Supertramp

Supertramp biography

Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming themselves in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music. The band's work is marked by the inventive songwriting of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson and the distinctive voice of Hodgson. Supertramp were also well known for their prominent use of the Wurlitzer electric piano and saxophone.

While the band's early work was mainstream progressive rock, they would enjoy greater critical and commercial success when they incorporated more conventional and radio-friendly elements into their work in the mid-1970s, going on to sell more than 60 million albums. They reached their peak of commercial success with 1979's Breakfast in America, which has sold more than 20 million copies.

Though their albums were generally far more successful than their singles, Supertramp did enjoy a number of major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including "Dreamer", "Bloody Well Right", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home", "It's Raining Again" and "Cannonball". The band attained significant popularity in the United States, Canada, most of Europe, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil. Since Hodgson's departure in 1983, founder Rick Davies has led the band by himself.

History

1969-72: Early years

thumb In 1969 Stanley 'Sam' August Miesegaes, a Dutch millionaire, became disappointed with the band he was financially supporting, The Joint. He dropped his support for the band and offered Swindon-born keyboardist Rick Davies, whose talent he felt had been "bogged down" by the group, an opportunity to form his own band, again with Miesegaes' financial backing. Davies assembled Roger Hodgson (bass and vocals), Richard Palmer (guitars), and Keith Baker (percussion) after placing an advertisement in the weekly music newspaper, Melody Maker.

Davies and Hodgson had radically different backgrounds and musical inspirations: Davies was working class and fiercely devoted to blues and jazz, while Hodgson had gone straight from private school to the music business and was fond of pop and psychedelia. Despite this, they hit it off during the auditions and began writing virtually all of their songs together, with Palmer as a third writer in the mix. Since none of the other band members were willing, Palmer penned all their lyrics.

The group initially dubbed themselves "Daddy". Baker was almost immediately replaced by former stage actor Robert Millar, and after several months of rehearsal at a country house in West Hythe, Kent, the band flew to Munich for a series of concerts at the P. N. Club. The rehearsals had been less than productive, and their initial repertoire consisted of only four songs, two of which were covers.

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