Roger Hodgson has been recognized as one of the most gifted composers, song writers and lyricists of our time. As the legendary voice of Supertramp and composer of the band's greatest hits, he gave us "Give a Little Bit," "The Logical Song," "Dreamer," "Take the Long Way Home," "Breakfast In America," "It's Raining Again," "School," "Fools Overture" and so many others. His trademark way of setting beautiful introspective lyrics to upbeat melodies resonated and found its way into the hearts and minds of people around the world.
During the time that Roger led the band, Supertramp sold more than 60 million albums and became a worldwide rock phenomenon. In Canada alone, sales for Crime of the Century and Breakfast in America reached Diamond status, meaning 1 in 15 Canadians owned both albums. The wildly successful Breakfast in America, with three of its four top 10 hits written and sung by Roger, hit number one in every country and stayed on the top of the charts for a full year, becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
Born in Portsmouth, England, Roger spent much of his childhood at boarding school where his guitar became his best friend. Self-taught, he began writing songs at the age of 12, eventually adding piano, bass, drums and even cello to his musical accomplishments. It wasn't long after his final school year that he recorded his first studio record called Mr. Boyd with a session band that included pianist Reg Dwight, later to become known as Elton John. It was during this time that Roger met Rick Davies and the nucleus of Supertramp was born. Their initial collaborations attracted the attention of A&M Records and their first album Supertramp was released in 1969. Roger was 19.
Shortly after their second album, Roger and Rick began writing separately, though like Lennon/McCartney they maintained a joint writer's credit throughout their Supertramp career. In 1973 the band released Crime of the Century with Roger's song "Dreamer" becoming a No. 1 hit and driving the album to the top of the charts. Supertramp had arrived.
For the next nine years, four studio albums and numerous tours culminated in the worldwide success of Breakfast in America, which sold 18 million copies and featured "The Logical Song," "Take the Long Way Home" and "Breakfast In America."
Roger parted company with Supertramp in 1983 after the Famous Last Words album and mega rock stadium tour. Following his heart, he chose to live a simple lifestyle in nature with his new family and pursue his spiritual values. He built a state-of-the-art recording studio at home so he could still work and be with his children as they grew up.
His first solo album, In the Eye of the Storm, was released in 1984 and became an international hit, selling over 2 million copies. In 1987, the same week that Roger's second album Hai, Hai was released, Roger took a bad fall and shattered both his wrists. Doctors told him he would never play music again. After a long period of self-healing and physical therapy, Roger proved them wrong and was once again able to express his thoughts through music.
Ten years would pass before Roger would release his next album, Rites of Passage in which he was proudly accompanied by his son, Andrew. This 1997 live album featured new material and included a few of Roger's classic hits. In 2000 Roger's next studio album, Open the Door, brought more of his creative lyrics and composing with songs like "Love is a Thousand Times."
The 2005 release Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology is a 2-CD collection of classic songs recorded by Supertramp from 1969 to 2005. Roger wrote and sang lead on 14 of the 32 tracks, and either played or lent his creative touch to all but one track of this anthology.
Thirty-five years after writing his classic song "Give a Little Bit," Roger received an award for it being one of the most performed works in the 2005 ASCAP repertory, proving that his music stands the test of time. In the past few years Roger has donated this song to help raise funds for Tsunami Relief, Hurricane Katrina efforts and other worthy causes.
It is only since 2002 that Roger has felt the call to tour again. Currently he performs both solo and with orchestras, playing a variety of his repertoire of Supertramp and solo hits. Roger continues to write music and lyrics and has over 60 unreleased songs.
