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Supertramp
Supertramp, 1971 From left: Roger Hodgson, Frank Farrell, Rick Davies, Kevin Currie, Dave Winthrop
Supertramp, 1971
From left: Roger Hodgson, Frank Farrell, Rick Davies, Kevin Currie, Dave Winthrop
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1970–1988
  • 1996–2002
  • 2010–2012
  • 2015
Labels
Past members
Websitesupertramp.com

Supertramp were an English rock band that experienced massive global success in 1979 with their seventh album Breakfast in America. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), the group were distinguished for blending progressive rock and pop styles as well as for a sound that relied heavily on Wurlitzer electric piano.[5][6] The group's lineup changed numerous times throughout their career, with Davies being the only constant member throughout its history. Other longtime members included bassist Dougie Thomson, drummer Bob Siebenberg and saxophonist John Helliwell.

The band were initially a prog-rock group, but starting with their third album, Crime of the Century (1974), they began moving towards a more pop-oriented sound.[5] They reached their commercial peak with 1979's Breakfast in America, which yielded the international top 10 singles "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Goodbye Stranger", and "Take the Long Way Home". Their other top 40 hits included "Dreamer" (1974), "Give a Little Bit" (1977), and "It's Raining Again" (1982). In 1983, Hodgson left the group to pursue a solo career. Davies took over as the band's sole leader until 1988, after which they disbanded and periodically reformed in various configurations.

As of 2007, Supertramp album sales exceeded 60 million.[7] They attained significant popularity in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Their highest sales levels were in Canada, where they had two diamond-certified (ten-times platinum) albums (Crime of the Century and Breakfast in America), and their only number 1 singles anywhere ("The Logical Song" and "Dreamer").

Discover more about Supertramp related topics

Breakfast in America

Breakfast in America

Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 29 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned four US Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home" and "Breakfast in America". In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.

Progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing.

Pop music

Pop music

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many disparate styles. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible.

Dougie Thomson

Dougie Thomson

Douglas 'Doogie' Campbell Thomson is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He was the bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp during much of the seventies and eighties.

Bob Siebenberg

Bob Siebenberg

Robert Layne Siebenberg also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion. He was the sole American in Supertramp's lineup, joining the band in 1973. His son, Jesse, joined Supertramp at the time of the release of the live album It Was the Best of Times.

John Helliwell

John Helliwell

John Anthony Helliwell is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's concerts, talking and making jokes to the audience between songs.

Crime of the Century (album)

Crime of the Century (album)

Crime of the Century is the third studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in September 1974 on A&M Records. Crime of the Century was Supertramp's commercial breakthrough in many countries, most notably in the UK, Canada and Germany where it peaked in the Top 5 while also making the Top 20 in Australia and France. It was an improvement over their previous sales in the US, but still only peaked at No. 38, with the US hit being "Bloody Well Right". "School" was another popular track, particularly at album rock-oriented radio stations. The album was eventually certified Gold in the US in 1977 after the release of Even in the Quietest Moments.... In Canada, it was eventually certified Diamond. The album was Supertramp's first to feature drummer Bob Siebenberg, saxophone and clarinet player and vocalist John Helliwell, bassist Dougie Thomson, and co-producer Ken Scott. The album has received critical acclaim, including its inclusion in Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time".

Breakfast in America (song)

Breakfast in America (song)

"Breakfast in America" is the title track from English rock band Supertramp's 1979 album of the same name. Credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, it was a top-ten hit in the UK and a live version of the song reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1981. The lyrics tell about a person, presumably British, who dreams of visiting the United States.

Goodbye Stranger

Goodbye Stranger

"Goodbye Stranger" is a song by the English rock band Supertramp; it was written by Rick Davies. The song first appeared on their sixth studio album, Breakfast in America (1979). The lyrics present an "optimistic view from a drifter."

Dreamer (Supertramp song)

Dreamer (Supertramp song)

"Dreamer" is a hit single from British band Supertramp's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1975. In 1980, it appeared on the band's live album Paris. This live version was also released as a single and hit number 15 on the US charts, number 36 in the Dutch Top 40, and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. When "Dreamer" had been released in 1974, its B-side "Bloody Well Right" was more popular in North America leading it to chart instead, at No. 35 in the US and No. 49 in Canada, with "Dreamer" only charting in Canada, that being at No. 75. "Dreamer" also appeared on Roger Hodgson's album, Classics Live, recorded on tour in 2010.

Give a Little Bit

Give a Little Bit

"Give a Little Bit" is the opening song on Supertramp's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments... The song was released as a single that same year and became an international hit for the band, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. It was a chart hit in the band's native UK, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was re-released in 1992 to raise funds for the ITV Telethon Charity event, but failed to chart.

It's Raining Again

It's Raining Again

"It's Raining Again" is a song recorded by the English progressive rock band Supertramp and released as a single from their 1982 album …Famous Last Words… with credits given to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, although as indicated on the album sleeve, it is a Hodgson composition. The end of the song incorporates the old nursery rhyme "It's Raining, It's Pouring".

History

1969–1972: Formation, Supertramp and Indelibly Stamped

In 1969 Stanley "Sam" August Miesegaes, a Dutch millionaire, ceased providing financial support to a band called The Joint, as he was disappointed with them. He offered Swindon-born keyboardist Rick Davies, a former bandmate of Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, whose talent he felt had been "bogged down" by the group,[8] an opportunity to form his own band with Miesegaes's financial backing.[5] The band included Roger Hodgson (bass and vocals), Richard Palmer (guitars and vocals), and Keith Baker (percussion).

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 English private school to the music business and was fond of pop. Despite this, they hit it off during the auditions[9] and began writing virtually all of their songs together, with Palmer as a third writer in the mix. Hodgson and Davies collaborated on the songwriting while Palmer composed the lyrics.[10][11]

The group, having dubbed themselves "Daddy",[12] after several months of rehearsal at a country house in West Hythe, Kent, flew to Munich for a series of concerts at the P. N. Club.[13] One 10-minute performance there of "All Along the Watchtower" was filmed by Haro Senft (Daddy Portrait 1970).[14] The rehearsals had been less than productive and their initial repertoire consisted of only four songs, two of which were covers.[13]

In January 1970 Keith Baker left, and to avoid confusion with the similarly named Daddy Longlegs,[13] at Palmer's suggestion, the band changed its name to "Supertramp", a moniker inspired by The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by William Henry Davies.[15]

In February 1970 Baker was replaced by former stage actor Robert Millar (b. 1950).[16]

In April 1970 Supertramp, while back in Munich, returned the favor to their friend Haro Senft by contributing music to his next film, Fegefeuer (a.k.a. Purgatory), and would also agree to have tracks from their first album used in a documentary, Extremes (1971), by Tony Klinger and Michael Lytton.

Supertramp were one of the first groups to be signed to the UK branch of A&M Records and their first album, Supertramp, was released on 14 August 1970 in the UK and Canada (it would not be issued in the US until late 1977). Stylistically, the album was fairly typical of progressive rock of the era. Despite receiving a good deal of critical praise, the album did not attract a large audience.[13]

Dave Winthrop (flute and saxophone, vocals) had first auditioned for the group in March 1970 but didn't join until July, just before the release of the first record. He performed with Supertramp at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival on 27 August 1970.

The membership continued to change in the six months following the album's release: Palmer left the band in December 1970, followed by Millar in January 1971, who had suffered a nervous breakdown.[17] Palmer, as Richard Palmer-James, went on to work as a lyricist for King Crimson. Palmer was replaced by former The Nice guitarist David O'List, who lasted for only one gig. A drummer from Birmingham, Dickie Thomas, was brought in during the interim until auditions brought the band Kevin Currie in February 1971.[18]

For the next album, Indelibly Stamped, released in June 1971 in both the UK and US, Frank Farrell (bass, keyboards, backing vocals) joined, while Hodgson switched to guitar and Davies served as a second lead singer. With Palmer's departure, Hodgson and Davies wrote and composed separately for this and the band's subsequent albums.[19][20] The record sold even less than their debut.[17] In the aftermath, all members gradually quit except Hodgson and Davies,[5] and Miesegaes withdrew his financial support in October 1972.[13]


1973–1978: Crime of the Century and commercial breakthrough

After Farrell's departure in the spring of 1972, 20 year old bassist Nick South (from Alexis Korner's band) came in for a temporary stint until Dougie Thomson (from The Alan Bown Set) joined in July. In the summer of 1973 more auditions to replace the departed Curry and Winthrop started and introduced Bob Siebenberg (initially credited as Bob C. Benberg; drums and percussion) and another Alan Bown alumni, John Helliwell (saxophone, other woodwinds, occasional keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals), completing the lineup in the summer of 1973. Hodgson would also begin introducing compositions featuring keyboards (particularly the Wurlitzer electric piano) in the band in addition to guitar.[5] This lineup of Supertramp would remain in place for the next ten years.

Meanwhile, the bond between Davies and Hodgson had begun weakening. Hodgson mused, "There's a very deep bond, but it's definitely mostly on a musical level. When there's just the two of us playing together, there's an incredible empathy. His down-to-earth way of writing, which is very rock 'n' roll, balances out my lighter, melodic style."[21] Over Supertramp's history, their relationship would be amicable but increasingly distant as their lifestyles and musical inclinations saw less and less overlap. Their songwriting partnership gradually dissolved; though all of Supertramp's songs would continue to be officially credited as "written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson", most of them were written by Davies or Hodgson individually.

Supertramp needed a hit record to continue working, and finally got one with Crime of the Century. Released in September 1974, it began the group's run of critical and commercial successes, hitting number 4 in Britain,[22] number 38 in the US, and number 4 in Canada. This album made the top 100 albums in Canada three years in a row in 1974, 1975 and 1976, even though it did not have a Top 40 hit in Canada. "Dreamer", the 1975 UK Top 20 single written by Hodgson, was the band's first hit single and drove the album to the top of the charts.[23] Another single from the record, "Bloody Well Right", hit the US Top 40 in May 1975 and would be their only hit in the country for more than two years.[24]

With a hit album under their belt, pressures on the band increased, and the followup Crisis? What Crisis? had to be recorded in the few months between two scheduled concert tours. As a consequence, most of the material consisted of leftover songs from Crime of the Century, and decades later the band would continue to regard the album as one of their worst moments.[25] Nevertheless, Hodgson said in a 2015 interview that Crisis? What Crisis? was his favourite Supertramp album.[26] Despite Supertramp's own misgivings, the album was well received by critics, and when released in November 1975, it broke both the UK Top Twenty[22] and the US Top Fifty in spite of its singles all being commercial flops.

The following album, Even in the Quietest Moments..., released in April 1977, spawned a hit single with "Give a Little Bit" (number 15 US, number 29 UK, number 8 in Canada), first written by Hodgson at 19 or 20 years of age before he introduced it to the band for recording five to six years later.[27] As usual, the popularity of the album itself eclipsed that of its singles, and Even in the Quietest Moments... hit number 16 in the US,[28] number 12 in the UK, and 1 in Canada.[22] During this period, the band permanently relocated to Los Angeles.

1979–1983: Breakfast in America, ...Famous Last Words... and Hodgson's departure

The band's switch to a more pop-oriented approach peaked[29] with their most popular album, Breakfast in America. For the last two months of completing the album, Hodgson parked a camper outside of the studio to work diligently on mixing, with brief periods of rest in between.[30] He remembered feeling that "it could be a big album" and that he spent "days and sometimes weeks choosing the right songs and the right order of songs so one song flowed into the next".[31]

Released in March 1979, Breakfast in America reached number 3 in the UK[22] and number 1 in the US and Canada. The album spawned four successful singles (more than their first five albums combined): three of Hodgson's songs, "The Logical Song" (number 1 Canada, number 6 US, number 7 UK), "Take the Long Way Home" (number 4 Canada, number 10 US, not released in UK), and "Breakfast in America" (number 9 UK, not released in the US or Canada) and Davies' "Goodbye Stranger" (number 5 in Canada, number 15 US, number 57 UK).[32]

Supertramp performing in 1979
Supertramp performing in 1979

To avoid an overly lengthy gap between albums during their hiatus, the band put out 1980's Paris, a two-LP live album recorded mostly at the Pavillon de Paris.[33] It broke the top ten in both the US and UK.[22][34] A live version of "Dreamer" was released as a single hitting number 1 in Canada and number 15 in the US, even though the studio version had failed to even chart there in 1974.[24] And a second single from the live album, "Breakfast in America", peaked at number 62 in the US.

Hodgson moved his family from the Los Angeles area to the mountains of northern California where he built a home and studio and focused on his family and spiritual life, while recording a solo album, initially titled Sleeping with the Enemy, which would later be released as In the Eye of the Storm in 1984.[35] This geographic separation widened the rift between him and the rest of the group; during the conceptualization and recording of their next album, ...Famous Last Words..., Davies and Hodgson found far greater difficulty in reconciling their musical ideas than they had before, and it was apparent to the rest of the band that Hodgson wanted out.[35]

...Famous Last Words... was released in October 1982, and scored two more hits with "It's Raining Again" and "My Kind of Lady". It peaked at no. 5 in the USA[36] and no. 6 in the UK.[22]

A worldwide tour followed in 1983, in which the band was joined by two additional musicians on stage, former Alice Cooper and Queen player Fred Mandel (guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals) and Scott Page (sax, guitar, horns, backing vocals), and Hodgson announced he would not be continuing with the band once the tour finished in September 1983. Hodgson has stated that his departure was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family and make solo recordings and that there were never any real personal or professional problems between him and Davies, as some people thought.[17]

1984–1988: Brother Where You Bound and Free as a Bird

The Davies-led Supertramp released Brother Where You Bound in May 1985. The album was a deliberate step away from the pop approach of their last two studio albums,[37][38] and reached no. 20 in the UK charts[22] and no. 21 in the US charts.[24] It included the Top 30 hit single "Cannonball", along with the title track, a 16-minute exposition on Cold War themes highlighted by guitar solos from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. A 20-minute film of the title track by Rene Daalder was used to promote the album.[38]

Supertramp mounted a tour in the fall of 1985 through early 1986 that was their first without Hodgson. The lineup included Davies, Thomson, Helliwell, Siebenberg, Scott Page, Marty Walsh (guitar, backing vocals), Carl Verheyen (guitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Mark Hart (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Brad Cole sat in for Hart for several gigs in late October/early November 1985 after the latter was called away due to a family emergency.[18]

1987's Free as a Bird experimented in heavily synthesised music,[39] such as "I'm Beggin' You", which reached number 1 on the US dance charts.[40] The stylistic change was generally not well-received, however, and the album itself reached only no. 93 in the UK and 101 in the US, breaking a streak of seven consecutive top 100 efforts on the American charts.

In addition to their shift towards less commercially oriented material, the band members decided to drop all of Hodgson's compositions from their setlist in order to further establish an identity separate from him.[37] However, audiences were angered by the omissions of these songs, and although Supertramp toured in 1985 using only Davies's compositions, in 1988 the pressure from fans and their first tour of South America drove them to reintroduce a handful of Hodgson-penned hits to their set.[41] The band's 1988 touring lineup was almost the same as it had been in '85/'86, but with Brad Cole returning in place of Scott Page and percussionist Steve Reid instead of guitarist Carl Verheyen.

After 1988's tour, the group fragmented. Davies later explained, "We'd been out there for about 20 years just recording and touring and it seemed time to have a break with no ideas as to if or when we would come back. We decided not to actually say anything, just sort of fade away like an old soldier."[42]

1993 Hodgson and Davies reunion

On 14 April 1993 at the Beverly Hills Hilton, for a special dinner honoring Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records, Hodgson, Davies, and Helliwell (together with Jeff Daniel) appeared to perform "The Logical Song" and "Goodbye Stranger". After that, Davies and Hodgson began working together again, recording demos of two new songs, "You Win, I Lose" and "And the Light". But disagreements over management prompted them to part ways once again soon after, with both songs eventually appearing, sans Hodgson, on Supertramp's next release in 1997.[43]

1996–2002: Some Things Never Change and Slow Motion

In 1996 Davies re-formed Supertramp with Helliwell, Siebenberg and guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Mark Hart, who was new to the official lineup but had prominently contributed to Free as a Bird and to the group's tours from 1985 to 1988. Their 1985–86 guitarist, Carl Verheyen, returned as well, along with new bassist Cliff Hugo, horn player Lee Thornburg and former America percussionist Tom Walsh (who was replaced for the band's 1997 tour by Bob Siebenberg's son Jesse, who would also go on to contribute guitar, keyboards and vocals), bringing the band up to an eight-man lineup.[39] The result of this reunion was Some Things Never Change, a new studio album released in March 1997 that echoed the earlier Supertramp sound[39][44] and reached number 74 in the UK.[22]

In the summer of 1997, Supertramp returned to the road, resulting in the live It Was the Best of Times (April 1999).

After a three-year hiatus, Supertramp released in April 2002 a new studio album entitled Slow Motion, followed by a 2002 world tour entitled "One More for the Road Tour".

Supertramp continued to play several Hodgson-penned songs during live shows following their reunion. Hodgson subsequently claimed that when he had left the band back in 1983, he and Davies made a verbal agreement that they would not play those songs.[41] Davies has never publicly alluded to such an agreement, and former member Dougie Thomson (who retired from performing to move into music publishing) commented "Nobody except Rick and Roger were privy to that conversation. Rick and Roger had several dialogues that no one else was privy to. Again, that's hearsay."[41] The publishing company and contract legally recognize which songs each songwriter actually wrote. Hodgson has contractual approval rights over the use of his songs and Davies for his.[45]

2000s–present: Hiatuses and touring

After the 2002 "One More for the Road Tour", Supertramp went inactive once again. Another attempt to bring Hodgson back into the band failed in 2005.[46] In 2008, it was announced that Supertramp's music would be featured in the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.[47]

In 2009 Hodgson said he could not see a Supertramp reunion ever happening: "We've looked at it and talked it over... I would never say never but Rick [Davies] has pretty much retired right now and I'm in the prime of my life. The reaction I am getting from fans is 'please don't reunite'."[48]

Supertramp 2010. From left: Cliff Hugo, Rick Davies, Bob Siebenberg, John Helliwell, Gabe Dixon, and Carl Verheyen
Supertramp 2010. From left: Cliff Hugo, Rick Davies, Bob Siebenberg, John Helliwell, Gabe Dixon, and Carl Verheyen

On 21 April 2010 it was announced[43] that Supertramp would perform 35 concerts in late 2010 in Europe. Hodgson concurrently embarked on a worldwide solo tour,[49] and thus was unable to rejoin the band for the 70-10 tour. However, in response to a fan campaign, Hodgson sent a letter to Rick Davies and had his manager send one to Davies's management, offering to join them for select dates during gaps in his tour schedule. Davies's agent notified Hodgson that his offer was declined.[50]

When asked whether Hodgson might appear at any Supertramp concerts, Davies replied, "I know there are some fans out there who would like that to happen. There was a time when I had hoped for that too. But the recent past makes that impossible. In order to play a great show for our fans, you need harmony, both musically and personally. Unfortunately that doesn't exist between us anymore and I would rather not destroy memories of more harmonious times between all of us."[51] Hodgson and Supertramp continued to tour separately in 2011.[52][53]

The group's lineup for their 2010–11 tours was Davies, Helliwell, Siebenberg, Jesse Siebenberg (now assuming Mark Hart's role on vocals, keyboards and guitar), Cliff Hugo, Carl Verheyen, Lee Thornburg, Gabe Dixon (vocals, keyboards, percussion) and Cassie Miller (backing vocals).

Supertramp played what turned out to be its last concert on November 15, 2012 in Madrid, during a private event at the IFEMA fairgrounds, which coincidentally a few years before had used 'From Now On' in its advertising commercials. The show, that was held in front of several thousand people, lasted about eighty minutes and the set list was a shortened version of the one used on the '70-10' tour. The band was also the same as that of the 2010-11 tour, except for John, who was unable to get there due to another professional commitment with Egbert Derix on that same date. Saxophonist Rob Hardt, an American musician who was a friend of Lee Thornburg and used to work with Latin American salsa percussionist and singer Poncho Sánchez, stood in For Helliwell. [54]

From 2012 to 2015, Supertramp went dormant again. Meanwhile, Hodgson toured his "Breakfast in America World Tour" from 2012 onwards. On 25 January 2015 at Cirque Royal in Brussels, Belgium, Hodgson continued his "Breakfast in America World Tour" with a European leg concluding 7 September 2015 at Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany and the North American leg of the tour extending from November in Tarrytown, New York, concluding on 13 December in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[55]

In 2015 Supertramp announced their first tour in more than four years: a 25-date European tour entitled "Supertramp Forever" set to launch on 3 November 2015 in Porto, Portugal. The tour would include a London show on 7 December at The O2 Arena, and would end on 11 December 2015 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[56] On 4 August 2015, however, the band announced that the tour was cancelled due to health issues affecting Rick Davies, who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and required aggressive treatment to combat the disease.[57]

In late August 2018, Davies gave an interview in which he expressed that, for the most part, he has overcome his health problems and enjoys playing music again, something he couldn't do in 2016, when he was under medical treatment. Davies can also be seen performing a few tracks in a rehearsal/sound check at a bar with some of Supertramp's current members at his side. In the same interview, Rick also stated that Supertramp were unlikely to return as a structured band.[58]

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Members

Bold denotes members of the classic lineup.

  • Rick Davies – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, songwriting (co-founder; 1970–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–2012)
  • Roger Hodgson – vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, songwriting (co-founder; 1970–1983)
  • Richard Palmer-James – guitars, vocals, percussion, songwriting (1970–1971)
  • Robert Millar – drums, percussion, harmonica (1970–1971)
  • Dave Winthrop – saxophone, flute, vocals (1970–1973)
  • Kevin Currie – drums, percussion (1971–1973)
  • Frank Farrell – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1971–1972, died 1997)
  • Dougie Thomson – bass (1972–1988)
  • Bob Siebenberg – drums, percussion (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–2012)
  • John Helliwell – saxophones, woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–2011)
  • Steve Reid – percussion (1987–1988)
  • Mark Hart – vocals, keyboards, guitar (1996–2002, 2015; touring musician: 1985–1988)
  • Carl Verheyen – guitars, percussion, backing vocals (1996–2002, 2010–2012, 2015; touring musician: 1985–1986)
  • Cliff Hugo – bass (1996–2002, 2010–2012)
  • Lee Thornburg – trombone, trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals (1996–2002, 2010–2012)
  • Tom Walsh – percussion (1996–1997)
  • Jesse Siebenberg – vocals, guitars, percussion (1997–2002, 2010–2012, 2015), keyboards (2010–2012)
  • Gabe Dixon – keyboards, vocals (2010–2012)
  • Cassie Miller – backing vocals (2010–2012)

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List of Supertramp band members

List of Supertramp band members

Supertramp were an English progressive rock band from London. Formed in 1969, the group originally consisted of bassist and lead vocalist Roger Hodgson, guitarist and vocalist Richard Palmer, keyboardist and vocalist Rick Davies, and drummer Keith Baker. The band's current lineup includes Davies alongside drummer Bob Siebenberg, saxophonist John Helliwell, guitarist Carl Verheyen, trumpeter Lee Thornburg, bassist Cliff Hugo, keyboardist Mark Hart, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Siebenberg, keyboardist Gabe Dixon and backing vocalist Cassie Miller.

Rick Davies

Rick Davies

Richard Davies is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best known songs, including "Rudy", "Bloody Well Right", "Crime of the Century", "From Now On", "Ain't Nobody But Me", "Gone Hollywood", "Goodbye Stranger", "Just Another Nervous Wreck", "Cannonball", and "I'm Beggin' You". He is generally noted for his rhythmic blues piano solos and jazz-tinged progressive rock compositions and cynical lyrics.

Roger Hodgson

Roger Hodgson

Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band’s hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Take the Long Way Home", "The Logical Song", "It's Raining Again", and "Breakfast in America."

Richard Palmer-James

Richard Palmer-James

Richard William Palmer-James is an English guitarist, songwriter and lyricist. He may be best known as one of the founder members of Supertramp ; writing lyrics for several songs by the progressive rock group King Crimson in the early 1970s; and for writing lyrics for the 1985 hit "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" by Sandra.

Frank Farrell (musician)

Frank Farrell (musician)

Francis Anthony Farrell was a British rock bassist, vocalist, and songwriter born in Birmingham, England. He attended St. Philip's Grammar School in Hagley Road, Edgbaston from 1959 to 1963. Over a professional career that spanned thirty years he is best known as the bassist of British rock band Supertramp and for his musical association with Leo Sayer. Farrell co-wrote the song "Rosie Had Everything Planned" with Roger Hodgson while with Supertramp and a number of songs with Sayer including the worldwide chart hit "Moonlighting".

Dougie Thomson

Dougie Thomson

Douglas 'Doogie' Campbell Thomson is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He was the bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp during much of the seventies and eighties.

Bob Siebenberg

Bob Siebenberg

Robert Layne Siebenberg also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion. He was the sole American in Supertramp's lineup, joining the band in 1973. His son, Jesse, joined Supertramp at the time of the release of the live album It Was the Best of Times.

John Helliwell

John Helliwell

John Anthony Helliwell is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's concerts, talking and making jokes to the audience between songs.

Mark Hart

Mark Hart

Mark Hart, is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp and Crowded House. As well as being a group member, touring and session musician for acts such as Ringo Starr, Hart has composed film scores and is a record producer.

Carl Verheyen

Carl Verheyen

Carl Verheyen is an American musician best known for being the guitarist of Supertramp, the leader of the Carl Verheyen Band, and as a Los Angeles session guitarist. He was ranked One of the World's Top 10 Guitarists by Guitar Magazine and won the LA Music Awards category of Best Guitarist at their 6th annual awards ceremony. He has recorded with such artists as The Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, Victor Feldman, Richard Elliot, and Stanley Clarke and has played guitar on film soundtracks including The Crow, The Usual Suspects, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and TV shows Cheers, Seinfeld, and Scrubs.

Cliff Hugo

Cliff Hugo

Clifford Clyde Hugo, is the bass guitarist for the art rock band Supertramp. Hugo worked with fellow Supertramp member Carl Verheyen in the Carl Verheyen Band from '97 - 2008. He has toured the world as a member of the Ray Charles band. Hugo has worked as a session musician for other musical projects and artists, like Rick Braun, Melissa Manchester, Willie Bobo, Moacir Santos, Paul Williams, Richard Elliot, Dan Hicks, Chris O'Connel, Manhattan Transfer, Mel Martin, Peppino D’ Agostino and former US Navy SEAL singer songwriter harmonica player Curt Campbell’s The Eclectic Beast Band’s “Liquid Smoke” Album released in 2018.

Gabe Dixon

Gabe Dixon

Gabe Dixon is an American musician. Dixon began his career in the Nashville-based country band Six Shooter. Between 1998 and 2010, he was the lead singer of The Gabe Dixon Band. Since the band's break-up, Dixon has worked as a solo artist. He has released two studio albums, One Spark (2011) and Turns to Gold (2016), and one live album, Live In Boston (2017). He is also the founder of the label Rolling Ball Records.

Discography

Discover more about Discography related topics

List of songs recorded by Supertramp

List of songs recorded by Supertramp

The English rock band Supertramp recorded over 100 songs from 1970 to 2002. They were one of the most popular British bands in the 70s and 80s, known for their success with progressive rock.

Supertramp (album)

Supertramp (album)

Supertramp is the debut album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in July 1970. The first UK press was released under the title "And I'm Not Like Other", but this title was printed on the labels only. In some countries it was released under the titles Surely (Singapore), and Now and Then (Spain).

Indelibly Stamped

Indelibly Stamped

Indelibly Stamped is the second album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1971. It marked a dramatic change in direction to a more straightforward rock sound, and by admission of the band's own liner notes, "Travelled" is the only song with any resemblance to their debut album. Like their debut, this album was a commercial failure upon release, but in later decades it went gold in France and Canada. Original editions have a colour gate-fold cover and different text for the band name and album title. The cover photograph features the tattooed torso and arms of a topless woman. This is the first Supertramp album issued in the U.S.; the cover was in colour, but A&M pasted two gold stars over the nipples. The album was banned from a number of record stores in Australia, while others sold each copy inside a brown paper sleeve.

Crime of the Century (album)

Crime of the Century (album)

Crime of the Century is the third studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in September 1974 on A&M Records. Crime of the Century was Supertramp's commercial breakthrough in many countries, most notably in the UK, Canada and Germany where it peaked in the Top 5 while also making the Top 20 in Australia and France. It was an improvement over their previous sales in the US, but still only peaked at No. 38, with the US hit being "Bloody Well Right". "School" was another popular track, particularly at album rock-oriented radio stations. The album was eventually certified Gold in the US in 1977 after the release of Even in the Quietest Moments.... In Canada, it was eventually certified Diamond. The album was Supertramp's first to feature drummer Bob Siebenberg, saxophone and clarinet player and vocalist John Helliwell, bassist Dougie Thomson, and co-producer Ken Scott. The album has received critical acclaim, including its inclusion in Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time".

Crisis? What Crisis?

Crisis? What Crisis?

Crisis? What Crisis? is the fourth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. It was recorded in Los Angeles and London – Supertramp's first album to have recording done in the US.

Even in the Quietest Moments...

Even in the Quietest Moments...

Even in the Quietest Moments... is the fifth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 1977. It was recorded mainly at Caribou Ranch Studios in Colorado with overdubs, vocals, and mixing completed at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. This was Supertramp's first album to use engineer Peter Henderson, who would work with the band for their next three albums as well.

Breakfast in America

Breakfast in America

Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 29 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned four US Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home" and "Breakfast in America". In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.

...Famous Last Words...

...Famous Last Words...

...Famous Last Words... is the seventh studio album by English rock band Supertramp and was released in October 1982. It was the studio follow-up to 1979's Breakfast in America and the last album with vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Roger Hodgson, who left the group to pursue a solo career. Thus, it was the final album to be released by the classic lineup of the band.

Brother Where You Bound

Brother Where You Bound

Brother Where You Bound is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1985. It was their first album after original member Roger Hodgson left the band, leaving Rick Davies to handle the songwriting and singing on his own. The album features the group's Top 30 hit "Cannonball".

Free as a Bird (album)

Free as a Bird (album)

Free as a Bird is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in October 1987, and their last album of new music for A&M Records.

Some Things Never Change

Some Things Never Change

Some Things Never Change is the tenth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in March 1997.

Slow Motion (Supertramp album)

Slow Motion (Supertramp album)

Slow Motion is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 2002.

Source: "Supertramp", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 19th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertramp.

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See also
References
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