Roger Hodgson has been recognized as one of the most gifted composers,
songwriters and lyricists of our time. As the legendary voice of
Supertramp and composer of many 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 that have become the soundtrack of our
lives. Roger's trademark way of setting beautiful introspective lyrics
to upbeat melodies resonated and found its way into the hearts and
minds of people from cultures around the world. His songs have
remarkably stood the test of time and earned Roger and Supertramp an
adoring worldwide following.
During the time that Roger led the band, Supertramp became a worldwide
rock phenomenon and to date they have sold well over 60 million albums.
In Canada alone, sales for "Crime of the Century" and "Breakfast in
America" reached Diamond status; meaning one in fifteen Canadians owned
both albums. The wildly successful album "Breakfast in America" hit
number one in countries around the world 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. Learning three
chords from his teacher, he began writing songs at the age of twelve,
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, "Mr. Boyd" with a session band
including pianist Reg Dwight, later to become known as Elton John.
Shortly after, 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 1970.
From their second album "Indelibly Stamped" forward, Roger and Rick
began writing separately. They no longer relied on a lyricist. Each
wrote all their own lyrics, as well as their own music. However like
Lennon/McCartney they maintained a joint writer's credit throughout
their Supertramp career. In 1974, the band released the album "Crime of
the Century" with Roger's song "Dreamer" becoming their first hit and
driving the album to the top of the charts.
For the next nine years, dubbed by fans as the "Golden Years,"
Supertramp saw four studio albums, numerous tours, and the worldwide
success of "Breakfast in America" which has sold over 20 million
copies. Three of Roger's songs became worldwide hits - "The Logical
Song," "Take the Long Way Home" and "Breakfast In America." Many awards
followed, among them the Ivor Novello Award in 1980 from The British
Academy of Composers and Songwriters for "The Logical Song" being named
the best song both musically and lyrically. To this day, "Logical Song"
also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in
schools.
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 family and pursue his
spiritual values. He built a state of the art recording studio at home
where he could continue to create music 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 of his wrists.
Doctors told him he would never play music again, yet with faith and a
long period of self-healing and physical therapy, Roger proved them
wrong. Within a year and a half he was playing again.
In 2000, he released his next studio album "Open the Door" and in 2001,
after taking many years off from touring to raise his children, Roger
joined Ringo Starr in his All Star Tour. It is only since 2004, with
his children fully grown, that Roger has felt the call to tour
regularly again. The legend is back and his signature voice is stronger
than ever. Currently he is performing both public and private concerts
in a variety of formats - solo, with backing band, and with symphony
orchestra.
To date Roger continues to write music and lyrics when he is alone and
has over 60 unreleased songs that he plans to record when the time is
right. He compares his writing process to an artist painting a picture,
keeping it close to his heart until the picture is complete before he
shares it with the world. Often drawing upon his own life experiences,
Roger's songs convey personal messages which people around the world
relate to.
"Give a Little Bit" was one of Princess Diana's favorite songs and in
2007 Roger accepted an invitation by Princes William and Harry to sing
it at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. It proved to be one of
the highlights of the evening when the Princes and entire audience
stood up and sang along to honor Princess Diana. Thirty-five years
after writing this classic song, Roger received an award for the song
being one of the most performed songs in the 2005 ASCAP (American
Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) repertory. In 2007, he
received this award again for a remake of "Breakfast in America." Roger
has donated his time and signature song "Give a Little Bit" to help
raise funds for Tsunami Relief, Red Cross, UNICEF, World Vision,
Hurricane Katrina efforts and other worthy causes.
In 2006, Roger released his first ever DVD from one of his live solo
concerts in Canada. "Take The Long Way Home - Live in Montreal" went
Platinum in just seven weeks and hit #1 in all of Canada and is now
multi-Platinum and Gold in France. Featuring hits "Dreamer," "Give a
Little Bit," "School," "Breakfast in America," "It's Raining Again" (to
name a few), and a bonus orchestral version of "Fool's Overture," this
DVD is a stunning reminder of the musical genius of Roger Hodgson and
brings into our hearts and homes the music and memories that have
touched so many of our lives into our hearts and homes.
