And Coming to Asheville
It isn’t often that a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame plays Asheville, and even less so when it’s someone of the stature of Dave Mason, a genuine member of what might be dubbed Britain’s Rock Royalty.
In a career that has now spanned six decades, Mason has been associated with, and an integral part of music that is historically significant and has withstood the test of time. A child prodigy, Mason’s journey has been as storied and unconventional as his music.
Mason was born May 10, 1944, in Worcester, England and began his professional career, as part of the instrumental group The Jaguars, by his mid teens. The group released a locally distributed single, “Opus to Spring,” in 1963, and it was then that Mason met drummer Jim Capaldi. Capaldi invited Mason to join his band, The Hellions, and the group set about touring the U.K. and Germany while cutting a few obscure and highly collectible singles.
In the spring of 1965 Mason quit The Hellions to enroll in art school but kept in touch with Capaldi, occasionally playing gigs with Capaldi’s other band, the modestly successful Deep Feeling. Looking to earn a few extra dollars he took a job as road manager for the Spencer Davis Group. That group, fronted by 15 year old singer/keyboardist/phenomena Steve Winwood, was headed towards greatness.
Mason would occasionally join them onstage and in the studio, playing guitar and adding backup vocals. When Winwood, whose popularity had come to far outshone that of the band, left Spencer Davis to form the psychedelic pop group Traffic he invited Mason to join him. Drummer Capaldi came along, as did flautist Chris Wood, giving the band a sound unique even for that highly experimental era. The group’s first single was the Winwood/Capaldi composition “Paper Sun,” followed in August 1967 by Mason’s “Hole in My Shoe,” which hit number two in the UK. Mason was a major force in Traffic’s debut album Mr. Fantasy, but as it was being released in late 1967 he abruptly left the band.
He recorded a solo single, “Little Woman,” in early 1968, and then rejoined Traffic. His ambivalence towards the band, and the success it was experiencing, was summed up in his song “Feelin’ Alright?” Released as the first single off the self titled second album, the single did not chart, yet would go on to become Mason’s signature number, particularly after it was covered by Joe Cocker in 1969. Mason left Traffic again, and it broke up shortly afterward in the fall of 1968, as Winwood joined Blind Faith. Meanwhile Mason, Capaldi, and Wood teamed with Mick Weaver in the short-lived Wooden Frog.
Dissatisfied with the British cultural scene as well as its onerous taxation rates, Mason moved to Los Angeles and joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, whom he had met during their acclaimed British tour. In 1970, he signed a solo contract with Blue Thumb Records and released his debut solo album Alone Together, which reached number 22 and went gold in the US, spawning the chart single “Only You Know and I Know.”
Despite this success, he continued to work in group settings, serving temporarily as second guitarist in Derek and the Dominos; recording with both George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix; and forming a duo with singer Cass Elliot. He and Elliot recorded an album, Dave Mason & Cass Elliot, released in February 1971. The LP reached number 49, but they quickly went their separate ways. Mason rejoined a reunited Traffic for a few dates in the summer that resulted in the live album Welcome to the Canteen. He also stayed busy as a session player, adding his brilliant guitar work to albums by Graham Nash, Capaldi, and others.
Meanwhile, Mason was preparing his follow-up to Alone Together, but a contractual disagreement with Blue Thumb led to the company’s assembling the half-studio, half-live Headkeeper, which was released over Mason’s objections. As the legal conflict continued into 1973, Blue Thumb released the tepid live LP Dave Mason Is Alive! also without the artist’s approval. The album, poorly packaged and horribly mixed, was met with lukewarm reviews. Mason found himself perilously close to becoming commercially unviable.
After a settlement he signed to Columbia Records, which released It’s Like You Never Left in October of 1973; despite largely positive reviews it stalled at number 50 on the charts. Mason formed a new band and toured extensively, raising his profile enough that his self titled second Columbia LP reached number 25 and went gold. Split Coconut, released a year later, was another success, getting to number 27.
Mason was soon headlining such major venues as New York’s Madison Square Garden and the Spectrum in Philadelphia. He released another live album-the comprehensive and expertly chosen Certified Live, and appeared to be reaching the commercial success his music deserved. However the worldwide success of Frampton Comes Alive, coupled with audience indifference to the ever growing number of live albums, sank that effort.
Undeterred, Mason reached a new career plateau with his next studio album, Let It Flow, released in April 1977. It reached an early peak at number 37, but stayed in the charts 49 weeks and went platinum on the success of the single “We Just Disagree” (written by backup guitarist, Jim Krueger), which reached number 12. A pair of subsequent singles “So High [Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away]” and “Let It Go, Let It Flow” also charted well.
Mariposa de Oro, Mason’s next album, was released in June 1978, preceded by a cover of the King/Goffin classic “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” it reached number 41 and went gold. But Mason’s fortunes were to soon change.
Two years passed before he released New Crest of an Old Wave.While asolid effort, it lacked the spark of its predecessors; more importantly new wave and punk were taking over the rock world leaving even the most revered 1960s artists considered relics of a past not worth resurrecting. Mason continued to tour and released a slew of modestly successful albums – “Dreams I Dream,” a duet with Phoebe Snow reached number 11 in the adult contemporary charts, but Mason had clearly lost his focus.
He briefly joined a new lineup of Fleetwood Mac, appearing on the dismal 1995 album Time, but left soon after. After a period of reflection, in which he released no new material and toured only sporadically, Mason reteamed with Jim Capaldi for a tour that produced the 1999 album Live: The 40,000 Headman Tour. Buoyed by its modest success, Mason began to embrace his past in ways he’d previously ignored. During the 1970s he rarely performed any Traffic material, but his renewed association with Capaldi, who unfortunately passed away in January of 2005, seemed to reawaken his creative flow.
In 2008 he released 26 Letters 12 Notes, his first studio album in nearly two decades. Highly praised in Rapid River, it was an unexpected return to form, a reminder that Dave Mason was and remains a central force in British rock. While he once seemed apathetic or even hostile to his legacy, Mason has in recent years embraced it, feeling comfortable about his contributions to music and where it has taken him. He’s currently fronting his Traffic Jam band, a tribute to his early roots with a hit laden set list that covers all aspects of his amazing career.
His touring band – drummer Alvino Bennett, keyboardist Tony Patler, and guitarist Johnnie Sambataro – are all seasoned vets who bring their own talents to the stage. After 60 years in music, Dave Mason is still feeling alright, a man at peace with his past, who looks eagerly into the future.
If You Go: Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam, Saturday, November 8. Doors open at 7 for this limited seating 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $28 in advance. The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. (828) 398-1837, www.theorangepeel.net.
