Dave Mason performing in Melbourne, FL

[Karen]

The Florida Today has an article about Dave Mason in this morning's newspaper. Here is the link if you want to see the full article and picture:

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROO...oryA47846A.htm

'70s rockers perform in Melbourne

By Breuse Hickman
FLORIDA TODAY

Leon Russell and Dave Mason have each been called a term often reserved for artists whose looks have deemed them to appear on fewer than five magazine covers a year: The musician's musician.
More accurately, the term befits music makers whose technical prowess offers too many subtleties for average listeners of, say, classic rock to appreciate.

So fans of Russell and Mason can breathe a sigh of relief that both came up during the '70s, when artist development actually existed.

That was back when musicians could scrounge a pretty good living teetering between solo projects or residing in the background as session musicians and still maintain a healthy fan base.

Russell began his career in the '60s playing guitar, bass and keyboards for producer Phil Spector, and worked mostly behind the scenes writing songs and playing instruments for artists such as Delaney and Bonnie, Joe Cocker, the Byrds and even Herb Alpert.

In the '70s, he scored with his own solo albums as well as hit singles that included 1972's "Tightrope."

Mason began his career as a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group before teaming up with Stevie Winwood and Jim Capaldi to form Traffic.

Mason was only 18. Traffic is still a Mason reference point, even though he left the band before he was 21.

Mason was coming up on the '70s when image still took a back seat to musical output.

As a solo artist, most of Mason's albums sold poorly. Despite that, he continued to enjoy sold-out shows, including gigs at Madison Square Garden.

In the '90s, Mason quit touring and sought privacy at a friend's guesthouse.

That friend, Mick Fleetwood, persuaded him to join the ailing Fleetwood Mac sans Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Like Russell, Mason continues to tour. This isn't the first time they have shared the same stage, not to mention the recording studio.

Tonight's concert
Who: Dave Mason and Leon Russell.
When: 8 tonight.
Where: King Center for the Performing Arts, 3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne.
Tickets: $20 to $35.
Call: (321) 242-2219.