| Roger Hodgson | |
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Roger Hodgson in France in 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson |
| Born | 21 March 1950 |
| Origin | Portsmouth, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | A&M, Unichord/Voiceprint, Epic |
| Associated acts | Supertramp, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, Argosy |
| Website | RogerHodgson.com |
Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp.[1][2][3]
Hodgson composed and sang on the majority of the band's biggest hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home" and "It's Raining Again".
He left Supertramp in 1983 so that he could retire from touring and other industry obligations. However, since his departure he has produced the occasional solo album, and in 1997 he began doing solo tours. He is recognised for his tenor singing voice, which became a trademark of his former band Supertramp, and often writes about spiritual and philosophical topics.
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Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, in 1950 and grew up in Oxford. He is the son of Charles Hodgson and Jill Hodgson (died in June 2009). He went to Woodcote House, where he was the first boy to learn electric guitar, and Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. His first guitar was a parting gift from his father at age 12 when his parents divorced.[4] He took it to boarding school with him, where his teacher taught him three chords. He began composing his own music and lyrics and within a year gave his first concert at school with nine original songs. Hodgson's first band at school consisted of him on guitar and his friend Roy Hoby playing snare drums. They were dubbed the "H-bombs" because of their last names.
At age 19, Roger Hodgson made his first appearance in a recording studio as guitarist for People Like Us, a band he formed shortly after graduating from boarding school.[4] The group recorded a single, "Duck Pond" b/w "Send Me No Flowers", which was never released.[5]
After People Like Us disbanded, Hodgson auditioned for Island Records, with Traffic's road manager providing him a foot in the door with the label.[4] Island set him up in a recording studio as vocalist for the one-off "flower power" pop band Argosy, which also included Reginald Dwight (later known as Elton John), Caleb Quaye, and Nigel Olsson.[6] Their sole single, "Mr. Boyd" b/w "Imagine", consisted of two pieces of orchestrated pop (both penned by Hodgson) and was issued on the DJM (U.K.) and Congress (U.S.) record labels.[6] It sold poorly and remains rare and sought after. "Mr. Boyd" was covered in 1997 by Jake Shillingford and his band My Life Story on their album "The Golden Mile".
After the breakup of Argosy, Hodgson, responding to an advert placed in Melody Maker by Rick Davies, auditioned for the guitarist spot in the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson was offered the job, but when Richard Palmer arrived the next day to audition for the same spot, Hodgson agreed to learn how to play bass instead.[7]
The songs on Supertramp's self-titled first album, released in 1970, were composed by Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies, and Richard Palmer; however, since both Hodgson and Davies were unwilling to write lyrics, Palmer wrote all the album's lyrics.[7] Palmer left shortly after the album's recording, allowing Hodgson to switch back to guitar, but leaving him and Davies no choice but to serve as the band's lyricists. In a parallel to fellow British prog rockers Genesis and their search for a new lead vocalist, Supertramp auditioned 93 guitarists before turning the role over to Hodgson.[8] The hugely successful Crime of the Century was released in 1974. Crisis? What Crisis?, released in 1975, was followed by Even in the Quietest Moments in 1977. In 1979, they released their most successful album, Breakfast in America. This album has sold over 20 million copies to date.[9] The live album, Paris, was released in 1980. …Famous Last Words…, released in 1982, included Hodgson's first solo recording, "Know Who You Are".
From 1974 through 1983, all songs recorded by Supertramp were legally credited with a shared writing credit of Davies/Hodgson. Roger Hodgson was the writer of hits such as "The Logical Song", "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Breakfast in America", "It's Raining Again", "Take the Long Way Home" and "Fool's Overture".
As was common practice for bands of the era, Hodgson recorded demos of his compositions and presented them to the other members so that they could learn their parts. Hodgson wrote "Breakfast in America", "The Logical Song", and some of "Fool's Overture" at home with a harmonium he had bought from a neighbour when he was 17 years old (this instrument is used in the background of "Breakfast in America", and prominently appears on "Two of Us" and his solo track "The Garden").
Roger was with the band for over 13 years before leaving in 1983. There was much speculation behind the reasons why Roger Hodgson left Supertramp. In an interview, Hodgson stated that the reason he left the band was to spend time with his two small children.[10] He has also stated that there were not any real problems in his relationship with Davies, as was speculated.
Hodgson left Los Angeles and moved his family to Northern California, where he built a home studio and produced two solo albums. His first, In the Eye of The Storm (released 1984), despite being heavily publicized as the solo album of a former member of Supertramp, failed to break the top 40 in either the USA or UK.[11][12] The single "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)" was more pop radio-oriented than any of Hodgson's work with Supertramp, yet it only reached number 48 in the USA,[13] while the followup singles, "In Jeopardy" and "Hooked on a Problem", failed to chart at all. It did not help that Hodgson refused to tour in support of the album, because it would have kept him from spending time with his children.[10]
Though a major commercial disappointment after his last six albums with Supertramp, In the Eye of the Storm would prove to be Hodgson's biggest success without the group. His second album, 1987's Hai Hai, had a distinctive synthpop-oriented feel, in the vein of the mid-80s trends. However, just prior to the release of Hai Hai, Hodgson fell from a loft in his home and broke both wrists, which disabled him from promoting the album.[10] It would barely scrape into the Billboard 200,[14] and was a no show in the UK Charts. He took a long break from both touring and recording.
In 1990 Hodgson was approached by Yes to take the lead singer position but declined the offer. One of the songs he co-wrote with Trevor Rabin, "Walls", appears on Yes's 1994 Talk album, with lyrics revised by Anderson. A version of "Walls" with only Hodgson and Rabin on vocals was released on Trevor Rabin's 2003 archival release 90124.
After a long break, he launched into his first solo tour and released 1997's live Rites of Passage to document the tour. The live album was recorded at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City, California. He performed with a full band including his son Andrew, and Supertramp sax player John Helliwell. The album was a total flop in both the UK and USA, but gave Hodgson his only significant solo success in Germany, reaching number 34 in the charts there.[15]
Hodgson played King Arthur in the rock opera Excalibur: La Legende Des Celtes, and appeared on the album for two songs: "The Elements," and "The Will of God." The project was headed by Alan Simon and released in 1999. In 2000, he contributed vocals on a track titled "The Moon Says Hello" by Carlos Núñez, on the CD Mayo Longo.
Hodgson's fourth solo effort Open the Door was released in 2000 and continued in the vein of his previous work. He collaborated again with Alan Simon on the album. In August 2000, Hodgson guested with Fairport Convention at that years Cropredy Festival. He performed "Breakfast In America", "The Logical Song", "Open The Door" and "Give A Little Bit".
Hodgson toured as a member of the All-Starr Band in 2001, playing lead guitar, and has since collaborated with Trevor Rabin (who appears on the track "The More I Look" on Open the Door) and Ringo Starr.
Hodgson is still touring, often playing alone, but from time to time he is joined by other musicians or a full orchestra. He took part in the Night of the Proms concert series in Belgium and Germany in late 2004, as well as the rock festival Bospop in 2005. On 30 November 2005, he held his first concert in England in over twenty years, at Shepherd's Bush, London. While the performance was filmed and scheduled for a DVD release, the plan was scrapped. Instead, the concert recorded at the Place Des Arts in Montreal, Canada on 6 June 2006 was his first DVD, released on 22 August 2006, entitled Take The Long Way Home - Live In Montreal. In October 2006, the DVD was certified multi-platinum by the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association).
In May 2006, Roger Hodgson was honoured by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in recognition of his song "Give A Little Bit" being one of the most played songs in the ASCAP repertoire in 2005. He received another ASCAP award on April 9, 2008 for the Gym Class Heroes' song "Cupid's Chokehold", recognized as one of the most played songs in ASCAP's repertoire in 2007.
Hodgson participated as a mentor on Canadian Idol along with Dennis DeYoung. He continued mentoring several of the finalists during his 2006 Canadian Tour.
Hodgson performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, UK on July 1, 2007. He sang a medley of his most popular songs: "Dreamer", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America" and "Give A Little Bit".
On September 18, 2007, Eagle Vision released the DVD Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal worldwide, achieving gold in Germany and France.
Hodgson toured the US, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, and Canada in 2010. Though Hodgson's former bandmates in Supertramp announced a 40th Anniversary reunion tour, he was not invited to join them, and his own touring schedule would have prohibited him from any participation beyond the occasional guest spot in any case.[16] Both Hodgson and Supertramp released tour material on download only on their websites. Hodgson's Classics Live is a collection of recordings taken from solo, band, and orchestra shows from his 2010 world tour. Hodgson is again touring worldwide in 2011 and is planning a world tour for 2012.
Hodgson has been a vegetarian all of his life. He said in a 1983 interview about the topic: "I've always loved going out in the woods with all the trees because I also have the respect for the wilderness because I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat."
For his work with Supertramp, see Supertramp discography between 1969 and 1983
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