R.I.P. Dave Mason: Traffic co-founder dead at 79

Traffic co-founder Dave Mason died last weekend, as confirmed by a representative: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dave Mason. 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, Nevada. Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved.” Mason was 79 years old. No cause of death has been revealed. 

Mason was famous for “Feelin’ Alright?,” a song he wrote and sang for Traffic, along with a chain of solo hits, including “We Just Disagree,” which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He was a member of Traffic from 1967-68, 1971, and in 2004. He was an admired session player, appearing on Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man,” and even made a collaborative album with Mama Cass Elliot. Mason also attended early Derek and the Dominoes studio sessions and co-wrote on his Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi’s 1971 album Oh How We Danced. Mason was briefly a member of Fleetwood Mac (when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham weren’t members), appearing on the 1995 album Time and touring with the group between 1994-95. Between 1970 and 2023, he released 15 studio albums, including Alone Together and Let It Flow. Mason and his Traffic bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

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