Dave Mason


David Thomas Mason is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock band Traffic. 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 for Delaney 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 and adult contemporary radio playlists.
After leaving Traffic he pursued a solo career and recorded with such artists as George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and Cass Elliot.
In 2004, Mason started a new electric guitar company with business partner and industrial designer Ravi Sawhney, the same year as he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Traffic.

Musical career

Traffic

Mason's tenure with Traffic was disjointed. He was a founding member of the group, but left following the release of their debut album, Mr. Fantasy, only to rejoin halfway through the sessions for their next album, Traffic, after which he left again. Last Exit, 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 on Welcome to the Canteen. In his brief spells with the group, Mason wrote alone; Steve Winwood later recalled, "We all 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."

Session work

Mason did some session work on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland, playing 12-string acoustic guitar on "All Along the Watchtower", and backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic". He plays the Shehnai and bass drum on "Street Fighting Man" on the Rolling Stones' 1968 album Beggars Banquet.
In 1969–1970, Mason toured with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, along with Eric Clapton and George Harrison. Mason appears on George Harrison's 1970 solo set All Things Must Pass. In 1970, Mason played on early studio sessions for Derek and the Dominos, including the Phil Spector production of "Tell the Truth", which was released on Eric Clapton's 1988 box set Crossroads. He played at their first gig at the London Lyceum but left the group soon after that. For fellow Traffic member Jim Capaldi's 1971 album Oh How We Danced, he co-wrote "Big Thirst" and played harmonica, and played the guitar solo on "Don't Be a Hero".

Solo career

After Traffic, Mason pursued a solo career. His first single was "Just for You". On the B-side, he was backed by the band Family on "Little Woman" following his production of Family's first album, 1968's Music in a Doll's House. In 1970, he released his first solo album, Alone Together featuring "Only You Know and I Know", as well as the lesser hit "Look at You, Look at Me". A collaboration with Cass Elliot followed in 1971.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Mason toured and recorded with guitarist Jim Krueger, keyboardist Mike Finnigan, bassist Gerald 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 " and "Let It Go, Let It Flow" also charted in the U.S. Mason's next album was Mariposa 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 film Skatetown, U.S.A., performing two songs in a roller disco as well as writing and performing the film's theme song.
In 1980, Mason released Old 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 and Two Hearts on MCA Records. The latter album featured the single "Dreams I Dream," a duet with Phoebe Snow that reached No. 11 in the adult contemporary charts.
In 1980 he appeared alongside the singer Bonnie Pointer, in The American Música Awards in the 1980.

In 1997, Mason was scheduled to be a member of Ringo 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 DVD Dave Mason: Live at Sunrise, a recording of a live performance at the Sunrise Musical Theater in Sunrise, Florida, backed by Bobby Scumaci on keyboards, Johnne Sambataro on rhythm guitar, John Lundahl on rhythm guitar, Richard Campbell on bass, and Greg Babcock on drums.
In 2004, Mason expanded his career beyond music by co-founding RKS Guitars with industrial designer Ravi Sawhney. Their partnership aimed to reinvent the electric guitar through sustainable materials and modular 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 of Tenite, 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 the Industrial Designers Society of America, and was featured in publications including BusinessWeek. The project was also the subject of a case study by the Harvard Business Review.
RKS Guitars were played by a range of acclaimed musicians, including Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Don Felder, and Rick Springfield. For their contributions to industrial design and innovation in music, both Mason and Sawhney were awarded honorary doctorates from the Academy of Art University.
In 2008, Mason released his first studio album in more than 20 years, titled 26 Letters 12 Notes. He followed up with another album in 2014 called Future's Past.
As of 2018, Mason continued to perform in the US, including a 2018 tour with Steve Cropper.

Tenure in Fleetwood Mac

For a brief period in the mid-1990s, Mason joined Fleetwood Mac and released the album Time with them, in 1995. He toured with them over the course of 1994–95, including opening for REO Speedwagon and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Health problems and retirement from touring

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. He further clarified in his statement that he was not retiring from music altogether and would continue to release new material.

Personal life

Mason moved permanently to the United States in 1971, and lived in the Ojai, California Valley for 16 years. As of September 2017 he had homes in Carson City, Nevada and Hawaii.

Philanthropy

Mason is a proponent of music education for children. In 2005, he became an official supporter of Little 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.
Mason and his longtime friend Ted Knapp founded Rock Our Vets, an all-volunteer 5013 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. The charity has focused on providing food and clothing to homeless veterans, laptop computers for veterans aspiring to continue their education, as well as suicide prevention.

Discography

Solo

Studio albums

Live albums

  • 1973: Dave Mason Is Alive – US No. 116
  • 1976: Certified Live – US No. 78
  • 1999: Live: The 40,000 Headmen Tour
  • 2002: Live at Perkins Palace
  • 2002: Dave Mason: Live at Sunrise
  • 2004: XM Radio
  • *Reissued with bonus tracks in 2007 as Dave Mason Live at XM Satellite Radio
  • 2015: ''Traffic Jam''

    Compilation albums

  • 1972: Scrapbook the only album that includes "Just for You" and "Little Woman"
  • 1974: The Best of Dave Mason – US No. 183
  • 1974: Dave Mason at His Best – US No. 133
  • 1978: Very Best of Dave Mason – US No. 179
  • 1978: Skatetown, U.S.A.
  • *soundtrack to the motion picture of the same name; Mason performs "Main Theme", "I Fell in Love", and "Feelin' Alright"
  • 1978: California Jam II
  • *recorded live at the music festival of the same name; Mason performs "Let it Go, Let it Flow" and "We Just Disagree"
  • 1981: The Best of Dave Mason
  • 1995: Long Lost Friend: The Best of Dave Mason
  • 1999: The Ultimate Collection
  • 2000: Super Hits
  • 2007: The Definitive Collection
  • 2014: ''The Columbia Years: The Definitive Anthology''