In music, there are unquestioned legendary artists: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Hank Williams, LL Cool J, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, James Brown, Dolly Parton Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Z, et al.
Best known for his time in the band Traffic with Steve Winwood as well as his solo work, if Dave Mason isn’t right there, he sure as heck is nipping on their heels.
The 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has played and recorded with Fleetwood Mac, McCartney, George Harrison, the Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, Michael Jackson, Cass Elliot, David Crosby, Leon Russell and countless more. Mason authored the timeless classic song “Feelin’ Alright,” that was initially recorded by Traffic in 1968 and one year later made into a huge hit by the late Joe Cocker. He also wrote Traffic’s “Hole in My Shoe” and had enormous solo hits “We Just Disagree” and “Only You Know and I Know.”
Having penned more than 100 songs and released three gold records—Mason kicks of Season 5 of The Load Out music podcast with a memorable conversation.
“If you’re really passionate about the path you’re taking, then you do it to the exclusion of everything,” Mason tells The Load Out.
“There’s musicians that are far more brilliant than I am,” Mason continues. “I always did a lot with a little. ‘Feeling Alright’ is just a two chord song. A lot of it is luck; just being in the right place at the right time. I can’t really give you one reason why, it just happened to be that way.”
“Especially in the early days in England because there really was one place. When it comes to music centers in America, where music was being made, you had San Francisco, LA, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York, Muscle Shoals, Nashville. You had seven major centers where music was being made. In England, you had one. It was London. So, you were going to run into everybody.”
In our conversation, we covered the span of his career beginning with Traffic—and on-again, off-again partnership with Winwood and Jim Capaldi—and moves through his time working with music legends and his long solo career until present day.
All the while, Mason still sees himself as a simple “country boy” from the UK, just doing his thing. And that “thing” is being on the road—he’s always been a tireless road warrior—which is where he finds himself now (tour schedule here) accompanied by guitarist Johnne Sambataro, Mark Stein (of Vanilla Fudge fame) on keys, Ray Cardwell on bass, and drummer Marty Fera.
This summer, Mason drops what is sure to be a fascinating new memoir, “Only You Know and I Know,” and a new blues album, A Shade of Blues.
So, if you’re a music lover and want to hear the legends of the industry from a legend himself, sit back and enjoy an amazing kickoff to Season 5 of the Load Out music podcast with Dave Mason.