Roger Hodgson
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| Roger Hodgson | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson | |
| Born | March 21, 1950 (age 57) Portsmouth, England |
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| Genre(s) | Progressive Rock Soft rock Art Rock |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Keyboards Guitar Bass |
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| Years active | 1969 - Present | |
| Label(s) | A&M | |
| Associated acts |
Supertramp | |
| Website | RogerHodgson.com | |
Roger Hodgson (born Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson, 21 March 1950, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England) is a British vocalist and musician, and he was one of the founding members of the progressive rock group Supertramp. He is recognized for his high-pitched voice, which became a trademark for Supertramp, and often writes about somewhat spiritual and philosophical topics.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] (1950-1969) Early Years
Hodgson was born in 1950 and grew up in Oxford, England in a wealthy middle-class family, and was also sent to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. It is known he wrote the song "Breakfast in America" in his teenage years.
[edit] (1969-1983) Supertramp
As a copyright agreement similar to Lennon/McCartney with The Beatles, almost all Supertramp songs were credited to Davies and Hodgson, regardless of who actually wrote them, but in most of the cases the main writer was also the lead singer. Roger Hodgson is the main writer of well known hits such as "The Logical Song", "Dreamer", "Give A Little Bit", "Breakfast in America" and "It's Raining Again".
[edit] (1984-Present) Solo Hodgson
After his departure from Supertramp in 1983, Hodgson launched into his solo career with 1984's In The Eye of the Storm. Compared favourably to his Supertramp work, it includes "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)" and "In Jeopardy". Hodgson is credited with playing nearly all the instruments as well as writing and producing the album.
His second album, 1987's Hai Hai 1987 had a distinctive synthpop-oriented feel, in the vein of the mid-80s trends, but it also maintains a songwriting style true to Hodgson's standards. 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 successfully promoting the album. He also took a long break from both touring and recording. In this time, he also turned towards a more spiritual path.
After a long break, he launched into his first tour since 1984 and released 1997's "Rites of Passage" to document the tour. He performs with a full band including his son Andrew, and Supertramp sax player John Helliwell. He then embarked on his first world solo tour in 1998.
Hodgson appeared on the album Excalibur: La Legende Des Celtes for two songs: "The Elements," and "The Will of God." The project was headed by Alan Simon and released in 1999.
In 2000, Roger Hodgson contributed vocals on a track titled "The Moon Says Hello" by Carlos Núñez, on the CD Mayo Longo.
Hodgson's third solo effort Open the Door was released in 2000 and continues the vein of his previous work. It is considered by most fans to be much more true to the Supertramp style than Rick Davies' latest, more bluesy Slow Motion album, which was published under the Supertramp name with a collection of session musicians.
In 2001, he toured as a member of the All-Starr Band in 2001 playing lead guitar) and has since collaborated with Trevor Rabin (who appears on a track on Open the Door) and Ringo Starr. He also co-wrote the single "Walls" on the Yes album Talk).
Hodgson is still giving concerts, often playing alone, but from time to time he is joined by other musicians or has a full orchestra accompanying him. He has taken 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 that performance was filmed and scheduled for a DVD release, the plan has since been scrapped. Instead, the concert recorded at the Place Des Arts in Montreal, Canada on June 6, 2006 will be his first DVD release on August 22, 2006, entitled Take The Long Way Home - Live In Montreal. In October, 2006 the DVD was certified platinum by the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association).
Hodgson participated as a mentor on Canadian Idol along with Dennis DeYoung. He continuted mentoring several of the finalists during his 2006 Canadian Tour.
He is currently in prepartion for a Autumn 2007 Tour, his first in the UK in over twenty years.
[edit] Personal Life
Hodgson was married to Karuna on March 7, 1979, and had two children, daughter Heidi, and son Andrew. The couple divorced in 2005. He currently resides in Nevada City, California.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo albums
For his work with Supertramp, see Supertramp discography between 1969 and 1982
| 1984 | In the Eye of the Storm |
| 1987 | Hai Hai |
| 1997 | Rites of Passage (Live) |
| 2000 | Open the Door |
[edit] DVDs
| 2006 | Take The Long Way Home - Live In Montreal |
[edit] Trivia
- The song "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes is a very close remake of Roger Hodgson's song "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp.
[edit] External link
- Official Website
- Fansite: Breakfast in Spain
- Fansite: The Roger Hodgson Zoo
- Fansite: The Garden Gate - Roger Hodgson
- Interview in the International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine," dealing mainly with his songwriting
