Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason has certainly had a storied career: Founding member of Traffic, guest appearances on records by Hendrix, the Stones and various Beatles, a solid solo career, stint with Fleetwood Mac, and writer of at least one Classic Rock Warhorse in "Feelin' Alright."
And while he unfortunately doesn't get the attention that some of his contemporaries do, Mason and his band still play around 120 dates a year. In 2008, he broke a 20-year studio record drought with the fine
26 Letters, 12 Notes (Out the Box Records). The varied effort features Mason's trademark blues-rockers ("Good 2 U," "Let Me Go"), pop ("One Day"), a bit of humor ("Pink Lipstick," "Ain't Your Legs Tired Baby") and ballads ("How Do I Get to Heaven?" "Full Circle and Then").
Rocks Off spoke with Dave Mason about past friends, current projects, and a certain Red Headed Stranger.
Rocks Off: The last time you played Houston, you were leaving the next morning to record with Willie Nelson, who ended up playing on "How Do I Get to Heaven?" What was that like?
Dave Mason: It was interesting, but a little rushed. I thought it was a great idea, but we should have recorded the whole thing together. It was mostly done when I brought it in. He did a whole bunch of guitar noodling, and I used a lot of it for the solo.
He said to me (taking up Willie's voice) "You know, we should do some writin' together, Dave." And I said that would be great. My connection down there was [Nelson's longtime right-hand man] Poodie Locke, but he passed away last year. He did take me to one hell of a barbecue place, though!
RO: The record definitely has a more blues-rock feel like your pre-Mariposa de Oro releases. Was that a conscious decision?
DM: Well, it's also pretty eclectic in terms of sounds. I only started doing it for my own amusement in the first place, because I'd pretty much given up on having a new record. It's pretty tough for older classic-rock artists like myself to get new music out. And radio is so...even though the internet is there, I still think that [radio] is very powerful. There's one in every car!
But [people] have got to hear the music first, and then if they like it, they'll go out and get it. Even on classic rock radio stations, they won't play new music by the artists they're already playing!
RO: The place you're playing here in Houston, the Dosey Doe Café, is an intimate venue, but you'll be playing to really hardcore fans.
DM: Well, there's a base of my fans out there, and thank God there are and I can still get up and do this. I'm as good at being Dave Mason today as I ever was!
RO: You often introduce the song "Feelin' Alright" in concert as your "Energizer Bunny of Songs" because it's your most recognizable composition. And yet, you wrote it when you were 19 years old.
DM: And that amazes me! (laughs). I mean, it's a two-chord song!
RO: You played acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix's recording of "All Along the Watchtower." What is one thing you could say about him as a person that might surprise people?
DM (thinking): Well, for the most part, he was a very quiet guy, and very, very polite. Soft-spoken. The guy offstage wasn't the same as the guy onstage. But, my God, he must have been born with a guitar in his hands!
RO: In all the rock books I read, they talk about his first shows in England when [former Animals bassist] Chas Chandler brought him over from the U.S., and all the guitar gods of the day - Clapton, Beck, Page - were just left dumbstruck at his live shows at clubs like the Bag O' Nails club.
DM: That's where I saw him!
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