Dave Mason, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who found fame as the co-founder of Traffic in the 1960s and went on to a successful solo career in the ’70s and beyond, died Sunday at age 79 at his home in Gardnerville, Nev. No cause of death was given.
Mason’s most famous songs include “Feelin’ Alright?,” which he wrote and sang for Traffic, and his solo hits “Only You Know and I Know” and “We Just Disagree.”
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dave Mason,” said a statement from his press representative. “On Sunday, April 19, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, celebrated songwriter, musician, singer, and author passed away peacefully at his home in Gardnerville, NV. … Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved.”
Mason was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the other original members of Traffic in 2004.
He also put in ample time working with other musicians on recording projects, including playing on Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland,” George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and fellow Traffic member Jim Capaldi’s “Oh How We Danced,” along with a cameo on the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man.”
The most curious turn in his career came in the 1990s when he briefly became a member of Fleetwood Mac, appearing on the 1995 album “Time” and on tour along with Bekka Bramlett — the daughter of his earlier collaborators Delaney & Bonnie — during a period when Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had left the group. The revised lineup found disfavor among many Fleetwood Mac fans, and Buckingham and Nicks rejoined for a reunion of the “classic” lineup two years later.
Mason is survived by his wife, Winifred Wilson, and his daughter, Danielle. He was preceded in death by his son, True, and his sister, Valerie Leonard.
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From Variety US