{"id":723194,"date":"2026-04-22T07:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T04:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/dave-mason-traffic-co-founder-and-we-just-disagree-singer-dies-at-79\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T07:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T04:35:14","slug":"dave-mason-traffic-co-founder-and-we-just-disagree-singer-dies-at-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/dave-mason-traffic-co-founder-and-we-just-disagree-singer-dies-at-79\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Mason, Traffic Co-Founder and \u201cWe Just Disagree\u201d Singer, Dies at 79"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n\tDave Mason, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who first found fame with Traffic and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band, died Sunday. He was 79.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOn behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news<\/a> of the passing of Dave Mason,\u201d said a statement from the family shared with Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>. \u201cDave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and people he loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNo cause of death was given. <\/p>\n

\n\tMason, who co-founded Traffic and wrote one of their best-known songs, \u201cFeelin\u2019 Alright,\u201d later a hit for Joe Cocker, scored his own solo U.S. hit in 1977 with \u201cWe Just Disagree,\u201d co-written with Jim Krueger.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe recorded and performed with the likes of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney Bramlett and Cass Elliot.<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn May 10, 1946, in Worcester, England, David Thomas Mason fell 20 feet from a ceiling loft at the age of 5, bending a hipbone and contacting a rare disease that landed him in a hospital for 18 months and forced him to learn how to walk again.<\/p>\n

\n\tHis initial dream was to become a member of the Royal Air Force, but at 16, he began to play guitar and sing and by the following year was a working musician in his first band, The Jaguars, before forming The Hellions, striking up a lifelong friendship with drummer Jim Capaldi.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe two wrote their first song together, \u201cShades of Blue,\u201d and recorded it as a B-side for their Pye Records single, a cover of Jackie Deshannon\u2019s \u201cDaydreaming of You,\u201d produced by rock gadfly Kim Fowley. The two continued to work as a team, forming yet another group, The Deep Feeling, before hooking up with two Capaldi acquaintances, Winwood and Chris Wood, to form Traffic.<\/p>\n

\n\tTraffic\u2019s mythology began when they retreated to a secluded stone cottage in the countryside to write and rehearse material for their classic 1967 debut, Mr. Fantasy<\/em>. The group\u2019s first single was the Winwood\/Capaldi-penned \u201cPaper Moon,\u201d followed by Mason\u2019s \u201cHole in My Shoe,\u201d which went to No. 2 on the U.K. chart.<\/p>\n

\n\tMason\u2019s whimsical melodies, light feel and mellow vocals provided a contrast to Winwood on his three tracks, \u201cUtterly Simple,\u201d \u201cHouse for Everyone\u201d and \u201cHope I Never Find Me There,\u201d demonstrating his virtuosity on sitar, vocals and guitar.<\/p>\n

\n\tMason suddenly quit the band after their debut album over artistic differences with Winwood, recording a solo single, \u201cLittle Woman,\u201d for Island Records in 1969, the B-side of which, \u201cJust for You,\u201d app<\/a>eared on Traffic\u2019s third album, Last Exit<\/em>. Mason had rejoined the band briefly during sessions for their second, self-titled album (which included his \u201cFeelin\u2019 Alright\u201d) before leaving again for a solo career and moving to the U.S. in 1968. When Traffic came over for their first stateside tour in March, he rejoined the band for a handful of songs.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Traffic broke up again in late \u201968, Mason, Capaldi and Wood teamed with Mick Weaver in the short-lived Wooden Frog, while Winwood joined the super group Blind Faith with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring this period, Mason was active as a session player, turning his friend Jimi Hendrix on to Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cAll Along the Watchtower\u201d and playing 12-string acoustic guitar on the recorded version. He also appeared, though was uncredited, on the Rolling Stones\u2019 Beggars Banquet<\/em> through his relationship with Traffic producer Jimmy Miller, and he also played on George Harrison\u2019s All Things Must Pass<\/em> with Clapton.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe sang on both Hendrix\u2019s \u201cCrosstown Traffic\u201d and The Beatles\u2019 \u201cAcross the Universe.\u201d Other cameos included work with Graham Nash (\u201cSongs for Beginners,\u201d \u201cWild Tales\u201d), McCartney (\u201cVenus and Mars\u201d), Joe Walsh (\u201cYou Can\u2019t Argue With a Sick Mind\u201d), Ron Wood (\u201cGimmee Some Nick\u201d), Clapton (\u201cCrossroads\u201d) and Stephen Stills (\u201cThoroughfare Gap\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving relocated to Los Angeles in \u201869, Mason joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, playing lead guitar for the band when they opened for Blind Faith, where Clapton took an immedia<\/a>te liking to the group and eventually joined them. Mason\u2019s \u201cOnly You Know and I Know\u201d became a No. 2 hit for them and in 1970, he signed with Blue Thumb Records as a solo act, co-producing his debut album with Tommy LiPuma.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first result of the sessions was \u201cWorld in Changes,\u201d a single released in April 1970, followed by the classic Alone Together<\/em> album in June. The LP peaked in the Top 25, and a second single, Mason\u2019s take on his own \u201cOnly You Know and I Know,\u201d became a Top 40 hit.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile in L.A., Mason struck up a friendship with Cass Elliot, forming a duo that debuted at the Hollywood Bowl and then played the Fillmore East in New York, releasing the 1971 album, Dave Mason & Cass Elliot<\/em>, before Mason briefly hooked up with a new configuration of Traffic for the live album, Welcome to the Canteen<\/em>, featuring a version of \u201cFeelin\u2019 Alright\u201d and \u201cSad and Deep as You,\u201d recorded in the U.K.<\/p>\n

\n\tMason decided to remain in England after the shows and was an original member of Derek And The Dominos prior to the release of the song \u201cLayla,\u201d when he was replaced by Duane Allman after recording several tracks as their second guitarist. \u201cThat\u2019s when Eric was pretty fucked up,\u201d said Mason. \u201cAnd there was just never any rehearsing. I just got bored and returned to the States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLegal issues with Blue Note Records had Mason withholding the follow-up to the successful album Alone Together<\/em>, resulting in a lawsuit and the label releasing unauthorized \u201cbootlegs\u201d of the material such as \u201cHeadkeeper\u201d in 1972 and \u201cDave Mason Is Alive\u201d in 1973. Leaving Blue Note by declaring personal bankruptcy, he was snapped up by Columbia Records and legendary label exec Clive Davis just prior to his own ignominious departure from the label.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first album under the arrangement, 1973\u2019s It\u2019s Like You Never Left<\/em>, included one of his all-time best ballads, with a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder on the song \u201cThe Lonely One,\u201d but it wasn\u2019t until Let It Flow,<\/em> released in 1977, that Mason struck paydirt, going platinum on the strength of the hit single, \u201cWe Just Disagree,\u201d which peaked at No.12 on the Billboard<\/em> Hot 100, and was later successfully covered by country singer Billy Dean.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 1979, Mason played himself in the roller disco movie Skatetown, U.S.A. <\/em>opposite Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Ruth Buzzi and, in his first big screen role, Patrick Swayze, writing and performing two songs, including the film\u2019s theme. His single, \u201cSave Me,\u201d from the 1980 album, Old Crest on a New Wave<\/em>, featured a duet with Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring this time, Mason was a major concert attraction, headlining Madison Square Garden and the L.A. Forum before growing taking a break, thanks to problems with drug and alcohol addiction. He returned to recording with 1987\u2019s \u201cSome Assembly Required,\u201d on the Canadian Maze label (A&M in the U.S.), then hooked up with Voyager\/Mca for Two Hearts<\/em> later that same year. He briefly joined a new Fleetwood Mac lineup in 1994 and 1996 for tours and the 1995 album, Time<\/em>, which included two songs he co-wrote.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 1997, Mason was scheduled to join Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band to perform \u201cOnly You Know and I Know,\u201d \u201cWe Just Disagree\u201d and \u201cFeelin\u2019 Alright,\u201d but he was dropped from the lineup just before the tour started.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2002, a Dave Mason Live at Sunrise<\/em> DVD was released, as he continued to tour, performing 100 shows a year with his Dave Mason Band and, more recently, Traffic Jam. In 2004, Traffic and Mason were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Dave Matthews.<\/p>\n

\n\tMason released 26 Letters, 12 Notes<\/em>, his first solo album in more than 20 years in 2008 and began to release some of his archival recordings since then, including 2014\u2019s \u201cFuture\u2019s Past,\u201d and 2016\u2019s \u201cTraffic Jam,\u201d both featuring new material and rerecorded versions of his most iconic songs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMason was active in a number of philanthropic pursuits, including an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization providing free musical instruments and lessons to public school children throughout the U.S.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was also a founding board member of Yoga Blue, which is devoted to teaching yoga and other holistic practices to those recovering from substance abuse. He also was a founder of Rock Our Vets, a charity helping supply food and clothing to homeless veterans and laptop computers for those aspiring to continue their education, as well as a suicide prevention program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dave Mason, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who first found fame with Traffic and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band, died Sunday. He was 79. \u201cOn behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":723195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Dave-Mason-obit-temp-getty-H-2026.png?w=1296&h=730&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[5200],"class_list":["post-723194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-obituaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}