Traffic Co-Founder Was 79
billboard.com • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Dave Mason, co-founder of the band Traffic and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, died peacefully at his home in Gardnerville, NV, at the age of 79 on April 19.
- Mason gained fame with Traffic, contributing hits like “Hole in My Shoe” and “Feelin Alright?,” and had a successful solo career with albums such as Alone Together and the platinum-selling Let It Flow.
- He collaborated with legendary artists including George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones, contributing guitar work to iconic tracks like Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower.”
- Traffic disbanded in 1974 but reunited briefly in the 1990s, and Mason was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2004; he retired from touring recently due to health issues.
- Mason is survived by his wife Winifred Wilson, daughter Danielle, and other family members, and was preceded in death by his son True and sister Valerie Leonard.
