Boyd Tinsley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Boyd Tinsley
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Tinsley playing an electric violin in July 2008
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 16, 1964 Charlottesville, Virginia, United States |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | RCA |
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Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolin player. He is best known for being a member of the famous Dave Matthews Band.
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Early Life of Boyd Tinsley
Boyd Tinsley was born and grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia. His family loved music. His father directed a choir, and his uncle played bass and trumpet in local bands.
Boyd wanted to be a guitarist when he was younger. But in middle school, he found out he was really good at the violin. He learned from Isidor Saslav, who was a top violinist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. However, at age 16, Boyd decided he did not want to play classical music as a job.
Boyd studied history at the University of Virginia. While in college, he started a two-person band called Down Boy Down. After he graduated, the band grew and became The Boyd Tinsley Band. This band became very popular in Charlottesville. They played cover songs and their own music. They also opened shows for the band Blues Traveler many times.
Boyd Tinsley's Music Career
Joining the Dave Matthews Band
In 1991, Dave Matthews asked Boyd Tinsley to play violin on a song called "Tripping Billies." This was for a special recording called a demo tape with Dave's new band. At that time, Boyd still had his own band. He would often join Dave Matthews' concerts after playing his own shows.
Boyd became a full-time member of the Dave Matthews Band in 1992. Dave Matthews later said that adding Boyd made the band much stronger. He said they had not planned to add a violinist, but it just felt right.
Boyd Tinsley and Peter Griesar were the first people to share songwriting credit with Dave Matthews. They wrote the song "So Much to Say" together. This song helped the band win their first Grammy. Boyd was also the first person to call the group 'Dave Matthews Band.' This name was supposed to be temporary, but it stayed!
Boyd helped write many other songs for the band. These include "41", "American Baby", and "Funny the Way It Is". He also helped write "Pig" and "Proudest Monkey". He played on all 10 of the band's studio albums. He also played on their 14 live albums.
In 2014, Boyd had some trouble playing during the band's tour in Australia. He later shared that he had arthritis in his right hand. He had surgery to fix a problem called carpal tunnel syndrome.
In October 2024, the Dave Matthews Band was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Boyd Tinsley was included as one of the honored members.
Other Music Projects
In 2000, Boyd Tinsley played as a guest on the band The Getaway People's second album.
In 2003, Boyd released his own solo album called True Reflections. The main song on the album, "True Reflections," was one he had written over ten years earlier. Boyd wrote most of the songs on this album. True Reflections shows Boyd as a singer and songwriter. It does not feature a lot of his violin playing.
On March 20, 2009, Boyd appeared with former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove. This event was at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. Rita Dove was launching her poetry book Sonata Mulattica. This book was about a famous 19th-century violin player named George Bridgetower. Boyd Tinsley is even mentioned in the first poem of the book. For the event, Boyd created and played a new musical piece. He also read a poem from the book. He talked with Rita Dove about his music life and the role of Black musicians trained in classical music.
Boyd Tinsley also produced, wrote, and composed an 80-minute movie opera called Faces in the Mirror. He also acted in the film. The movie first showed at the Woodstock Film Festival on October 13, 2012.
In August 2015, Boyd started a new band called Crystal Garden. He had been looking for specific musicians for two years. He wanted to create a modern rock band. Boyd said he wanted a "real rock band" that felt like rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. He wanted music that came "from the heart." In their first week of recording, they made most of their first album, Let The Rocks Cry Out. Boyd produced this album. The album was released online on March 14, 2017. It was released physically on April 22, 2017. The band also appeared on many morning TV shows.
Boyd Tinsley's Personal Life
Boyd Tinsley has two children with his wife, Emily. Their daughter, Abigail, was born in 1995. Their son, Noah, was born in 1999.
Boyd Tinsley enjoys playing tennis. In 2007, he played in a celebrity doubles tennis match. He teamed up with John McEnroe against Pete Sampras and Autria Godfrey. Boyd also recorded a song called "The Ghosts of Wimbledon" for ESPN's coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2006. He also sponsored the Boyd Tinsley Tennis Program in Charlottesville.
Discography
- See Dave Matthews Band discography for his work with the band.
Solo Albums
- True Reflections (2003) – This album reached #3 on the Billboard Internet Sales chart.
See also
In Spanish: Boyd Tinsley para niños
