Dave Mason, Rock Legend and Traffic Co-Founder, Dies

The Singer-Songwriter Was 79

Frank Mastropolo

It is sad to note the passing of Dave Mason, the co-founder of Traffic who performed with many of the superstars of his generation. Mason died April 19, at his home in Nevada. Mason was 79.

“Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved,” read a statement about his passing.

Dave Mason published a cornucopia of backstage stories and unresolved feuds in his 2024 book Only You Know and I Know, also the title of his 1970 hit. In it, Mason takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through his career recording and performing with George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

Mason’s biggest success as a solo artist was 1977’s “We Just Disagree,” but most fans discovered Mason as the founding member of Traffic with singer-keyboardist Winwood, saxophonist Chris Wood and drummer Jim Capaldi. Wood died in 1983 and Capaldi in 2005. Mason’s stories behind his revolving-door relationship with the band are just some of the highlights of the memoir.

In a wide-ranging interview in late 2020, the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee spoke with us about the genesis of his signature song, “Feelin’ Alright?” 

Mason explained why he quit Traffic at the peak of the band’s success; described working as an early member of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and Derek & the Dominos; and discussions with Hendrix about replacing bassist Noel Redding in the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Steve Winwood was already a star with the Spencer Davis Group in 1967 when the members of newly-formed Traffic gathered at a rustic British cottage in Berkshire to determine their musical direction.

How did the creative process work at Berkshire Cottage? Did the songwriter call the shots on his song, such as who did the vocals and solos?

We really didn’t know what we were gonna do, whether it was going to be mostly centered around Winwood. We had no idea. We just started trying to be original if we could.

And I guess Jim and Steve developed their great partnership, writing-wise, Jim did all the lyrics and Winwood the music. Then I just started writing. Just to see what I could come up with. So that’s basically how it started.

With Winwood coming out of the Spencer Davis Group with their hits, did his opinion carry more weight than those of the other guys?

Well, his opinion, as you may have read in the book, his opinion counted for everything.

Mason became friends with Jimi Hendrix, a fan of Traffic, who invited him to the recording session for “All Along the Watchtower.” With Mitch Mitchell of the Experience on drums, Hendrix on acoustic six-string and Mason on acoustic twelve-string, the song’s basic track was recorded at London’s Olympic Studios. At another session with Hendrix, Mason sang on “Crosstown Traffic.”

Take me inside what a recording session with Hendrix is like. How did he work with other people?

In the beginning there, he wasn’t really working with any other people other than just Mitch and Noel. So I just struck up a sort of little mutual friendship, music-wise. Basically, I was lucky enough to get invited to a session.

But pretty much it’s the same as any other session. “Here’s the song, here’s what we’re gonna do, here’s what I’m thinking and let’s try this.” Just like it would be with any session, really.

With Jimi of course, he had a pretty good idea of what he was going to try and achieve before getting into it. On his stuff, I just played what he wanted. So that’s basically how that worked.

Despite his abrupt departure from the band, Mason visited one of Traffic’s recording sessions in New York as they were preparing their 1968 self-titled second album. The band explained that they only had five new songs, not enough to complete the album. When Mason offered that he had written five songs, they put their differences aside and reunited. It was a fortuitous move for the group; two of Mason’s songs were “You Can All Join In,” the opening track, and “Feelin’ Alright?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDVS0tW39E4

You reunited with Traffic and contributed five songs to the album including “Feelin’ Alright?” I’d think they would have hung onto you like grim death, but they soon fired you. Did anyone ever explain why this happened?

Probably jealousy, I guess. I would have to say that probably I took much spotlight away from Winwood.

But you were handing them gold.

That didn’t really seem to matter to him. As I wrote, he’s the one that said, “I don’t like the way you sing, I don’t like the way you write, I don’t like the way you play. I don’t want you in the band.”

I laid it out pretty specifically. In answer to your question, I never had a real answer to that so I wouldn’t know. But I can only assume that’s what he did.

Do you think drugs helped or hurt your songwriting and playing?

[Laughs] In the end, both. Maybe initially it helped, maybe in the end it was a path to nowhere.

In 1997, Mason was scheduled to tour with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band along with Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker and others. Mason writes that band members were originally told they would travel on Starr’s private plane. Things soured when band members learned they would travel by bus most of the time.

At the end of rehearsals, Mason planned to fly to Philadelphia for a prescheduled concert and return for the start of the tour. That did not sit well with Starr and Mason was fired before the tour began.

I watched what felt like 75 hours of the Beatles’ Get Back and despite all the arguing, nobody fought with Ringo. How did you end up fighting with Ringo?

I was going on that tour and I let everybody know that on the last day, I’m gonna have to leave because I have a concert. And I have a redeye flight to Philadelphia. And Ringo kept saying to me, “Well, cancel it.” I said, “Well, great, pay me for the show and I’ll cancel it.”

It went around and around and around and when I went to my flight everybody started freaking out. “Oh Dave, you can’t leave!” I said, “I have a contract, I have to fulfill it.” And they were like, “You need to talk to him.” I said, “Well, why? He said what he said.” They said, “Call him.”

So I spoke to him while I was in Philadelphia, he got on the phone and he just started getting louder and louder. He said, “You’re in my fucking band!” I had to hang the phone up on him. Fuck you.

He flipped out over that shit. I mean, come on, guy, he’s the luckiest drummer in the fucking world.

I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone fighting with Ringo.

He’s a dick! He’s a fucking dick! I don’t care whether he’s a Beatle or not. He’s a dick.

Some will be surprised to learn you joined Fleetwood Mac in 1993. How did that happen?

Mick Fleetwood wanted to put something together. The whole band had broken up. He wanted to put the best of Mac back together and he asked me if I’d join. So I was with him for two years. And we did an album called Time. Christine McVie was on the album but wouldn’t go on the road.

You wrote that Jim Capaldi, on his deathbed, made Winwood promise not to re-form Traffic. Why do you think he would say that?

Pretty Machiavellian, if you ask me [laughs]. It’s pretty bizarre. It’s pretty fucked up, is what it is. I’d known Jim since I was really young.

You performed in the era of the ’70s sensitive singer-songwriters. Were those guys really as sensitive as they came across?

They’re all sensitive! We’re all sensitive! [Laughs]. All guys are sensitive.

You crossed paths musically with Crosby, Stills & Nash, who were often breaking up and reuniting. Was there ever a mention of you joining one or more of them in a band?

There was a mild possibility of it happening in the very beginning. I knew Graham and I spent a lot of time with them when they were rehearsing when they were putting it all together in L.A. It could have happened.

I spent a lot of time with Stills. We recorded a version of “Only You Know and I Know.” Could have been, maybe, coulda, shoulda, woulda.

Have you crossed paths with Clapton since you played with him?

No. I’m pissed he hasn’t put me on [the guitar festival] Crossroads [laughs].

Let’s do a lightning round. What’s the first thing you bought when you got your first big check?

A car. A Daimler.

What style of music gives you a headache to listen to?

Rap.

A song of yours that more people should have listened to.

All of them!

When you worked with George and Paul, did you pepper them with Beatles questions?

No, there are no Beatles questions to ask them. I was hangin’ out with them at the time. I spent time with them, early on, I’d go down to Abbey Road when they were recording. It was a great time.

Did you realize that at the time?

It was just the life I was living. It was the world I was in.

An edited version of this interview appeared in Rock Cellar.

Frank Mastropolo is the author of Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever. For more on our latest projects, visit Edgar Street Books.