I first heard about him when I went to London during my school break in the summer of 1967. I was staying at a student hostel where I met a young lady who claimed she knew Dave and the other members of a new group that just formed called Traffic. While she was very enthusiastic about the band, she said she didn’t like their first single “Paper Sun “that had just been released in England. I was told not to judge them based on that song.
That first album wasn’t released here until after I came back to the states. It was not a big commercial success, but it showed that great potential. It also showed the vast difference in writing styles between Dave and the rest of the band. It ended up becoming a major issue within the band.
Songs that Mason wrote like “Feelin’ Alright” (later a huge hit for Joe Cocker). “You Can All Join in” and “Hole in My Shoe” were some of Traffic’s best. The rest of the band wanted to go in a different direction, so they did without him.
Even before having his in and out sessions with Traffic, Mason was looking to do other things. In 1968 he was asked to play and sing with Jimi Hendrix on the album ELECTRIC LADYLAND. His acoustic guitar on the Dylan cover “All Along the Watchtower” really added to the success of the song.
That led to sessions with George Harrison and Eric Claton. Those sessions led to all three musicians teaming up with the husband-and-wife duo Delany & Bonnie. It was Dave Mason who wrote the song that became the signature song “Only You Know and I Know” for Delany & Bonnie and Friends.
That song would later appear on the first solo album from Dave Mason ALONE TOGETHER in 1970. It would be certified gold. That was followed by a series of albums that were either gold or Platinum.
Later, when asked by old friend Mick Fleetwood to join Fleetwood Mac, he accepted. They recorded and toured in the mid-nineties and recorded an album called TIME.
Dave Mason proved to be more than a player of the guitar, he became a designer. In 2004 he designed a new style guitar and co-founded RKS Guitars with Ravi Sawhney. The design has won many awards. Among those who used it are Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Don Henley.
Unfortunately, Dave developed a heart condition that forced him to cancel his last tour. It did eventually take his life on April 19, 2026. We thank him for leaving a great musical legacy.
