best Seller Jennifer Ashley Books of 2024

  • Midnight Wolf synopsis, comments

    Midnight Wolf

    Jennifer Ashley

    Primal desire sets the New York Times bestselling Shifters Unbound series ablaze as two fierce Shifters discover how enticing love can be with the thrill of the chase...You can't o...

  • Death Below Stairs synopsis, comments

    Death Below Stairs

    Jennifer Ashley

    Victorian class lines are crossed when cook Kat Holloway is drawn into a murder that reaches all the way to the throne.Highly soughtafter young cook Kat Holloway takes a position i...

  • The Thief synopsis, comments

    The Thief

    Allison Butler

    She needs a home, he needs a bride ... neither wants to fall in love.1402, the AngloScottish border.To fulfil his father's dying wish, border laird Lachlan Elliot must marry and si...

  • Death at the Crystal Palace synopsis, comments

    Death at the Crystal Palace

    Jennifer Ashley

    Intrepid cook Kat Holloway puts aside her apron to delve into Victorian London’s high society and catch a killer in this thrilling new mystery from the New York Times ...

  • The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie synopsis, comments

    The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

    Jennifer Ashley

    A woman is drawn to a dangerously intruiging man in this unique historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley.It was whispered all through London Societ...

  • Pride Mates synopsis, comments

    Pride Mates

    Jennifer Ashley

    Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no collar can contain... Like most Shifters, Liam...

  • Regency Pirates synopsis, comments

    Regency Pirates

    Jennifer Ashley

    Pirates in the Regency? Of course!  The Pirate Next Door Mayfair, London, 1810: Alexandra Alastair, a respectable young English widow, wonders if she dare add the Grayson Fin...

  • Primal Bonds synopsis, comments

    Primal Bonds

    Jennifer Ashley

    Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity. But waiting within are passions that no collar can contain in this novel in the New York Times bestselling Shifters Unb...

  • Hal synopsis, comments

    Hal

    Jennifer Ashley

    Former bull rider turned rodeo clown, Hal Jenkins has found peace in Riverbend, away from his murky past. He’s also found Lucy Malory, a fiery, greeneyed woman full of laughter who...

  • Peril synopsis, comments

    Peril

    Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy & Rebecca Zanetti

    From romantic thriller powerhouses Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy and Rebecca Zanetti, the trio behind the instant USA Today bestseller PIVOT, three new in...

  • New Adult Moon Notes Leseproben synopsis, comments

    New Adult Moon Notes Leseproben

    Jennifer Schumann, Josephine Angelini, Laura Labas, Ashley Herring Blake, Emma Lindberg, Sherin Nagib, Darcy Crimson, Juli Dorne & Moon Notes

    In unserem Sampler findet ihr Leseproben unserer schönen und romantischen Geschichten von Moon Notes. Wir haben Geschichten zum Lachen, Weinen und Mitfühlen. Frech, sexy, fantasiev...

  • Scandal and the Duchess synopsis, comments

    Scandal and the Duchess

    Jennifer Ashley

    A WOMAN’S REPUTATIONScandal follows Rose Barclay, young widow of the Duke of Southdown, wherever she goes. It’s never her faulthonor brightbut newspapers love to write about the si...

  • Yes, You Can Wear That synopsis, comments

    Yes, You Can Wear That

    Abby Hoy

    Embrace your inner couture cutie and feel confident in wearing what you want and living out loud with these style tips and tricks from a plussize, bodypositive, and colorful conten...

  • First Step Forward synopsis, comments

    First Step Forward

    Liora Blake

    Profootball player Cooper Lowry is off the field and into some troublein the form of a very alluring, very freespirited apple orchard owner named Whitney Reedin the first installme...

  • Scandal Above Stairs synopsis, comments

    Scandal Above Stairs

    Jennifer Ashley

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Death Below Stairs.A mystery of stolen antiquities has Kat Holloway setting aside her apron once again for the intrigues of the upper ...

  • The Stolen Mackenzie Bride synopsis, comments

    The Stolen Mackenzie Bride

    Jennifer Ashley

    The New York Times bestselling author of Rules for a Proper Governess returns with an engrossing tale that promises to delight lovers of Outlander.1745, Scotland: The youngest son ...

  • The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness synopsis, comments

    The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness

    Laura Kemp

    'Witty, Warm, and Wonderful. I loved it!' Milly JohnsonSometimes all it takes to make the world a better place is a small act of kindness...'A truly wonderful and heartwarming read...

  • The Growing Pains of Jennifer Ebert, Aged 19 Going on 91 synopsis, comments

    The Growing Pains of Jennifer Ebert, Aged 19 Going on 91

    David M Barnett

    'The characters jump right off the page and into your heart.' Reader reviewFrom the bestselling author of CALLING MAJOR TOM comes a heartwarming comedy about unlikely friendships a...

  • The Price of Lemon Cake synopsis, comments

    The Price of Lemon Cake

    Jennifer Ashley

    When Kat Holloway approaches Lady Bobby Perry and Judith Townsend to help her discover what a young aristo is getting up to in a gentleman’s club, Bobby quickly accepts, coaxing a ...

  • Awakening synopsis, comments

    Awakening

    Rachel B. Vogelstein & Meighan Stone

    Foreword by Tarana Burke. Awakening chronicles the remarkable global impact of the #MeToo movement. Since 2017, millions have joined the global movement known as #MeToo,&...

  • A Mackenzie Clan Christmas synopsis, comments

    A Mackenzie Clan Christmas

    Jennifer Ashley

    Celebrate the holidays with New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie clan in two heartwarming novellas. Includes a never before published Mackenzie C...

  • Bear Facts synopsis, comments

    Bear Facts

    Jennifer Ashley

    Shane’s bad day gets worse when his sanctuary on the mountains is invaded by an unCollared wolf, who thinks attacking him is a great idea. Shane has no intention of getting involve...

  • A Mackenzie Yuletide synopsis, comments

    A Mackenzie Yuletide

    Jennifer Ashley

    Celebrate the holidays with New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie clan in a never before published Mackenzie Christmas novella!Join the Mackenzies...

  • A Mackenzie Clan Gathering synopsis, comments

    A Mackenzie Clan Gathering

    Jennifer Ashley

    The author of The Stolen Mackenzie Bride returns to the tumultuous and passionate world of the Mackenzie clan as a family celebration is shaken by an unexpected danger...   Th...

  • Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries Volume 1 synopsis, comments

    Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries Volume 1

    Gardner, Ashley

    A freed gladiator and a woman scribe solve crimes in Ancient Rome in the time of Nero. Blood of a Gladiator:  Newly freed from the games, Leonidas the Gladiator must learn how...

  • The Seduction of Elliot McBride synopsis, comments

    The Seduction of Elliot McBride

    Jennifer Ashley

    PROPERLY IMPROPER…AND DARING TO LOVE… Juliana St. John was raised to be very proper. After a long engagement, her wedding day dawnsonly for Juliana to find herself jilted at the a...

  • Rules for a Proper Governess synopsis, comments

    Rules for a Proper Governess

    Jennifer Ashley

    TO KISS A THIEF… Scottish barrister Sinclair McBride can face the most sinister criminals in Londonbut the widower’s two unruly children are a different matter. Little Caitlin...

  • Day of the Dragon synopsis, comments

    Day of the Dragon

    Katie MacAlister

    TWO FULL NOVELS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!Fans of Lyndsay Sands and Gena Showalter will love this fiery paranormal romance from a New York Times bestselling author abouta dragon shifter...

  • A Matter of Honor synopsis, comments

    A Matter of Honor

    Gardner, Ashley

    Robert Archer, of the 26th Rifles, knows he’s betrayed his family’s trust by losing an artifact that gives the Archers stability and strength. If he already didn’t have enough trou...

  • The Winter Wedding synopsis, comments

    The Winter Wedding

    Abby Clements

    Gorgeous and romantic festive fiction from the author of The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream ShopHazel plans perfect weddings. But life is full of surprises... Hazel never set out to be...

  • Past Crimes synopsis, comments

    Past Crimes

    Ashley Gardner

    Step into the past through three historical mysteries that reach from Imperial Rome to Victorian London. A Soupçon of Poison (Kat Holloway Victorian Mysteries) Kat Holloway, a youn...

  • Murder in St. Giles synopsis, comments

    Murder in St. Giles

    Ashley Gardner

    When Brewster, my bodyguard, comes to me about a murder of a pugilistand what’s more, says his wife has summoned meI must hasten to St. Giles to find a killer before Brewster is ar...

  • The Many Sins of Lord Cameron synopsis, comments

    The Many Sins of Lord Cameron

    Jennifer Ashley

    He is a man of simple tastes and complex pleasures...Cameron Mackenzie is a man who loves only horses and womenin that orderor so his mistresses say.Ainsley Douglas is a woman with...

  • Death in Kew Gardens synopsis, comments

    Death in Kew Gardens

    Jennifer Ashley

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Scandal Above Stairs Kat Holloway steps out from beneath the stairs and into international intrigue, where murder and s...

  • Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter synopsis, comments

    Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter

    Katie MacAlister

    From the New York Times bestselling author known for her "zany humor and spicy romance" (Publishers Weekly) comes an actionpacked paranormal about a dragon hunter and the dangerous...

  • White Tiger synopsis, comments

    White Tiger

    Jennifer Ashley

    “With her patented pagesingeing sensuality” (Booklist), New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley returns to the primal and passionate world of her Shifters Unbou...