What happened to Boyd Tinsley?

Born on May 16, 1964, in Charlottesville, Virginia, Boyd Calvin Tinsley is a violinist and mandolinist, most famous for his time as a member of the iconic Dave Matthews Band. Tinsley appeared with the band between 1991 and 2018, but hasn’t recently been so prominent on the music scene due to some legal issues.

After a recent Reddit thread reminded fans of DMB’s 2003 live album, The Central Park Concert, those issues have again become a point of discussion. The thread included a video of the group performing Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” a cover of which featured on the album, with Tinsley performing with them.

So, what are Tinsley’s crimes? Why hasn’t he been part of the Dave Matthews Band for the last six years or so?

What happened to Boyd Tinsley?

In February 2018, Tinsley announced on X that he was taking a leave of absence from DMB to focus on his family and health, saying he was “worn out.” However, it soon became evident that wasn’t the reason for his break.

Per NPR, in May 2018, Tinsley was accused of sexual misconduct by James Frost-Winn, a trumpeter and former protégé of the violinist’s who used to play in his side band, Crystal Garden. The specific accusations include repeated sexual harassment (verbal, physical touching, and texting) and the claim that, in late 2016, Tinsley masturbated next to him as he lay asleep. Tinsley subsequently said he had “messed up,” was “confused on pills,” and promised it would never happen again.

In a statement released by a rep for DMB through Rolling Stone, the remaining members said, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”

In February 2024, per Rolling Stone, Tinsley was sued by Frost-Winn for the terms of the 2019 settlement (which resulted in Frost-Winn receiving $837,000) that stemmed from the sexual harassment lawsuit. An agreement was put in place that prevented either party from discussing the case publicly. However, in several social media posts, Tinsley breached that clause on Feb. 22, 2022. Tinsley wrote (in now-deleted posts), “The accusation is a total lie. There is a pattern of me being victimized by mentally unstable and money-grabbing people. This latest individual that I am speaking of concocted this incredulous story of sexual harassment, which is a complete and total lie.” Without mentioning Frost-Winn by name, Tinsley called him “a very troubled and disturbed person” and said,” he had a field day spending my money… music went out the window and it was all about getting drunk and playing pinball.”

But the sexual misconduct case hasn’t been Tinsley’s only brush with the law in recent times. Per The Daily Progress, he was involved in a car crash in June 2024 in which he rear-ended another vehicle. Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of the incident, but Tinsley was found to have amphetamine and THC in his system, resulting in a DUI charge.

Tinsley is clearly facing a variety of troubling obstacles in his life, and we hope he’s getting the help he needs. More importantly, we hope James Frost-Winn is recovering from the ordeal Tinsley put him through.