Dave Mason, the highly influential British guitarist, vocalist and founding member of the psychedelic rock band Traffic, has passed away at the age of 79, Variety reports.
His publicist confirmed the news but did not disclose a specific cause of death. The celebrated musician had recently battled ill health which forced the cancellation of his tour last year.
A 2004 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside his original Traffic bandmates, Mason leaves behind a staggering musical legacy. He penned some of the group’s most enduring tracks including «Hole in My Shoe» and the universally beloved anthem «Feelin’ Alright».
Beyond his foundational work with Traffic, he cultivated a successful solo career in the 1970s and served as a highly sought-after session player for industry giants such as Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and the Rolling Stones.
The birth of traffic
Born in Worcester in 1946, Mason plunged into the professional music circuit during his teenage years. He released his debut single with the instrumental group the Jaguars in 1963, where he first crossed paths with future Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi. After a stint as the road manager for the Spencer Davis Group, Mason joined forces with a young Steve Winwood, Capaldi and flautist Chris Wood to form Traffic in March 1967.
The quartet famously retreated to a rustic Berkshire cottage to hone their distinctive sound for their debut album Mr. Fantasy. Mason brought unconventional instrumentation to the fold, famously laying down the sitar on their breakthrough track «Paper Sun». While «Hole in My Shoe» soared to number two on the British charts, his composition «Feelin’ Alright» would go on to achieve massive global fame when it was definitively covered by Joe Cocker in 1969.
The elite sideman
Dave Mason possessed a somewhat turbulent, on-again-off-again relationship with Traffic and initially departed the lineup in 1968. He quickly transitioned into an elite hired gun for rock and roll royalty.
His intricate guitar work and vocal harmonies can be heard across several iconic records from the era. Mason played on the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet and featured heavily on Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, providing the memorable 12-string acoustic guitar rhythm on «All Along the Watchtower» and backing vocals on «Crosstown Traffic».
By the end of the decade, he was touring with the American duo Delaney & Bonnie. This networking led to vital contributions on George Harrison’s masterpiece All Things Must Pass and a brief stint as a member of Eric Clapton’s Derek & the Dominos.
Solo success and Fleetwood Mac
Forging ahead as a solo artist, Dave Mason released a string of albums throughout the following decades and collaborated with stars like Michael Jackson, Cass Elliot and Leon Russell. He struck gold in the United States with his 1974 self-titled record and secured a massive chart hit in 1977 with a cover of Jim Krueger’s «We Just Disagree» from the album Let It Flow.
In 1990s, he briefly joined a revamped version of Fleetwood Mac. Following the departure of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, Mason joined the legendary group alongside Bekka Bramlett, appearing on their 1995 studio album Time and participating in the subsequent tour.
Dave Mason is survived by his wife Winifred Wilson and his daughter Danielle. He was preceded in death by his son True and his sister Valerie Leonard.
