Dave Matthews
The public face of the improvisational, jazz/jam fusion-based Dave Matthews Band (DMB), Dave Matthews enjoyed a religiously devoted fanbase who lived for the band's tours, albums and live music recordings. Launching from the college/fraternity circuit and powered by a bootleg-swapping, Matthews-approved community, the Grammy-winning group's nonstop tours made it one of the most financially successful acts of all time. Notching smash albums like Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash, as well as hit singles such as "Ants Marching," "Crash Into Me" and "The Space Between," DMB became more than a beloved band, but a Grateful Dead-type movement whose followers adored Matthews's funky, rough-edged sound and Earth-friendly ethos. Matthews himself remained the good-natured global citizen at the center of it all, releasing a solo album Some Devil, collaborating with a slew of talented musicians, and making small film appearances in features like "Because of Winn-Dixie" (2005) and several Adam Sandler crowd-pleasers including "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" (2007) and "Just Go With It" (2011). Always humble and unfailingly polite in his public appearances and interviews, Dave Matthews built an amazing musical empire without sacrificing his core message of living a happy and centered life.