Dave Mason | |
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 Mason in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | David Thomas Mason (1946-05-10)10 May 1946 (age 79) Worcester, England |
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| Years active | 1966–present |
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| Formerly of | |
| Website | davemasonmusic |
David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946)[3] is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist fromWorcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock bandTraffic.[4] While with Traffic, he wrote and sang lead vocals on two of the band's most famous songs, "Hole in My Shoe" and "Feelin' Alright?". His song "Only You Know and I Know" became a signature song forDelaney and Bonnie, and "We Just Disagree", Mason's 1977 solo U.S. hit, written by Jim Krueger, has become a staple of U.S.classic hits andadult contemporary radio playlists.[5][6]
After leaving Traffic he became a session musician, recording forGeorge Harrison,the Rolling Stones,Jimi Hendrix,Eric Clapton,Michael Jackson,David Crosby,Graham Nash,Steve Winwood,Fleetwood Mac,Delaney & Bonnie,Leon Russell, andCass Elliot.
In 2004, Mason started a new electric guitar company with business partner and industrial designerRavi Sawhney,[7] the same year as he was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Traffic.[8]
Mason's tenure withTraffic was disjointed. He was a founding member of the group, but left following the release of their debut album,Mr. Fantasy (1967), only to rejoin halfway through the sessions for their next album,Traffic (1968), after which he left again.Last Exit (1969), a compilation of odds and ends, features little material by Mason apart from his song "Just for You".
Traffic later re-formed without Mason, although he briefly began working with the band for a third time, touring with them in 1971 and playing onWelcome to the Canteen. In his brief spells with the group, Mason wrote alone; Steve Winwood later recalled, "We all [Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood] tended to write together, but Mason would come in with a complete song that he was going to sing and tell us all what he expected us to play. No discussion, like we were his backing group."[9]
Mason did some session work onJimi Hendrix'sElectric Ladyland (Sept 1968),[10] playing12-string acoustic guitar on "All Along the Watchtower", and backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic".[11] He plays theShehnai andbass drum on "Street Fighting Man" on the Rolling Stones' 1968 albumBeggars Banquet.[12][13]
In 1969–1970, Mason toured withDelaney and Bonnie and Friends, along withEric Clapton andGeorge Harrison. Mason appears on George Harrison's 1970 solo setAll Things Must Pass. In 1970, Mason played on early studio sessions forDerek and the Dominos, including the Phil Spector production of "Tell the Truth", which was released onEric Clapton's 1988 box setCrossroads. He played at their first gig at theLondon Lyceum but left the group soon after that.[citation needed] For fellow Traffic memberJim Capaldi's 1971 albumOh How We Danced, he co-wrote "Big Thirst" and played harmonica, and played the guitar solo on "Don't Be a Hero".[14]
After Traffic, Mason pursued a moderately successful solo career. His first single was "Just for You". On the B-side, he was backed by the bandFamily on "Little Woman" following his production of Family's first album, 1968'sMusic in a Doll's House (which included the original Mason song "Never Like This"). In 1970, he released his first solo album,Alone Together[15] featuring "Only You Know and I Know" (which reached No. 42 on theBillboard chart), as well as the lesser hit "Look at You, Look at Me". A collaboration withCass Elliot followed in 1971. In the early 1970s, Mason enlisted his friend, singer-songwriterRay Kennedy, to tour and write for his next album.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Mason toured and recorded with guitarist Jim Krueger, keyboardistMike Finnigan, bassistGerald Johnson and drummer Rick Jaeger. Mason followed up with the album,Let It Flow, released in April 1977. The album peaked at only No. 37, but was in the charts for 49 weeks and went platinum as a result of the success of the album single "We Just Disagree", which was written by Krueger. The single reached No. 12, and other album singles "So High (Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away)" and "Let It Go, Let It Flow" also charted in the U.S. Mason's next album wasMariposa de Oro, released in 1978. The album contained a cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", which became a Top 40 single. The album itself reached No. 41 and went gold. Mason played himself in the filmSkatetown, U.S.A., performing two songs in a roller disco as well as writing and performing the film's theme song.
In 1980, Mason releasedOld Crest on a New Wave. The album stalled at No. 74, and had one single make the charts titled "Save Me." The failure of the album resulted in Mason leaving his label Columbia. Mason struggled to attract another major label but continued to tour in an acoustic duo with Krueger. In 1987, he released two albums,Some Assembly Required on the Canadian label Maze Records andTwo Hearts onMCA Records. The latter album featured the single "Dreams I Dream," a duet withPhoebe Snow that reached No. 11 in the adult contemporary charts.[16]
In 1980 he appeared alongside the singerBonnie Pointer, in The American Música Awards in the 1980.
In 1997, Mason was scheduled to be a member ofRingo Starr & His All-Starr Band, performing "Only You Know and I Know," "We Just Disagree" and "Feelin' Alright," but he was dropped from rehearsals before the tour started.
In 1998, Mason reunited with his former Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi for The 40,000 Headmen Tour, with a live album following the tour. In 2002, he released the DVDDave Mason: Live at Sunrise, a recording of a live performance at the Sunrise Musical Theater inSunrise, Florida,[17] backed by Bobby Scumaci on keyboards,Johnne Sambataro on rhythm guitar (who rejoined Mason for the DVD, after previously touring with him in 1978), John Lundahl on rhythmguitar, Richard Campbell on bass, and Greg Babcock on drums.
In 2004, Mason expanded his career beyond music by co-founding RKS Guitars with industrial designerRavi Sawhney. Their partnership aimed to reinvent the electric guitar through sustainable materials andmodular design. The RKS system featured a neck-through-body core, interchangeable body shells, and structural ribs made from aluminum or wood. A notable innovation was the use ofTenite, a cellulose-based plastic derived from farmed cottonwood trees and wood by-products, making it one of the earliest sustainable electric guitars.
The design garnered industry acclaim, earning two Silver IDEA Awards from theIndustrial Designers Society of America,[18] and was featured in publications includingBusinessWeek.[19] The project was also the subject of a case study by theHarvard Business Review.[20]
RKS Guitars were played by a range of acclaimed musicians, includingKeith Richards,Mick Jagger,Ronnie Wood,Don Felder, andRick Springfield. For their contributions to industrial design and innovation in music, both Mason and Sawhney were awarded honorary doctorates from theAcademy of Art University.[21]
In 2008, Mason released his first studio album in more than 20 years, titled26 Letters 12 Notes. He followed up with another album in 2014 calledFuture's Past.
As of 2018, Mason continued to perform in the US, including a 2018 tour withSteve Cropper.[22][23]
For a brief period in the mid-1990s, Mason joinedFleetwood Mac and released the albumTime with them, in 1995. He toured with them over the course of 1994–95, including opening forREO Speedwagon andCrosby, Stills & Nash.[24]
In 2024, Mason announced the cancellation of all of his 2025 tour dates due to "ongoing health challenges." Though he originally planned to reschedule these dates, he stated in September 2025 that he had scrapped them, and subsequently announced his retirement from touring.[25] He further clarified in his statement that he was not retiring from music altogether and would continue to release new material.[26]
Mason moved permanently to the United States in 1971, and lived in theOjai Valley in California for 16 years. As of September 2017 he had homes inCarson City, Nevada andHawaii.[27]
Mason is a proponent of music education for children. In 2005, he became an official supporter ofLittle Kids Rock, a non-profit organisation that provides free musical instruments and lessons to children in American public schools. He is an honorary member of the organisation's board of directors.[citation needed]
Mason also is a founding board member of Yoga Blue, a non-profit organisation devoted to teachingyoga and other holistic practices to those recovering fromsubstance abuse and other self-destructive disorders.[citation needed]
Mason and his longtime friend Ted Knapp have founded Rock Our Vets, an all-volunteer501(c)3 charity supported by many other musicians, helping military veterans and the families of law enforcement and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.[28] The charity has focused on providing food and clothing tohomeless veterans, laptop computers for veterans aspiring to continue their education, as well assuicide prevention.
| Year | Album | US[29] | CAN[30] | Certification | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Alone Together | 22 | 24 |
| Blue Thumb Records |
| 1971 | Dave Mason & Cass Elliot | 49 | — | Blue Thumb Records | |
| 1972 | Headkeeper | 50 | — | Blue Thumb Records | |
| 1973 | It's Like You Never Left | 25 | — | Columbia Records | |
| 1974 | Dave Mason | 27 | 31 |
| Columbia Records |
| 1975 | Split Coconut | 37 | 85 | Columbia Records | |
| 1977 | Let It Flow | 41 | 36 |
| Columbia Records |
| 1978 | Mariposa de Oro | 74 | 46 |
| Columbia Records |
| 1980 | Old Crest on a New Wave | 74 | — | Columbia Records | |
| 1987 | Two Hearts | — | — | MCA Records | |
| 1987 | Some Assembly Required | — | — | Chumley Records | |
| 2008 | 26 Letters - 12 Notes | — | — | Out the Box/Sony | |
| 2014 | Future's Past | — | — | Something-Music | |
| 2017 | Pink Lipstick (EP) | — | — | Barham Productions | |
| 2020 | Alone Together, Again | — | — | Barham Productions | |
| 2023 | A Shade Of Blues | — | — | Barham Productions |
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