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Nicholas Berkeley Mason is an English drummer born on 27 January 1944 in Birmingham, England. He is the son of famous documentary filmmaker Bill Mason and was brought up in Hampstead, London. He attended the Frensham Heights boarding school in Surrey and later studied architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Nick co-founded the legendary rock band Pink Floyd in 1965, and currently, the band has sold over 250 million records worldwide, making it one of the most successful bands ever created.
Nick Mason was the sole drummer and the only constant member of Pink Floyd. He is also the only member to have appeared in every album produced by the band. He was inducted into the 1996 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame due to his unparalleled success as a drummer for Pink Floyd.
Formation Of The OG Rock Band 'Sigma 6'
While attending the Regent Street Polytechnic to study design, Nick Mason befriended Roger Waters as per last.fm. They first collaborated on music in a group formed by their classmates, Clive Metcalfe and Keith Noble. Later that year, Richard Wright, another architecture student, joined, and the group known as Sigma 6 became a sextet.
Wright performed rhythm guitar, Mason the drums, and Waters the lead guitar. The band practiced in a tearoom in the Regent Street Polytechnic's basement and played at private events. They performed songs from The Searchers and songs by their manager, songwriter, and classmate, Ken Chapman.
After various name changes and exits, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright established Pink Floyd, initially named Pink Floyd Sound. The band mostly performed R&B music during 1966 and also performed at the renowned Marquee Club at the end of the year.
Later Pink Floyd was signed up by EMI and released their first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967, as per Britannica. Since then, Nick Mason has served as the drummer and additional percussionist on every Pink Floyd album. He has also undertaken songwriting duties and provided background vocals in several songs.
Mason's Iconic Drumming Style
During his time in college, Nick Mason showed a desire to pursue his love of music. He freely confesses that he didn't practice or study drumming much before joining his first band, which would eventually develop into Pink Floyd. Mason owned a drum set that he just played for fun with his friends without having the slightest idea that he would become one of the greatest drummers of all time one day.
Nick Mason used acoustic drums, tuned percussion, electronic drums, and Rototoms, fusing them all into a melodic whole under the influence of jazz and big band music. In Echoes, his snare drum sound changed from the hard demarcation of beats 2 and 4 to a fatter and gentler tone, reflecting his developing studio abilities.
Nick Mason’s approach was gentler and more relaxed than other progressive rock drummers of the era. Several Pink Floyd songs, including Nick's Boogie, A Saucerful of Secrets, The Grand Vizier's Garden Party, Up The Khyber, Skins, and Time, featured Mason's solos. As a result of Pink Floyd's regular live shows, Nick developed a complicated and energetic technique which is quite evident in albums like Ummagumma and Live at Pompeii.
In the 1960s and on occasion in the 1970s, he played Premier drums, followed by Ludwig drums from 1970 until 1992. He uses gear, pedals, and drums from Drum Workshop (DW). His drum set features the Dark Side of the Moon insignia and is a DW double bass kit, as per Chess.com. Throughout his tenure with Pink Floyd, he used Paiste cymbals, and he presently uses a combination of Paiste Traditional, Signature, and 2002 cymbals.
Etching His Name In The Books Of History
Nick Mason has become one of the most popular and iconic drummers of the past few decades. He led Pink Floyd to become one of the greatest rock bands ever, and the popularity and hysteria that the band achieved during the 70s could have never been possible without Nick. He is the principal brain behind Pink Floyd’s most iconic songs, including Echoes and Time, and unlike other members, he has dedicated his whole life to the band, sticking to it since its inception in 1965. He is the only member to have appeared in every album released by the band.
Pink Floyd has become an inactive band lately, but Nick Mason has not yet given up. He started Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in 2018 to play renditions of Pink Floyd's early psychedelic music. Along with Nick, the group includes guitarist Lee Harris, bassist Guy Pratt, guitarist Gary Kemp, and keyboardist Dom Beken as per AllMusic.
Nick has been the recipient of several awards due to his outstanding contribution to music. On 26 November 2012, he received the Honorary title of Doctor of Letters from the University of Westminster, formerly Regent Street Polytechnic, the institute where he studies architecture. Apart from that, he was awarded the prestigious title of CBE by Prince William at Buckingham Palace on 2 May 2019 for his exceptional contributions to the art of music.
Despite having such an illustrious career, Nick Mason is quite underrated due to his calm and straightforward demeanor compared to his fellow band members. His contribution to the music industry is unparalleled and not limited to Pink Floyd. In fact, the star has also collaborated with Steve Hillage, Robert Wyatt, and Michael Mantler. He has an undying determination to preserve the legacy of his brainchild, Pink Floyd, and he might go down as one of the greatest drummers to ever live.
Source - last.fm, Britannica, Chess.com, AllMusic
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