Dave Mason

Dave Mason, born in Worcester in 1946, first made his name in 1967 as a founding member of Traffic, writing and singing two of their best-loved songs, "Hole in My Shoe" and "Feelin' Alright?" He didn't stay put for long. By 1970 he was out on his own with Alone Together, a loose, sunny, rootsy record that carries "Only You Know And I Know", the song Delaney & Bonnie would make their signature.

Mason turned into one of rock's great utility men, a guitarist everybody wanted in the room. He recorded with Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Wings, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Winwood, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Leon Russell, Cass Elliot and even Michael Jackson, and he's counted as a member of Derek and the Dominos.

His solo high point came in 1977 with Let It Flow and "We Just Disagree", a gentle, grown-up soft-rocker that became a fixture of classic hits and adult contemporary radio in America. In 2004 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Traffic and, the same year, started an electric guitar company with the industrial designer Ravi Sawhney. He died in April 2026.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.