Of all the bands that debuted in the halcyon year of 1967, none embraced the hippie idyll as fully as Traffic. Writing, playing and living together in a Berkshire country cottage, Traffic were more of a cooperative than a band, with the whole being far greater than the sum of its multi-talented parts.

Eighteen-year-old Steve Winwood founded Traffic after leaving the Spencer Davis Group at the peak of its success. Despite his fame, the band was always envisioned as a collaborative: Winwood and friends Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood were all multi-instrumentalists and songwriters. Employing all manner of exotic instruments, the band crafted a unique fusion of psychedelia, rock, pop, blues, jazz and folk that immediately yielded a hit with the Winwood/Capaldi song "Paper Sun." Their second single, Mason's "Hole in My Shoe," went all the way to Number Two in the U.K. But its success rankled Winwood, who felt the song didn't represent Traffic's progressive sound. The band had two more hit singles that year, but by the time their debut album, Mr. Fantasy, broke the Top Ten in January 1968, Mason had left.

Winwood and company invited Mason back during the recording of their second album, Traffic. But when his compositions -- including the now-standard "Feelin' Alright" -- were once again cherry picked as singles, Mason was dismissed. Winwood broke up Traffic in 1969, only to re-form the band a year later without Mason, and the band continued into the Seventies until Winwood launched his phenomenally successful solo career. Mason's solo career kicked off with 1970's gold-selling Alone Together and culminated with the 1977 hit "We Just Disagree."

When we caught up with Mason, he hadn't yet discussed Traffic's induction with his surviving band mates (Wood died in 1983). Winwood, Mason and Capaldi have since agreed to perform at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will mark only the second time they've shared the stage together after they parted company. Now almost sixty and putting the finishing touches on a new solo album, Mason hopes the Hall of Fame induction will foster some of the same ego-transcending spirit that originally spawned Traffic.

What was your reaction to being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

It's cool. I have to admit I hadn't really given a great deal of thought to [Traffic getting inducted]. Traffic's albums have never been out of the store. The band made some great music, so it's nice they finally recognized us.

What's your relationship with Steve like these days?

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea.

What about Jim Capaldi?

Jim and I have known each other since we were fifteen years old. And we toured together three or four years ago -- actually, we started working on an album, but it didn't work out and Jim went back to England. So I really haven't spoken to him for two years or more. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to play together for a multitude of reasons. It would be nice to do something again with the right spirit.

How long has it been since you've all played together?

It was at [New York's] Bottom Line about three years ago. Jim and I were playing a show, and Steve got up and did a couple of songs. That was the first time in thirty years the three of us had been on stage together. It was great, and people were beside themselves.

What was the source of the tension between you and Steve in the early days?

I really don't know. The creative endeavors of a group of people are usually really good when there's enough conflict between the individuals to make it interesting. If you can get past whatever the personal differences are, you can make great music. But sometimes certain people don't get past it.

What was the original vision for Traffic?

We were just friends and we all hung out and loomed around together. Steve, of course, had had some success with the Spencer Davis Group, at a very young age. He was just getting bored with it and wanted to do something different. The times were changing -- it was the Sixties, the age of expanded consciousness [laughs]. Instead of moving to London like most people, we decided to stay out of that whole thing and moved into this house in the middle of nowhere that had no water or electricity, and we all lived there. We were four guys who threw ourselves into it. No girlfriends, no nothing. We were focused.

It's been said that the success of "Hole in My Shoe" rubbed Steve the wrong way.

The first song I ever wrote was "Hole in My Shoe." What happened was that my songs became the singles. It was kind of a goofy song, and a very Sixties song, and it went to Number Two. To me, it was, "Who cares? So it's poppy, so it's a little trite -- it's gotten us a huge audience that's now listening to everything else we're doing." I guess there were jealousies or whatever. It was so long ago. We were kids for god's sake, and now we're grown men -- supposedly. It's a shame to carry that teenage baggage around with you all your life.

What did you think when they invited you back for the second album?

When I left after the first album, I was so young and it was so much success so fast that I just couldn't handle it. I was truly the kid who fell off the turnip truck, and it was overwhelming for me. I took a break and did some other things, and during that time I wrote some new songs, and one of them was "Feelin' Alright." We got together in New York, where they were recording a new Traffic album, and they only had five songs. I came to the session and I said, "I've got five songs here, that'll make ten" [laughs]. But then "Feelin' Alright" got picked for the single, and we were back to the same old Mexican standoff.

Do you remember where you were when you wrote "Feelin' Alright"?

I wrote it on the island of Hydra in Greece.

What was the inspiration?

A female, of course!

Did you ever think that song would become such a standard?

Oh, it's crazy. There's been fifty cover versions of it, and in the last five years it's been in so many films and commercials. In the last one, of course, it was selling Friskies cat food [laughs].

What's your favorite cover version?

Joe Cocker's. If Cocker had not done his version, it would not have gotten covered as much as it has. The only other person I'd love to hear do it is Ray Charles.

What song would you suggest Traffic play at the induction ceremony?

Since we're all being inducted, I'd take something from one of the early albums. I would pick "Dear Mr. Fantasy" -- especially since they were playing it on NFL football every Sunday.