Dave Mason, the British singer, songwriter, and guitarist who co-founded the rock band Traffic before launching a solo career, has died. His representative confirmed the news on behalf of Mason’s family, saying he died peacefully at home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on April 19. No cause was given. Mason was 79 years old.
Born in the British county of Worcester, Mason learned guitar playing along to Elmore James, Buddy Guy, and George Benson records on the radio, before co-founding Traffic in 1967. Fronted by singer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood, the band made waves outside of its hometown, scoring UK chart hits with “Paper Sun” and Mason’s own “Hole in My Shoe.” Despite making his way out of and back into the Traffic lineup several times, Mason was a lynchpin of the quartet, writing and performing more breakout hits such as the oft-covered “Feelin’ Alright?,” later picked up by the likes of the Jackson 5, Joe Cocker, and Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Mason left Traffic for personal reasons after the release of 1967 debut Mr. Fantasy, rejoined to write and record several songs for its self-titled follow-up, and was promptly fired due to disagreements with his bandmates. Despite the bad blood, the band invited him to join them on and off for live shows, including the gigs that formed the 1971 live album Welcome to the Canteen.
Mason begrudgingly launched a solo career with the 1970 album Alone Together, which featured musicians including Leon Russell and his Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi. He went on to score a string of Billboard hits for himself and the many artists who covered him. He was also an in-demand collaborator, playing 12-string acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and singing backing vocals on backing vocals on “Crosstown Traffic.” He contributed to records by the Rolling Stones (“Street Fighting Man”) and two post-Beatles projects: George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and Wings’ “Listen to What the Man Said.”
Mason went on to found an electric guitar company, RKS, and toured with Fleetwood Mac in the 1990s. He and Traffic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. The statement on behalf of his family concluded, “Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved.”
In a statement, Winwood shared that Mason’s “songwriting, musicianship and distinctive spirit helped create music that has lasted far beyond its era, and continues to mean so much to listeners around the world.”
