about Roger Hodgson, legendary singer - songwriter

Roger Hodgson has been recognized as one of the most gifted composers, songwriters and lyricists of our time. As the legendary voice 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,” “Fool’s 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 was with the band, Supertramp became a worldwide rock phenomenon, selling well over 60 million albums to date. 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, selling over 20 million copies and 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 12, eventually adding piano, bass, drums, and even cello to his musical accomplishments. Roger had his first concert of original songs at the age of 13. It wasn’t long after his final school year that he recorded his first studio single “Mr. Boyd” with a session band that included 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. However, like Lennon/McCartney, they maintained a joint writers credit on songs they recorded with Supertramp.

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.” Three of Roger’s songs from this album became worldwide hits – “The Logical Song,” “Take the Long Way Home,” and “Breakfast in America.”

Following his heart, in 1983, Hodgson left Supertramp and Los Angeles after the “Famous Last Words” album and mega rock stadium tour. He moved his family away from the Los Angeles music scene to live a simpler lifestyle close to nature and be home with his children as they were growing up. He built a state-of-the-art recording studio at home where he could continue to create music. His first solo album “In the Eye of the Storm” was released in 1984 and became an international hit, selling over two 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, 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 Starr Band Tour. It is only since 2004, with his children fully grown, that Roger has felt the call to tour regularly again.

Roger continues to compose music and write lyrics and has over 60 unreleased songs, some of which 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.

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 and Germany. 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.

Currently, Roger is touring worldwide, selling out shows all over the globe and receiving fantastic reviews from media and fans alike. He is performing both public and private concerts in a variety of formats – solo, with backing band, and with symphony orchestra. Consistently uniting four generations at his concerts, Roger transports baby boomers back to their youth and gives younger generations a taste of why his heartfelt songs have endured.

His most recent release, “Classics Live,” is a spectacular collection of his live performances recorded on his 2010 world tour.

Awards and Distinctions

In 1980, Roger was honored with the Ivor Novello Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for “The Logical Song” being named the best song both musically and lyrically. To this day, “The Logical Song” also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in schools.

Thirty-five years after writing “Give a Little Bit,” 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 2007, Roger accepted an invitation by Princes William and Harry to perform at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. “Give a Little Bit,” along with “Dreamer,” “Breakfast in America,” and “It’s Raining Again,” were among Princess Diana’s favorite songs. Roger’s performance proved to be one of the highlights of the evening when the Princes and entire audience of 65,000 stood up and sang along to honor Princess Diana.

In May 2012, Roger was honored by France with a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, one of the most prestigious decorations in all of France. Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was established in 1957 by the French Minister of Culture and its purpose is to recognize significant contributions to the arts.

In April and May 2014, Roger had four consecutive sold out shows in Milwaukee, with April 30 being “Roger Hodgson Day” by Mayor Tom Barrett in the City of Milwaukee, where Supertramp first broke into America in 1979.

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