Mike Finnigan - keyboards, vocals; Rick Jaeger - drums; Gerald Johnson- bass; Jim Krueger - guitar; Dave Mason - guitar, vocals; Jai Winding- keyboards
Dave Mason began his career in music as a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group, and it was there that he met child rock/blues prodigy, Steve Winwood. In 1967, he was asked to join Winwood's post-Spencer Davis band, Traffic. The group's sophomore record, simply entitled, Traffic, would deliver a slew of radio hits, including "Pearly Queen," "40,000 Headmen," and the classic, "Feelin' Alright," written solely by Mason. Traffic's popularity skyrocketed, but he often clashed with Winwood over the musical direction of the band. By 1969, Traffic fell apart when Winwood departed to form Blind Faith with Cream's Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.
Mason went on tour with Delaney & Bonnie in a legendary road band that featured most of Derek's Dominoes and George Harrison. After that, he went out on his own, launching a successful solo career. His debut solo album, Alone Together, had a hit out of the bag, with "Only You Know And I Know" (also covered successfully by Delaney & Bonnie), but Mason's jumpstart was stalled by a nasty lawsuit with his label, Blue Thumb. By 1972, however, he was free to sign with a new album, and quickly hooked up with Columbia Records. Columbia had the where-with-all to make Mason a solo star in his own right, and they did in short order.
This show, recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1975, features several of Mason's timeless hits, but was captured before he had his biggest career hit, "We Just Disagree" in 1977. Among the highlights are "Feelin' Alright," "Waitin' On You," "World In Changes," "Every Woman," "Look At You, Look At Me," and the aforementioned, "Only You Know And I Know."
The show also features three great covers: A sassy re-make of "All Along The Watchtower" (which borrows more from Jimi Hendrix then from the song's author, Bob Dylan); an 11-minute jam on the old Spencer Davis classic, "Gimme Some Lovin'" (used as a showcase for his live band); and a soulful rendition of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me."