Dave Mason, a talented guitarist and gifted singer-songwriter, recently released his album, “A Shade of Blues.” Courtesy photo

If you want to get a sense of part-time Wailea resident Dave Mason’s talent, take a look at the remarkable musicians this British rock legend has recorded or performed live with. It includes Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Duane Allman, Steve Winwood, Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash.

Mason feels most proud of his association with Hendrix and playing on the epic “Electric Ladyland” album.

“Getting to play with Hendrix was huge,” he said. “I’m a guitar player. I’m essentially a guitar player who learned how to sing so he could get bookings and make some money. It’s all about the guitar for me.”

Playing with George Harrison on the seminal, “All Things Must Pass,” was pretty cool, too. Mason taught Harrison how to play slide guitar, and the former Beatle gave him a sitar.

An immensely talented guitarist and songwriter, an AllMusic review praised how his playing was “far more interesting than his peer Eric Clapton.”

Mason’s amazing career is chronicled in his recently released memoir, “Only You Know and I Know,” with a title taken from his 1970 hit. It was co-written with Chris Epting, who also penned the Doobie Brothers’ book, “Long Train Runin’,'” with Tom Johnston and Maui’s Pat Simmons.

“I got badgered into doing it,” he said about the book. “So many people kept asking for the book, and I’m like, ‘Why? I don’t want to do this.’ Chris Epting had a lot to do with it getting done because I never kept any records or any diaries or anything like that. And I have a memory like a sieve when it comes to places and times. Without his research, which he was brilliant at, it probably would never have gotten done. Without his research, it would have been a book with about three or four pages.”

Initially finding fame in the U.K. in the late 1960s as a member of the innovative band Traffic composing hit songs like “Feelin’ Alright,” he was part of an extraordinary movement when the British Isles produced many great bands.

“At some point I was going to write a book or something, the British Invasion is really an American story,” he said. “We just copied. All contemporary music comes from here (America). So we basically just learned and copied it and put our own little spin on it. Plus. all of us were all coming out of the World War, and the ’60s was a huge cultural transformation in England.”

Mason’s early days are explored in “Only You Know and I Know,” which features over 150 photographs along with guest contributions from family members and friends such as Mick Fleetwood, Graham Nash and Bonnie Bramlett.

“David came from royal creative roots, and my fellow players and I were in awe,” Fleetwood wrote. “You will be reminded of the huge influence Dave Mason has had as a trailblazer.”

Regaling in the highs of his career, he doesn’t shy from also revealing the lows ranging from drug abuse and failed marriages to bankruptcy.

Music fans will enjoy details of his time hanging out with legends like Hendrix, Clapton and Harrison, and how McCartney recruited him to play guitar on Wings’ first No. 1 hit, “Listen to What the Man Said.”

It includes insight into his series of well-received solo albums such as “Headkeeper,” “It’s Like You Never Left” and “Let it Flow,” and his eventual teaming with Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie in a remodeled Fleetwood Mac for two years.

Dave Mason’s life is chronicled in the memoir, “Only You Know and I Know.” Courtesy photo

In March, he released the album, “A Shade of Blues,” which showcased his talent as a blues guitarist and singer. Opening with the rocking “Use It or Lose It,” featuring Joe Bonamassa on guitar, he collaborated with Michael McDonald on “It’s Just You and Me,” and uniquely interpreted two Traffic classics, “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” Re-imagining “Low Spark,” he said, “it basically gave me the opportunity to just stretch out on guitar. I thought that the way I put it together to gave a little more weight.”

As for blues classics on the album, he included rousing versions of Robert Johnson’s “Come On in My Kitchen,” Elmore James’ “Dust My Blues” and Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign.”

“A lot of fans were, ‘Dave, when are you going to make a blues album?'” he explained. “It got pieced together over the years. There’s two or three things that were cut years ago and about three things that are brand new. Basically making an album, I put it together to take out on the road with me. There was stuff that I had put out just on my own. Nothing really sold. But that’s the problem with this business. Making an album is basically an exercise in futility. Live is all there is. MP3s ruined the day. It screwed all intellectual property, writers, music, everything.”

After releasing “A Shade of Blues,” he was looking forward to heading out on tour, but then he got severely sick.

“I’m just trying to get over this illness,” he explained. “I had a procedure done here on my vocal cord. It’s fine, except I got blood poisoning, sepsis. It just devastated me. I almost died. I don’t have the energy to stand on a stage. I just have to get my health back.”

While spending time in Wailea, he collaborated with various Maui musicians. During the pandemic, he recorded an inspired version of his classic, “Feelin’ Alright,” teaming with Sammy Hagar, Mick Fleetwood and Doobie Brothers’ Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston and Michael McDonald. Hearing Gretchen Rhodes sing with Fleetwood, he ended up hiring her for a Mainland tour and released a live album that featured her singing.

And he was amazed encountering Maui’s mighty talented Willie K. On Valentine’s Day in 2020, he joined Willie K on stage at Mulligan’s on the Blue, singing “Stormy Monday.” It was Willie’s last live performance before he passed on.

“He was phenomenal,” Mason marvels. “A great guitar player. I wish I’d have been on the island and spent more time with him. Any guy that can sing from opera to country to jazz to blues to rock is pretty awesome.”