Dave Mason, the UK musician best known for his time with the classic rock institution Traffic, has passed away. According to the social media announcement, Mason died peacefully in his sleep at home in Gardnerville, Nevada on Sunday. No cause of death has been reported. Mason was 79.
David Thomas Mason grew up in the English city of Worcester, where his parents owned a candy store. He taught himself to play guitar as a teenager, and he and future Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi formed a group called the Hellions in 1964. After that group broke up, Mason became a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group. When Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in 1967, he got together with Mason, Capaldi, and woodwind player Chris Wood to form the psychedelic blues-rock band Traffic.
Dave Mason played guitar and sometimes sang lead in Traffic. The band signed with Island Records, and their first two singles, "Paper Sun" and "Hole In My Shoe," where major UK hits. Mason wrote and sang lead on "Hole In My Shoe," which went all the way to #2, but he left the band shortly after the release of their 1967 debut album Mr. Fantasy. He didn't get along well with the other members of the band, and he wasn't comfortable with the spotlight.
Mason rejoined Traffic a few times over the years, playing on their 1968 self-titled album, their 1969 collection Last Exit, and their 1971 live album Welcome To The Canteen. Mason wrote Traffic's 1968 single "Feelin' Alright?," which wasn't a major hit at the time of its release but which became much better-known after Joe Cocker covered it in 1969. Over time, "Feelin' Alright?" became a radio staple, and tons of other artists recorded their own versions, including Gladys Knight & The Pips, the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, and Grand Funk Railroad. Steve Winwood ultimately fired Mason from Traffic, and he didn't play in any of the band's later incarnations.
After splitting from Traffic for the first time, Mason moved to the US and become part of the backing band for the singers Delaney And Bonnie, a group that also included George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Mason played in the earliest incarnation of Capton's band Derek And The Dominoes, though he left after only a few sessions. Mason also did session work on some classic songs from that era, playing on Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along The Watchtower," the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man," and Harrison's All Things Must Pass album.
Mason released his solo debut Alone Together in 1970. His song "Only You And I Know" was a minor hit that became more popular after Delaney And Bonnie covered it in 1971. Mason also recorded a collaboration with former Mamas And The Papas singer Cass Elliot, but his solo career hit some serious snags when he got into legal disputes with his label. He had later problems with later labels and never became a solo star. His biggest solo hit was "We Just Diagree," a smooth rocker that came out in 1977.
Mason continued to release solo music over the decades, and he briefly joined Fleetwood Mac in the mid-'90s, playing on the 1995 album Time. In 2004, Mason co-founded the guitar company RKS Guitars, and he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of Traffic. In 2023, he released his final album A Shade Of Blues, and he published his memoir Only You & I Know one year later. In the last few years, he canceled touring plans for health reasons.
Below, check out some of Dave Mason's work.
