Dave Mason, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who first rose to fame with Traffic and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band, died Sunday. He was 79 years old.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Dave Mason’s passing,” read a statement from the family shared with . Rolling Stone. “Dave Mason lived a wonderful life dedicated to music and the people he loved.”
The cause of death was not mentioned.
Mason, who co-founded Traffic and wrote one of their most famous songs, “Feelin’ Alright”, which later became a hit for Joe Cocker, scored his own US hit single in 1977 with “We Just Disagree”, co-written with Jim Kruger.
He has recorded and performed with the likes of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney Bramlett and Cass Elliot.
Born on May 10, 1946 in Worcester, England, David Thomas Mason fell 20 feet from a roof at the age of five, bending his hip bone and contacting a rare disease that put him in hospital for 18 months and forced him to learn how to walk again.
His initial dream was to become a member of the Royal Air Force, but at the age of sixteen, he began playing guitar and singing, and by the following year, he was a working musician in his first band, The Jaguars, before forming The Hellions, and establishing a lifelong friendship with Jim Capaldi.
The two wrote their first song together, “Shades of Blue”, and recorded it as the B-side to their Pye Records single, a cover of Jackie DeShannon’s “Daydreaming of You”, produced by rocker Kim Fowley. The two continued to team up, forming another group, The Deep Feeling, before linking up with two of Capaldi’s acquaintances, Winwood and Chris Wood, to form Traffic.
The Traffic Legends began when they retreated to a secluded stone cabin in the countryside to write and rehearse material for the first time in 1967, mr fantasy. The group’s first single was the Winwood/Capaldi-penned “Paper Moon”, followed by Mason’s “Hole in My Shoe”, which went to number two on the UK chart.
Mason’s whimsical melodies, light feel and soothing vocals provided a contrast to Winwood on his three tracks, “Utterly Simple”, “House for Each Person” and “Hope I Never Fine Me There”, demonstrating his prowess on sitar, vocals and guitar.
Mason abruptly left the band after their first album due to artistic differences with Winwood, and recorded a single, “Little Woman”, for Island Records in 1969, the B-side of which, “Just for You”, appeared on Traffic’s third album. Last exit. Mason returned to the band briefly during sessions for their self-titled second album (which included his own “Feelin’ Alright”) before leaving again for a solo career and moving to the US in 1968. When Traffic came on for their first US tour in March, he rejoined the band for a few songs.
When Traffic broke up again in late 1968, Mason, Capaldi and Wood teamed up with Mick Weaver for the short-lived Wooden Frog, while Winwood joined the supergroup Blind Faith with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.
During this period, Mason was active as a session player, transposing his friend Jimi Hendrix to Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and playing a 12-string acoustic guitar on the recorded version. He also appeared, although uncredited, with the Rolling Stones. Beggars’ feast Through his relationship with traffic producer Jimmy Miller, he also played on George Harrison All things must pass With Clapton.
He sang on Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic” and The Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” Other cameos included work with Graham Nash (“Songs for Beginners”, “Wild Tales”), McCartney (“Venus and Mars”), Joe Walsh (“You Can’t Argue With a Sick Mind”), Ron Wood (“Gimmee Some Nick”), Clapton (“Crossroads”) and Stephen Stills (“Thoroughfare Gap”).
After moving to Los Angeles in 1969, Mason joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, playing lead guitar for the band when they opened for Blind Faith, with Clapton taking an immediate liking to the group and eventually joining them. Mason’s “Only You Know and I Know” became their biggest hit and in 1970 he signed with Blue Thumb Records as a solo act, co-producing his debut album with Tommy LiPuma.
The first result of the sessions was “The World in Changes”, a single released in April 1970, followed by the classic “The World in Changes”. Alone together album in June. The LP peaked in the Top 25, and the second single, Mason’s solo hit “You Only Know and I Know,” became a Top 40 hit.
While in Los Angeles, Mason befriended Cass Elliot, formed a duo that debuted at the Hollywood Bowl and then played the Fillmore East in New York, releasing the 1971 album, Dave Mason and Cass Elliottbefore Mason briefly connected with a new Traffic composition for the live album, Welcome to the canteenwhich includes versions of “Feelin’ Alright” and “Sad and Deep as You” recorded in the UK
Mason decided to stay in England after the shows and was an original member of Derek And The Dominos before the release of “Layla” when he was replaced by Duane Allman after recording several tracks as the second guitarist. “At the time Eric was in pretty bad shape,” Mason said. “And there was no training at all. I got bored and went back to the States.”
Legal issues with Blue Note Records led Mason to withhold a follow-up to the hit album Alone togetherwhich led to a lawsuit and the unauthorized release of the “illicit” trademark for material such as “Headkeeper” in 1972 and “Dave Mason Is Alive” in 1973. He left Blue Note by declaring personal bankruptcy, and was acquired by Columbia Records and legendary label exec Clive Davis before his ignominious departure from the label.
The first album in the ranking in 1973 It’s like you never leftincluded one of his best songs ever, a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder on “The Lonely One,” but it wasn’t until let it flow, Released in 1977, Mason became a hit, going platinum thanks to the hit single “We Just Disagree” which peaked at No. 12 on the singles chart. Bulletin board Hot 100, and was later successfully covered by country singer Billy Dean.
In 1979, Mason played himself in the film Vertigo Disco Skate Town, USA Opposite Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Ruth Posey, and in his first big screen role, Patrick Swayze, he writes and performs two songs, including the film’s theme. His single “Save Me” from the 1980 album, An old crest on a new wavefeatured a duet with Michael Jackson.
During this time, Mason was a major attraction at concerts, headlining Madison Square Garden and the Los Angeles Forum before taking a break, thanks to his drug and alcohol addiction problems. He returned to recording with “Some Assembly Required” in 1987 on the Canadian Maze label (A&M in the US), then joined Voyager/Mca for Two hearts Later the same year. He briefly joined the new Fleetwood Mac lineup in 1994 and 1996 for tours and the 1995 album, timeWhich included two songs he co-wrote.
In 1997, Mason was scheduled to join Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band to perform “You Only Know and I Know”, “We Just Disagree” and “I Feel Alright”, but was left out of the lineup just before the start of the tour.
In 2002, A Dave Mason lives at sunrise The DVD was released as he continued to tour, playing 100 shows a year with the Dave Mason Band and more recently Traffic Jam. In 2004, Traffic and Mason were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Dave Matthews.
Mason was released 26 letters, 12 noteshis first solo album in over 20 years in 2008 and has begun releasing some of his archival recordings since then, including 2014’s “Future’s Past” and 2016’s “Traffic Jam,” both of which featured new material and re-recorded versions of his most famous songs.
Mason has been active in a number of charitable activities, including being an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, which is… A non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and lessons to public school children across the United States.
He was also a founding board member of Yoga Blue, dedicated to teaching yoga and other holistic practices to those recovering from substance abuse. He was also the founder of Rock Our Vets, a charity that helps provide food and clothing to homeless veterans and laptops for those aspiring to further their education, as well as a suicide prevention program.
