* En anglais uniquement
Nick Mason is the drummer of
Pink Floyd and the only member to have remained in the group for its entire existence. Born Nicholas Berkeley Mason on January 27, 1944 in the Downshire Hills area of Birmingham, England, he met future bandmates
Roger Waters and
Rick Wright while studying architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic. He began playing with them in Sigma 6 in 1963, and in the Screaming Abdabs the following year, and in 1965 the
Syd Barrett-led blues/R&B outfit that soon became
Pink Floyd. Although drumming for
Floyd was far and away
Mason's primary concern over the next few decades, he did occasionally delve into extracurricular projects. He moonlighted as a producer during the '70s (particularly during the latter half of the decade), working not just with fellow proggers like
Robert Wyatt,
Gong, and
Steve Hillage, but also post-bop jazz eccentric
Michael Mantler and punk group
the Damned. In 1981,
Mason released his first album under his own name,
Fictitious Sports. The music was a quirky blend of jazz and rock composed by
Carla Bley, who also played keyboards; other supporting musicians included vocalist
Wyatt, trumpeter
Mantler, and guitarist
Chris Spedding. In turn,
Mason played drums with
Mantler off and on throughout the '80s, including on the albums Something Else (1982) and
Live (1987).
Mason also formed a production company with former
10cc guitarist
Rick Fenn, which produced music for films (including
White of the Eye), television, and advertisements. As Mason + Fenn, the two also recorded a pop album in 1985 called Profiles, which produced the
David Gilmour-sung single "Lie for a Lie." As
Floyd's recording and touring schedule grew more sporadic,
Mason was left with more time to pursue his favorite hobby, auto racing.
Mason returned to the stage in 2002, joining
Waters on the final two nights of his world tour; he would go on to appear on subsequent
Waters' tours, albeit sporadically. He reunited with the full classic
Pink Floyd Lineup in 2005, where they performed a short set at Live 8's London show.
Mason continued to crop up over the years, including a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. His first new band in over two decades emerged in 2018, calling themselves Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets they were something of a supergroup, featuring bassist
Guy Pratt (
Pink Floyd,
David Gilmour), guitarist Lee Harris (
Blockheads), vocalist
Gary Kemp (
Spandau Ballet), and producer Dom Beken on keys; the band focus on playing
Pink Floyd's early material.
~ Steve Huey