Roger Hodgson Biography

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“, and ”Fools Overture“ and so many others that have become the soundtrack of our lives. His trademark way of setting beautiful introspective lyrics to upbeat melodies resonated and found its way into the hearts and minds of cultures around the world.  His songs have remarkably stood the test of time and earned Roger and Supertramp an adoring world-wide following.

During the time that Roger led the band, Supertramp sold well over 60 million albums and became a world wide rock phenomenon. In Canada alone, sales for ”Crime of the Century“ and ”Breakfast in America“ reached Diamond status; that meant one in fifteen Canadians owned both albums. The wildly successful ”Breakfast in America,“ with 3 of its 4 top ten hits written and sung by Roger, hit number one in every country and stayed on the top of the charts for a full year and became 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 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 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 this Roger and Rick began writing separately, even 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 huge hit and propelling the album to Number One in the charts worldwide for over a year. Supertramp had arrived. For the next eight years, what fans call the ”Golden Years“, four stunning albums and numerous tours culminated in the huge worldwide success of ”Breakfast in America.“ Roger’s songwriting and producing skills resulted in three classic hits from the album - ”The Logical Song“, "Take the Long Way Home“ and ”Breakfast In America“. Many awards followed with ”Logical Song“ being named best song musically and lyrically at England’s prestigious Ivor Novello Awards in 1980. It also had the distinction of becoming one of the most quoted lyrics in schools.

Roger parted company with Supertramp in 1983 after the ”Famous Last Words“ album and tour to follow his heart, live a simple lifestyle in nature, watch his children grow up and pursue his spiritual values. Turning his attention to his new family, Roger built a state of the art recording studio at home so he could work and be close to 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. Turning down offers to tour, Roger instead kept his focus on home and family. 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, his passion and natural genius once again being expressed through his music. But it was ten years before Roger’s next album — a live concert he did with his teenage son Andrew entitled ”Rites of Passage“ — after which, in 2000, Roger released ”Open the Door“, his first studio album in fourteen years. Roger has continued to compose music and write lyrics all these years and has over 60 unreleased songs, many of which he hopes to record one day.

It is only in the last few years, with kids grown and a spiritual rebirth, that Roger has felt the call to perform again. The legend is back and his signature voice is stronger than ever. Currently he performs both solo and with orchestras, playing a variety of his repertoire of Supertramp and solo hits.

Thirty-five years after writing his classic song, Roger received an award for ”Give a Little Bit“, being one of the most performed works in 2005 in the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) repertory. In the past few years Roger has donated ”Give a Little Bit“ to help raise funds for Tsunami Relief, Hurricane Katrina efforts and other worthy causes, welcoming the opportunity to give back for a life he is truly grateful for.

To many fans, Roger was and still is the heart and soul of Supertramp, and it is the joy and the love that audiences feel with Roger in concert that remind them of the special place in their hearts his songs have awakened.  In his solo concerts Roger is celebrating a reunion with his fans and his music, bringing back the memories of the music that has touched our lives. Roger is happy to present his first ever DVD from his live solo concert in Montreal. It went Platinum in just 7 weeks and hit #1 across all Canada and in now multi-Platinum. It will be released worldwide in the spring of 2007.

For additional information visit Roger’s website: www.RogerHodgson.com

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