Dave Mason, the British guitarist and songwriter who co-founded Traffic and wrote "Feelin' Alright," one of rock's most covered songs, died Sunday at the age of 79. His family shared the news in a statement through Rolling Stone, saying Mason "lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and people he loved." No cause of death was given.
Born David Thomas Mason on May 10, 1946, in Worcester, England, his path to music was anything but straightforward. At age 5, he fell 20 feet from a ceiling loft, bending a hipbone and contracting a rare disease that left him hospitalized for 18 months and forced him to relearn how to walk. His original ambition was to join the Royal Air Force. By 16, he had picked up a guitar instead.
He started in local bands, including The Jaguars and The Hellions, where he forged a lasting friendship with drummer Jim Capaldi. The two wrote together early on, eventually joining Steve Winwood and Chris Wood to form Traffic in the mid-1960s. The band retreated to a secluded stone cottage in the English countryside to write and rehearse what would become their celebrated 1967 debut, Mr. Fantasy. Mason's own contribution to that first single run, "Hole in My Shoe," reached No. 2 on the U.K. chart.
His relationship with Traffic was turbulent from the start. He quit after the debut album over artistic differences with Winwood, briefly rejoined during sessions for the self-titled second album — which included his composition "Feelin' Alright" — then left again. When Traffic toured the United States for the first time, Mason came back on stage for a handful of songs. He never settled into the band for long, but his fingerprints remained on their best-known work.
"Feelin' Alright" went on to become one of the most recognized songs of the era, not primarily through Traffic but through Joe Cocker's raw, gospel-inflected cover, which became a signature recording of the late 1960s. Mason's own biggest solo moment came in 1977 with "We Just Disagree," co-written with Jim Krueger, which became a genuine U.S. hit.
Beyond his own recordings, Mason moved through the upper tier of rock royalty with ease. He recorded and performed alongside Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Fleetwood Mac, and Cass Elliot, among others. The list reads less like a career and more like a social registry of the rock era.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic. The honor recognized the band's collective legacy, even if Mason's own tenure within it had always been fitful.
Mason moved to the United States in 1968 and largely based his career there through the decades that followed, building a following that held onto him long after his commercial peak. His mellow vocals and melodic instincts — a counterpoint to Winwood's more soulful intensity — gave Traffic some of its most distinctive textures. He also demonstrated range within the band's debut, playing sitar on several tracks alongside his guitar and vocal work.
A full statement from the family, shared through Rolling Stone, did not include details about survivors or memorial plans.
