British rock legend Dave Mason — greatest generally known as a traditional member of the band Site visitors, a one-time member of Fleetwood Mac, and a prolific solo artist — has introduced his retirement from touring, citing well being points.
The 79-year-old musician shared the information in a press launch, which said “ongoing well being challenges” as the explanation for the retirement. In accordance with Setlist.fm, Mason final carried out dwell in August 2024 as a part of his “Site visitors Jam Tour,” a trek that was minimize quick after docs found that Mason was affected by a “severe coronary heart situation” throughout an in any other case routine well being checkup.
Concerning his future endeavors, Mason’s press launch reads:
“True to his inventive spirit, Mason will spend his retirement years pursuing inventive initiatives, together with an upcoming kids’s e book and in his studio culling over unreleased tracks from his 60-year profession of dwell performances. He retires from touring a contented man with a coronary heart stuffed with gratitude to his band members, enterprise colleagues, and particularly his legions of followers who made his life certainly one of deep satisfaction and success. The immensity of his pleasure stays strong as he steps again from the stage.”
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Mason’s musical legacy is huge and begins along with his work as an on-again-off-again member of Site visitors in 1967, 1968, and 1971. He wrote and recorded a number of songs on the band’s 1967 debut Mr. Fantasy and 1968 follow-up Site visitors, sharing vocal duties with Steve Winwood. Mason additionally offered notable session work round this time, together with a credit score on Jimi Hendrix’s Electrical Ladyland.
In 1971, Mason briefly rejoined Site visitors for the acclaimed dwell album Welcome to the Canteen. That very same yr, he moved to the US — the Ojai Valley in California — to pursue his solo profession. Mason’s solo materials was reflective of the softer folk-rock sound of the close by Laurel Canyon scene, and he went on to launch over 10 studio albums all through the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s.
Mason’s solo work slowed after he joined Fleetwood Mac in 1993, recording one album with the band (1995’s Time) earlier than departing the group shortly after. He’s dropped the occasional solo album within the years since, the newest being a blues-rock providing, A Shade of Blues, this previous March.
In his latter years, Mason additionally grew to become identified for his dedication to touring, typically performing over 100 exhibits a yr. Revisit his music in Site visitors, as a solo artist, and with Fleetwood Mac (singing lead on “Blow by Blow”) within the gamers under.