Our Week with Dave Mason and Steve Cropper
by Laura Jones
Saloon Studios offers indoor and outdoor concerts featuring Legendary Artists and Rising Stars. Over the last 3 years, we have hosted over 50 musicians and bands. Each month we will showcase one of these artists in our blog post. This month’s artists are Dave Mason and Steve Cropper.
Dave first found fame with the rock band Traffic, and has since played and recorded with Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, and Delaney and Bonnie, among many others. One of his best-known songs is “Feelin’ Alright”, made famous by the late Joe Cocker. Dave recently re-recorded “Feelin’ Alright” during the pandemic by utilizing online musician friends to record different instruments and then mixing the audio and video into an awesome rendition.
Steve Cropper is the guitarist, songwriter and record producer who started the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.’s. He played on many recordings at Stax such as “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”, which he co-wrote with Otis Redding. He has had a storied music career, playing with such legends as Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Johnny Cash and many others. Another of his claims to fame, of course, was playing in the Blues Brothers band and appearing in the movies of the same name as well.
In May of 2018, Dave was starting his Feelin Alright tour along with Steve Cropper as a guest artist. Because the two musicians had never worked together before, they opted to spend the week at Saloon Studios to rehearse together with Dave’s band. That week became a great opportunity for us and them to connect and bond over music, mountain scenery, local food and wine.
Afternoons were spent tweaking and practicing and evenings trading stories and experiences around the table. It was fascinating to hear them tell stories of their careers and collaborations with other artists along the way. Their performance at the end of the week to a packed house was an awesome experience to see two legends perform together!
Check out a clip from Dave and Steve’s performance at Saloon Studios Live on our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/OAI_lo76xlI.