Dave Mason, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who first found 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.
“On behalf of his family, it’s with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dave Mason,” said a press release from the family shared with Rolling Stone. “Dave Mason lived a remarkable life dedicated to the music and other people he loved.”
No reason behind death was given.
Mason, who co-founded Traffic and wrote one in all their best-known songs, “Feelin’ Alright,” later a success for Joe Cocker, scored his own solo U.S. hit in 1977 with “We Just Disagree,” co-written with Jim Krueger.
He 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 Eilliot.
Born May 10, 1946, in Worcester, England, David Thomas Mason fell 20 feet from a ceiling loft on the age of 5, bending a hipbone and contacting a rare disease that landed him in a hospital for 18 months and compelled him to learn learn how to walk again.
His initial dream was to develop into a member of the Royal Air Force, but at 16, he began to play guitar and sing, and by the next yr, was a working musician in his first band, The Jaguars, before forming The Hellions, striking up a lifelong friendship with Jim Capaldi.
The 2 wrote their first song together, “Shades of Blue,” and recorded it as a B-side for his or her Pye Records single, a canopy of Jackie Deshannon’s “Daydreaming of You,” produced by rock gadfly Kim Fowley. The 2 continued to work as a team, forming yet one more group, The Deep Feeling, before hooking up with two Capaldi acquaintances, Winwood and Chris Wood, to form Traffic.
Traffic’s mythology began after they retreated to a secluded stone cottage within the countryside to jot down and rehearse material for his or her classic 1967 debut, 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 No. 2 on the U.K. chart.
Mason’s whimsical melodies, light feel and mellow vocals provided a contrast to Winwood on his three tracks, “Utterly Easy,” “House for Everyone” and “Hope I Never Superb Me There,” demonstrating his virtuosity on sitar, vocals and guitar.
Mason suddenly quit the band after their debut album over artistic differences with Winwood, recording a solo single, “Little Woman,” for Island Records in 1969, the B-side of which, “Only for You,” appeared on Traffic’s third album, Last Exit. Mason had rejoined the band briefly during sessions for his or her second, self-titled album (which included his “Feelin’ Alright”) before leaving again for a solo profession and moving to the U.S. in 1968. When Traffic got here over for his or her first stateside tour in March, he rejoined the band for a handful of songs.
When Traffic broke up again in late ’68, Mason, Capaldi and Wood teamed with Mick Weaver within the short-lived Picket Frog, while Winwood joined the super group Blind Faith with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.
During this era, Mason was energetic as a session player, turning his friend Jimi Hendrix on to Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and playing 12-string acoustic guitar on the recorded version. He also appeared, though was uncredited, on the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet through his relationship with Traffic producer Jimmy Miller, and he also played on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass with Clapton.
He sang on each 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”).
Having relocated to Los Angeles in ‘69, Mason joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, playing lead guitar for the band after they opened for Blind Faith, where Clapton took a right away liking to the group and eventually joined them. Mason’s “Only You Know and I Know” became a No. 2 hit for them and in 1970, he signed with Blue Thumb Records as a solo act, co-producing his debut album with Tommy LiPuma.
The primary results of the sessions was “World in Changes,” a single released in April 1970, followed by the classic Alone Together album in June. The LP peaked within the Top 25, and a second single, Mason’s tackle his own “Only You Know and I Know,” became a Top 40 hit.
While in L.A., Mason struck up a friendship with Cass Elliot, forming a duo that debuted on the Hollywood Bowl after which played the Fillmore East in Latest York, releasing the 1971 album, Dave Mason & Cass Elliot, before Mason briefly attached with a brand new configuration of Traffic for the live album, Welcome to the Canteen, featuring a version of “Feelin’ Alright” and “Sad and Deep as You,” recorded within the U.K.
Mason decided to stay in England after the shows and was an original member of Derek And The Dominos prior to the discharge of the song “Layla,” when he was replaced by Duane Allman after recording several tracks as their second guitarist. “That’s when Eric was pretty fucked up,” said Mason. “And there was just never any rehearsing. I just got bored and returned to the States.”
Legal issues with Blue Note Records had Mason withholding the follow-up to the successful album Alone Together, leading to a lawsuit and the label releasing unauthorized “bootlegs” of the fabric comparable to “Headkeeper” in 1972 and “Dave Mason Is Alive” in 1973. Leaving Blue Note by declaring personal bankruptcy, he was snapped up by Columbia Records and legendary label exec Clive Davis just prior to his own ignominious departure from the label.
The primary album under the arrangement, 1973’s It’s Like You Never Left, included one in all his all-time best ballads, with a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder on the song “The Lonely One,” nevertheless it wasn’t until Let It Flow, released in 1977, that Mason struck paydirt, going platinum on the strength of the hit single, “We Just Disagree,” which peaked at No.12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was later successfully covered by country singer Billy Dean.
In 1979, Mason played himself within the roller disco movie Skatetown, U.S.A. opposite Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Ruth Buzzi and, in his first big screen role, Patrick Swayze, writing and performing two songs, including the film’s theme. His single, “Save Me,” from the 1980 album, Old Crest on a Latest Wave, featured a duet with Michael Jackson.
During this time, Mason was a serious concert attraction, headlining Madison Square Garden and the L.A. Forum before growing taking a break, because of problems with drug and alcohol addiction. He returned to recording with 1987’s “Some Assembly Required,” on the Canadian Maze label (A&M within the U.S.), then attached with Voyager/Mca for Two Hearts later that very same yr. He briefly joined a brand new Fleetwood Mac lineup in 1994 and 1996 for tours and the 1995 album, Time, which included two songs he co-wrote.
In 1997, Mason was scheduled to hitch Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band to perform “Only You Know and I Know,” “We Just Disagree” and “Feelin’ Alright,” but he was dropped from the lineup just before the tour began.
In 2002, a Dave Mason Live at Sunrise DVD was released, as he continued to tour, performing 100 shows a yr together with his 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 released 26 Letters, 12 Notes, his first solo album in greater than 20 years in 2008 and started to release a few of his archival recordings since then, including 2014’s “Future’s Past,” and 2016’s “Traffic Jam,” each featuring recent material and rerecorded versions of his most iconic songs.
Mason was energetic in a lot of philanthropic pursuits, including an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization providing free musical instruments and lessons to public school children throughout the U.S.
He was also a founding board member of Yoga Blue, which is dedicated to teaching yoga and other holistic practices to those recovering from substance abuse. He also was a founding father of Rock Our Vets, a charity helping supply food and clothing to homeless veterans and laptop computers for those aspiring to proceed their education, in addition to a suicide prevention program.