Dave Mason
Dave Mason (born May 10, 1946 in Worcester , England ) is a British musician ( guitar , bass , sitar , mellotron , vocals ).
Career
In 1960 he started playing guitar with local bands Jaguars and Opus To Spring. In 1962 and 1963 he played with the Hellions, in 1964 and 1965 the Revolutions followed. In 1966 he became a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group . He got to know Chris Blackwell from Island Records , through whom he got a place at Traffic in 1967 . He contributed various original compositions for Traffic, including Hole In My Shoe . However, at the end of 1967 there were disagreements between Mason and Steve Winwood over the musical direction of Traffic, which is why he left the band.
In 1968 Mason produced the debut album Music in a Doll's House by Roger Chapman's band Family . He joined Traffic again in March of the same year. His best-known composition Feelin 'Allright , written for Traffic, falls during this period, but it only became a top hit in the cover version of Joe Cocker arranged by rock pianist Chris Stainton . In the fall, Mason separated from Traffic again. He released his first solo single Just for You / Little Woman and was a guest musician on the production of Jimi Hendrix's album Electric Ladyland .
After the short-lived project "Mason, Capaldi, Wood and Frog", Mason moved to the USA in 1969 , where he played with Derek and the Dominos , Cass Elliot , Joe Cocker , David Crosby , Graham Nash and Leon Russell , among others . He also got to know Delaney & Bonnie , to whose backing band Friends he belonged for a while and for which he wrote Only You Know And I Know .
In 1970 he signed a recording contract with Blue Thumb Records , where he released his solo debut Alone Together that same year . With Cass Elliot he recorded the album Dave Mason & Cass Elliot in 1971 , but it flopped. He also participated in Welcome to the Canteen traffic and All Things Must Pass by George Harrison .
In 1972 he put together a backing band made up of Lonnie Turner (bass), Mark Jordan ( keyboard ), Felix Falcon ( percussion ) and Rick Jaeger ( drums ), with whom he recorded the album Headkeeper . On the record, Mason combined elements from gospel , folk , country and rhythm and blues . After Dave Mason Is Alive (1973), there was a disagreement with Blue Thumb Records. With the help of Clive Davis , he got rid of both the label and the legal troubles that came with it.
In the same year he signed with Columbia Records and in December released It's Like You Never Left with guest stars like Graham Nash and Stevie Wonder , which got very good reviews.
This was followed by the albums Dave Mason (1974), Split Coconut (1975), Certified Live (1976), Let It Flow (1977), Mariposa de Oro (1978) and Old Crest on a New Wave (1980), as well as the singles We Just Disagree , Let It Go, Let It Flow and Will You Love Me Tomorrow . From Let It Flow , on which Stephen Stills also played as a guest star, he began to use strings, which sometimes drew negative reviews.
Mason also worked as a studio musician, for example for Paul McCartney , Phoebe Snow , Graham Nash , Bobby Keys and David Blue . He was also featured in an advertisement for Miller beer.
The 87 album Two Hearts , on which he was supported by Phoebe Snow and Steve Winwood, did not make it into the charts at all.
In the fall of 1993 he joined Fleetwood Mac , on whose 1995 production Time he played. He later formed his own band with Rich Campbell (bass) from Three Dog Night , Bobby Scumaci (keyboard) and Frank Reina (drums). He guested with Buddy Guy , Blood, Sweat & Tears and Poco, and toured with Jim Capaldi in 1998 .
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
|||
| 1970 | Alone Together |
US22nd  (25 weeks)US |
|
| 1971 | Dave Mason & Cass Elliot |
US49 (7 weeks) US |
with Cass Elliot
|
| 1972 | Headkeeper |
US51 (14 weeks) US |
|
| 1973 | It's like you never left |
US50 (28 weeks) US |
|
| 1974 | Dave Mason |
US25th (25 weeks)US |
|
| 1975 | Split coconut |
US27 (17 weeks) US |
|
| 1977 | Let it flow |
US37  (49 weeks)US |
|
| 1978 | Mariposa de Oro |
US41 (19 weeks)US |
|
| 1980 | Old Crest on a New Wave |
US74 (10 weeks) US |
More studio albums
- 1987: Two Hearts
- 1987: Some Assembly Required
- 2008: 26 letters - 12 notes
- 2014: Future's Past
Live albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1973 | Dave Mason Is Alive |
US116 (11 weeks) US |
|
| 1976 | Certified Live |
US78 (17 weeks) US |
More live albums
- 1999: Live: The 40,000 Headmen Tour (with Jim Capaldi)
- 2002: Live at Perkins Palace
- 2002: Dave Mason: Live at Sunrise
- 2004: XM Radio
- 2015: Traffic Jam
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1974 | The Best of Dave Mason |
US183 (9 weeks) US |
|
| At his best |
US133 (3 weeks) US |
||
| 1978 | The Very Best of Dave Mason |
US179 (4 weeks) US |
More albums
- 1972: Scrapbook
- 1978: Skatetown, USA
- 1978: California Jam II
- 1981: The Best of Dave Mason
- 1995: Long Lost Friend: The Best of Dave Mason
- 1999: The Ultimate Collection
- 2000: great hits
- 2007: The Definitive Collection
- 2014: The Columbia Years: The Definitive Anthology
EPs
- 2017: Pink Lipstick
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1970 | Only You Know and I Know Alone Together |
US42 (10 weeks) US |
|
| Satin Red and Black Velvet Woman |
US97 (2 weeks) US |
||
| 1977 | So High (Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away) Let It Flow |
US89 (3 weeks) US |
|
| We Just Disagree Let It Flow |
US12 (19 weeks) US |
||
| 1978 | Let It Go, Let It Flow, Let It Flow |
US45 (8 weeks) US |
|
| Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Mariposa de Oro |
US39 (12 weeks) US |
||
| 1980 | Save Me Old Crest on a New Wave |
US71 (3 weeks) US |
with Michael Jackson
|
More singles
- 1968: Just for You
- 1972: To Be Free
- 1978: Mystic Traveler
- 1978: Don't It Make You Wonder
- 1987: Something In The Heart
- 1988: Dreams I Dream (with Phoebe Snow )
Video albums
- 1981: Live at Perkins Palace
- 1992: Best Live 1991 Tokyo
- 2002: Live at Sunrise
- 2008: The Legendary Guitar of Dave Mason
literature
- Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition. St. Martin's Press, New York City, New York 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 446f
Web links
- Dave Mason website (English)
- Dave Mason at Allmusic (English)
- Dave Mason at Discogs (English)
swell
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mason, Dave |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 10, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Worcester , England |