This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: Dave Matthews 1991 Lot of 66 First Studio Photo Shoot B&W Images
Item Details: This extraordinary archive documents a historic moment in rock history, capturing a young Dave Matthews during his very first professional photo shoot on July 3, 1991, two years before his debut album's release. Shot in-studio by celebrated rock photographer Waring Abbott, this foundational visual collection consists of 2 contact sheets and 12 medium-format transparencies, alongside 3 contact sheets and 54 frames of original black and white negatives. Sourced directly from Abbott's prestigious private collection, this incredibly rare lot includes full transfer rights, representing the ultimate acquisition opportunity for elite archivists and Dave Matthews Band collectors seeking the earliest definitive imagery of the iconic frontman.
Provenance / Authenticity: The items in this lot are sourced directly from the personal archives of renowned photojournalist Waring Abbott. Abbott’s iconic imagery has graced the pages of Time, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, and countless foreign publications, alongside legendary album covers and photo spreads for KISS, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan and others.
Dave Matthews, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, formed the Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991, blending rock, jazz, folk and world music influences with a lineup that featured violin and saxophone alongside his acoustic guitar. The group built a large grassroots following through constant touring and a policy of allowing fans to tape concerts, which helped spread its music well before the 1993 independent release Remember Two Things and the 1994 major-label debut Under the Table and Dreaming. The band went on to become one of the most commercially successful touring acts in American music, earning a Grammy Award for "So Much to Say" and helping define the jam band scene for a generation of listeners.
Condition: Very good, some contact sheets have been folded and cut, these were working documents and show punched holes, tape, tape residue, grease pencil marks, handwriting and general wear from use and storage.
SKU: WBB1084