Dave Mason was a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist who wrote classic rock classics like “Feelin’ Alright?” and “Only You Know and I Know,” and a founding member of the seminal band Traffic before finding success as a solo artist, died Sunday at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada. He passed away at the age of 79.
His death was confirmed by his publicist Melissa Dragic. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Mr. Mason’s version of “Feelin’ Alright?” was originally recorded with Traffic in 1968, but it wasn’t an immediate hit. But the song became a classic rock radio staple, covered by more than 20 stars including Joe Cocker, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Grand Funk Railroad. In 2004, Mr. Mason was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with Traffic.
As a solo artist, Mr. Mason earned three gold albums, including his 1970 solo debut, Alone Together, which contained some of his most acclaimed songs. He also received one platinum set, “Let It Flow.” It was boosted by his top charting single “We Just Disagree” which reached number 12 on Billboard in 1977.
His lead guitar work, featuring great fingering, intense solos, and soulful phrasing, was a consistent feature of his solo career. “I treat the instrument like a voice,” he told Guitar Player Magazine in 1975. “That’s why I picked up the guitar in the first place. To have a way to express myself.”
Mr. Mason also worked as a session musician with famous stars. Added the sound of the shehnai, an Indian reed instrument, to the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man.” He played a 12-string acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.”
He joined an early version of Derek and the Dominos, a band formed by Eric Clapton and Memphis-born keyboardist Bobby Whitlock. And he played guitar on George Harrison’s 1970 album All Things Must Pass and Paul McCartney’s band Wings’ 1975 single Listen to What the Man Said.
Mr. Mason’s career suffered several discouraging downturns, including an unfavorable recording contract, two bankruptcies, and numerous lawsuits. In the 1970s, he fought in court with his former label, Blue Thumb, over ownership of his master recordings. In 2011, he, along with other artists, sued Universal Music Group over digital music royalties.
Mason’s time in Traffic was similarly difficult.
He wrote and sang their biggest hit, “Hole in My Shoe”, for the British version of Traffic’s 1967 debut album, Mr. Fantasy, but was overwhelmed by the spotlight and chose to leave the group after its release. The band’s record company subsequently removed his face from the cover of the U.S. version of the record.
He rejoined the group midway through their second album, simply titled “Traffic”, and wrote or co-wrote several songs. However, despite being a hit in the UK and the US, it was fired soon after its release.
In his 2024 memoir, Only You Know & I Know, Mason recalled that his other co-founder, Steve Winwood, flatly told him, “We don’t like the way you write, we don’t like the way you sing, we don’t like the way you play, and…we don’t want you in the band anymore.”
“I was shocked,” Mason told the Guardian in 2024. “To me, that was the ultimate band.”
Mr. Mason has been associated with Traffic over the years, including a six-date tour of England in 1971 that resulted in the lively live album Welcome to the Canteen. However, he was not asked to stay and years of efforts to reunite the original band failed.
Mr. Mason remained a solo artist, but told Goldmine magazine in 1996 that he never intended to pursue that path.
“I had to continue my career somehow,” he said. “I made a solo album, but I never wanted to be a solo artist.”
David Thomas Mason was born on May 10, 1946 in Worcester, England. His parents, Edward and Nora (Wilson) Mason, owned a candy store. In an interview with Goldmine, he described his childhood in rural Midlands as “a sort of Tom Sawyer, running around in the fields and building rafts and treehouses, but he didn’t talk much.”
He told Guitar Player that his parents weren’t into music, but he became obsessed with the sounds of guitarists he heard on the radio, including Hank Marvin of the British rock band The Shadows.
As a teenager, he begged his father to buy him a guitar and taught himself how to play by imitating the licks he heard on the radio by blues players such as Elmore James and Buddy Guy, and jazz artist George Benson. After forming his own band while still a teenager, he befriended Jim Capaldi, later a member of Traffic, and joined a new group called the Hellions in 1964.
When Mr. Capaldi moved on to other bands, Mr. Mason worked as a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group, whose star was a teenage Steve Winwood. When Mr. Winwood decided to form a more adventurous band, he tapped players he had previously jammed with, including Mr. Capaldi, woodwind players Chris Wood and Mr. Mason.
The quartet, who called themselves Traffic, isolated themselves in the countryside and searched for their sound. “We created a whole lifestyle for ourselves, and that’s where the music came from,” Mason told Goldmine.
Traffic’s debut produced two British hits, “Paper Sun” and “Hole in My Shoe”, but the other band members disliked the pop direction of Mr. Mason’s songs and his tendency to write his own songs while collaborating. Mr. Mason often said he believed the hostility was the result of jealousy.
After breaking up with Traffic, he produced the well-received debut album of British art-rock group Family, before moving to the United States. There he met the duo Delaney and Bonnie, whose soulful music captivated some of British rock’s brightest stars. Mr. Clapton and Mr. Harrison participated in the 1969 tour, as did Mr. Mason.
On one tour date, the concert album “On Tour with Eric Clapton” achieved gold sales. During the tour, Mr. Mason showed Mr. Harrison some lyrical slide guitar moves. He then joined Mr. Clapton’s early band, Derek and the Dominos, but left after a few weeks when sessions stalled.
Following the success of his solo debut, Alone Together, Mr. Mason recorded an adventurous album with friend and former Mamas and Papas member Cass Elliott. Mr. Mason tried to renegotiate his contract with his Blue Thumb label, but negotiations broke down and the tapes he was producing were confiscated. In retaliation, the company released “Head Keeper,” a collection of half-recorded songs that Mr. Mason disowned.
That bad blood inspired Mr. Mason to seek a new contract with Columbia Records. The result was the successful 1973 album It’s Like You Never Left. He then sued Columbia for termination of his contract.
In 1994, Mr. Mason joined Fleetwood Mac and produced their unsuccessful album, Time.
His last solo album, A Shade of Blues, was released in 2023. He then canceled the tour due to poor health.
Mr. Mason is survived by his wife, Winifred Wilson, and his daughter, Danielle Mason, from a previous marriage. Her son, True, from a previous marriage also died in 2006.
Mason told Goldmine that he takes pride in successfully navigating the peaks and troughs of his career.
“I’ve been through four earthquakes, three marriages, two bankruptcies, one major hurricane and survived the music industry,” he said. “That’s a pretty good record.”
Francesca Regalado Contributed to the report.
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