Mason Daring graduated cum laude as a music major in 1971 from Amherst College. He grabbed his first guitar in the 7th grade and had his first band, The Squires, in the 8th grade.

At Amherst, his first band was called Things That Go Bump in The Night and his last college band, Daring, Jones, Southworth and McNeer, signed with Columbia Records shortly after graduation. Record company shenanigans put the kibosh on that contract and he began a decade as a folk singer, much of it spent alongside singer Jeannie Stahl, as – what else? – Daring and Stahl. They became a mainstay of the folk scene in the ’70s, both their album Marblehead Morning and its title track were hits on regional radio and the duo became a fixture at Cambridge’s Club Passim.

Law, Film editing, John Sayles collaborations

Outside of his musical pursuits, Daring graduated from Suffolk Law School in 1976 and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1977. After working as a legal analyst for Arthur D. Little Consultants and maintaining a private practice in entertainment law, he worked as a film editor for Aydelott Associates, for which he directed TV commercials. At that time, he was still performing and recording with Stahl and began producing records for singer/songwriters Bill Staines and David Mallet.

Daring was legal counsel for John Sayles when the legendary director began his first film, The Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980), and Sayles asked him to write the score. The budget was $700 and the film wound up becoming a landmark of independent cinema. For Sayles’ next film, Lianna, Daring turned down the legal work but eagerly accepted the composing job. Since then, he’s composed the scores for every Sayles films, from The Brother from Another Planet (1984) to Go for Sisters (2013). In addition to his successful full-time composing career, he continues to maintain his membership in the Massachusetts bar.

Daring Records, Other film/televison projects

Daring’s own label, Daring Records (a Rounder Records sublabel) is an outlet for his film scores and his early recordings with Jeanie Stahl. It also includes Stahl’s solo material and an expanding library of film scores with instrumental titles from his favorite collaborators, Butch Thompson, Billy Novick and Duke Levine.

Daring has produced for a number of other feature films, television movies and documentaries. He composed the themes to the long-running PBS series Nova and Frontline along with occasional episodic network TV and has produced several songs and featured instrumentals used as source material in films. He was nominated for an Emmy for the Disney film Bailey’s Mistake and has won several other lesser awards.

Favorite films, 40, Current activity

“My favorite films were done with the likes of John Sayles, Wes Craven, Tony Goldwyn, and Peter Yates,” he says. “I was lucky enough to produce the last sessions with Ruth Brown for Honeydripper. I love the memory of producing Rita Moreno for three songs for Casas de los Babys.”

Daring and Stahl’s recorded their most recent album, 40, in 2015 to celebrate their 40-year collaboration. The disc reflects their interest in a broad range of styles, from classic songs of the ‘30s and ‘40s to contemporary folk and country and originals. Their group, Passim All-Stars (which includes Bill Staines, Billy Novick, Guy Van Duser and Stuart Schulman) still plays semi-regular reunion gigs. Daring now splits his time between Marblehead (where he’s lived for decades), on a horse farm in Pawlet, Vermont and in Savannah, Georgia. He’s an avid golfer and fly fisherman and collects classic cars and motorcycles.

(by Tim Jackson)

ORCHESTRAL SCORES

  • The Old Curiosity Shop(2007)
  • The Great War(2007)
  • A Separate Peace(2004) (Peter Yates for Showtime)
  • True Confessions(2002, piano-based)
  • Where the Heart Is(2000)
  • Music of The Heart(1999)
  • The Opposite of Sex(1998)
  • Eight Men Out(1988)

ROCK/POP SCORES

  • Say It Isn’t So (2001)
  • Wallace: Settin’ The Woods On Fire (2000)
  • Cold Around the Heart (1997)

JOHN SAYLES FILMS

  • Honeydripper (2008)
  • Silver City (2004)
  • Secret of Roan Inish (2004)
  • Sunshine State (2002)
  • Passion Fish (1992)
  • Men with Guns (1997)
  • Limbo (1999)
  • Lone Star (1996)
  • City of Hope (1991)
  • Matewan (1987)
  • Baby, it’s You (1983)
  • Lianna (1983)
Published On: January 31, 2023