Roger Hodgson

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 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. His 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 3 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 Sir 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, they each wrote all their own lyrics, as well as
their own music from this time forward. However like Lennon/McCartney they maintained a joint writer’s credit throughout their Supertramp career. In 1973 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”, four studio albums and numerous tours culminated in the worldwide success of “Breakfast in America”, which has sold over 20,000,000 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 his
live solo concert in Canada.  “Take The Long Way Home – Live in
Montreal” went Platinum in just 7 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 the music
and memories that have touched so many of our lives into our hearts and
homes.

Journalist reviews  

“The prolonged standing ovation echoed around the
Royal Albert Hall for ages.”   London ~ The Times

“This concert was pure magic!
Manchester ~ Evening News

” Some of the listeners had goose bumps and some
of them had teary eyes'” Germany  ~  Schwäbische Zeitung

“It was a love fest from the get go – Roger has a
way of connecting with the audience.”   Montreal ~ Gazette Review

“Roger Hodgson is a genius composer, a Mozart in
the modern time. His music is brilliant and intellectually profound.”  Ottawa ~ Citizen

“What a performance, it sent shivers along my
spine” Hamburg ~ Lokal-Anzeige

Fan reviews

“Wow!  What a fantastic night!  What a
guy. What songs.  What warmth from Roger to the audience and the
audience to Roger.  What a feel-good night.  I turned to look at
the faces in the circle and above and EVERYONES faces were alight with
enjoyment. Fantastic!  Please do it again soon. ..Absolutely
brilliant…”

“This performance was jaw dropping. It was like
turning the clock back 25 years. Roger’s voice was as it was in Supertramp’s
heyday.”

“Roger is one of the most genuine artists in the
industry today.  He puts his whole heart and spirit into his
performances, and that is felt by audiences all over the world.  He is also
one of the most genuine individuals you will ever meet – always with a kind
word and an infectious personality!”

“You exceeded my expectations.   You are
truly a legend and I must say I was profoundly touched by your humility and
gentle personality, thank you, merci, for such a memorable evening. Your
music will forever be eternal.”

Reviews from Roger’s DVD:

“I love this DVD!!  I’ve watched it over and
over again with my friends and family and really do feel like it’s my own
private concert. And the bonus features are great- I’ve always wondered what
it’s like to be backstage… now I know! Thank you so much for putting out this
DVD, it’s a dream come true for fans like me…”

“I treasure your DVD and play it frequently. It’s
beautifully created and inspires such happy memories. Your recently written
song ‘Oh Brother’ is a new favorite of mine and I’m delighted that you sang
it on the DVD…”

“I just listened to your DVD and you know, I
really think that you should put a sticker on the cover saying something
like: “Warning This DVD contains high emotions”. WOW!!! Many thanks
for that soundtrack Roger…”

“I just got the Montreal DVD and absolutely love
it. It is so amazing. Your voice is so beautiful still and you look so happy
playing, and it all just reminds me of the days growing up. Most of all I am
so happy to know you are sharing your music with the world still and how
popular your music has become now. WOW I sure am impressed. All your songs
have touched my heart in some sort of way through my life…”

“I treasure your DVD and play it frequently. It’s
beautifully created and inspires such happy memories. Your recently written
song ‘Oh Brother’ is a new favorite of mine and I’m delighted that you sang
it on the DVD…”

“I just listened to your DVD and you know, I
really think that you should put a sticker on the cover saying something
like: “Warning This DVD contains high emotions”. WOW!!! Many thanks
for that soundtrack Roger…”

“I just got the Montreal DVD and absolutely love it.
It is so amazing. Your voice is so beautiful still and you look so happy
playing, and it all just reminds me of the days growing up. Most of all I am
so happy to know you are sharing your music with the world still and how
popular your music has become now. WOW I sure am impressed. All your songs
have touched my heart in some sort of way through my life…”

www.RogerHodgson.com

http://www.youtube.com/artist?a=GxdCwVVULXfvP-evR0onQNc6KyuPFfau&feature=watch