Some people are briefly really important in rock history and made great music that lives on. One such is Dave Mason who made an impact with Traffic, hung out with Hendrix, moved from the UK to the United States in 1971, and lived in the Ojai Valley in California for 16 years, made some truly wonderful albums, stayed on tour in America and still gigs at 78-years-old.
He was a founding member of Traffic, but left following the release of their debut album, Mr. Fantasy (1967), only to rejoin halfway through the sessions for their next album just called Traffic (1968), after which he left again. Make your mind up, Dave. Last Exit (1969), a compilation of odds and ends which was the first Traffic album I owned, 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 the live album, Welcome to the Canteen. In his brief spells with the group, Mason never did quite fit in; 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."
Sounds like a recipe for a split.
Around the late 60s, Dave was a friend of Hendrix who first heard the song "All Along the Watchtower", from Bob Dylan's album John Wesley Harding, with Mason at the apartment of a friend who had acquired a prior release of the album. When Hendrix recorded his own version at Olympic Studios in London, Dave played 12-string acoustic guitar. He also sings backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic". He later recorded his own version of the song for his 1974 album, Dave Mason. He also appears on the Rolling Stones' 1968 album Beggars Banquet, playing on "Street Fighting Man” Dave’s connection with them was Jimmy Miller, who served as producer for the Stones and Traffic.
In 1969–1970, he was in the band that toured with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, along with Eric Clapton and George Harrison. If you’ve heard recordings of that tour you’ll know how great they sounded. He appears on George Harrison's 1970 solo set All Things Must Pass too. In 1970, Mason was set to be the second guitarist for Derek and the Dominos. He played on their early studio sessions, including the Phil Spector production of "Tell the Truth", which was eventually released on Eric Clapton's 1988 box set Crossroads. He also played at their first gig at the London Lyceum but left the group soon after that. He co-wrote the song "Big Thirst" on Oh How We Danced, by Jim Capaldi and played the guitar solo on "Don't Be a Hero".
From ‘68-71 he was everywhere. After Traffic, he initially had a very successful solo career. His first single was "Just for You"; and on the B-side, "Little Woman", he was backed by the band Family, following his production of Family's first album, 1968's Music in a Doll's House.
He released his first solo album in 1970 Alone Together. It’s brilliant. One of the decade's best with some great songs like "Only You Know and I Know", which reached No. 42 on the Billboard chart. The album peaked at #22. A collaboration with Cass Elliot followed in 1971. In the early 1970s Mason enlisted his friend, singer-songwriter Ray Kennedy (who was in KGB later), to tour and write for his next album. In the mid-to late 1970s, he 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 Jim Krueger. The single topped at #12, and other album singles "So High (Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away)" and "Let It Go, Let It Flow" also charted. I remember playing Certified Live, the double live which made #78 in America, but didn’t chart in Britain. In fact, none of his albums charted in the UK and he began to be seen as an American act. I was playing Certified Live all the time when I was 16 because it had some great songs and soloing on and I loved it. I’d have thought that would have made the charts.
His last charting album was 1980s ‘Old Crest On A New Wave #74. Since then he’s made half a dozen albums and some live recordings, playing to people who loved that ‘68-73 period. Five years of brilliance, which still shines brightly.
Dave Mason - Really important in rock history
