Fun Facts About Roger Hodgson That Will Leave You In Awe
Remember Roger Hodgson of Supertramp? We thought you might. How could anyone really forget? Together, they gave us amazing hits that will always be fresh in our memories. Remember hits like;
Good old days right? Well, we have got exciting news for fans and readers alike. On the 3rd of June, 2019, Roger Hodgson from the Supertramp will be performing in concert, with hits such as:
- 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 on?
It will be held at L’Olympia, Paris, France. Are you ready for Roger? Remember him? He was the legendary voice of the group, Supertramp. He even composed all the songs listed above before he broke out of the group.
More On Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, England. Most parts of his childhood were spent in a boarding school, and from there, his best friend turned his guitar. His teacher taught him three chords.
At the age of twelve, he started writing songs, and he went on to learn how to play other instruments such as bass, piano, drums, and even the cello. Before finishing school, he made his first studio record.
It was titled “Mr. Boyd” accompanied by a session band plus a pianist known as Reg Dwight. Reg Dwight turned out to be Elton John in the later years. Not too long, he met Rick Davies, and that was when the foundation of Supertramp was birthed.
The Supertramp Journey
His collaboration between Rock Davies and Roger Hodgson gained the attention of A&M records. In 1970, their first album titled “Supertramp” was released. With Roger leading the band, the group transformed into a universal rock phenomenon.
Till this very date, Supertramp has sold more than sixty million albums. Using Canada alone as an estimate, the sales for the albums; Crime of the century and Breakfast in America got to the Diamond status.
This implies that in about fifteen Canadians, one person had the two albums. Breakfast in America remained on top of charts for a year and turned out to be the largest selling album ever.
Did you know that after their second album titled; Indelibly Stamped, Rick and Rogers started writing their songs separately? They did not need to depend on lyricists. They not only wrote their own lyrics, but they also wrote their own music.
Similar to the duo; Lennon and McCartney, Rick and Roger managed the joint writer’s credit all through their time as Supertramp. Crime of the century was debuted in the year 1974.
Fans tagged the next nine years of Supertramp as the Golden Years. Do you have any idea of what they achieved within that time frame? Here they are;
- Four studio albums
- Diverse tours
- Universal success of Breakfast in America album. It sold more than twenty million copies
- A total number of three of Roger’s songs were hits around the World
- Ivor Novello award, in the year 1980, and so many other awards
The BreakUp
Like they say; all good things must come to an end, right?. Roger Hodgson parted ways with Supertramp in the year 1983. This happened after Famous last words album and the mega rock stadium tour.
According to some reports, the group broke up because Rick performed some songs written by Rogers. This caused issues and led to the ultimate separation.
Rogers followed his heart which was to live the simplest lifestyle ever. This simple lifestyle was to be by the side of his family and chase after his own spiritual worth. He created his very own recording studio.
Did you know that it was from his home he worked on his first solo album titled; In the eye of the storm, 1984. It turned out to be a global hit and sold roughly two million copies.
Life After Supertramp
Did you know that it was from his home he worked on his first solo album titled; In the eye of the storm, 1984. It turned out to be a global hit and sold roughly two million copies. Amazing right?
Form his home, he recorded songs and watched his children grow. In the year 1987, his second album; Hai Hai was debuted, and Roger was involved in a bad fall. It was so bad that he shattered both wrists.
His doctors proclaimed that he would never do what he loves again, that is, play music. However, with faith accompanied by a long duration of physical therapy with additional self-healing, Roger made sure to prove the doctors wrong.
Less than two years and we saw Rogers plaguing music once again. In the year 2000, Rogers released “Open the door.” He took some years off to train his children and stayed away from touring.
In 2001, he joined Ringo Starr in Ringo’s all-star tour. With his children all grown, he started touring once again. It is with gladness that we announce to his fans that Roger is back with his signature voice.
In the year 2007, Roger approved of an invitation by the Princes William and Harry. Princess Diana loved his song “Give a little bit.” Roger performed at a concert for Diana at the Wembley stadium.
One of the highlights of the evening was when he received a standing ovation from not just the crowd but also the Princes. After thirty-five years or writing “Give a little bit,” he received an award from ASCAP.
This award was given by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; due to the song being rated as one of the most performed songs. He went as far as donating not just his time but the sing “Give a little bit” to help raise funds for;
- The tsunami relief
- UNICEF
- World Vision
- Red Cross
- Hurricane Katrina, and lots more
In the year 2006, he debuted his first DVD from his live solo concert held in Canada. The DVD served as an astonishing reminder of the musical genius known as Roger Hodgson.
Currently, Roger continually writes music and lyrics whenever he finds himself alone. You will be stunned to know that he still has in his possession, sixty yet to be released songs.
His songs pass across private messages in which people all over the world can easily relate with. Everyone should be ready for him, as he is ready to take us all by storm again. He is performing in both private and public concerts including diverse formats such as;
- Solo performance
- Backing band
- Symphony orchestra
In Closing
The trademark of Roger Hodgson is to set lovely yet thoughtful lyrics accompanied by lovely melodies that resonates deep in the hearts of listeners. Roger’s songs have undeniably stood the tests of time.