Representing that curious hybrid of melodic progressive-rock that flourished between the genuine heavyweights of the 60s and late 70s, London-based
Supertramp carved out a special niche for itself amongst pop aficionados everywhere. The group, bankrolled by a Dutch millionaire, had several false starts, but the final line-up was solidified in 1972 with founding members, Rick Davies (vocals, keyboards) and
Roger Hodgson (vocals, piano, guitar, cello), along with new members Doug Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (percussion), and John Helliwell (woodwinds, saxophone,
Continued...
keyboards). The band would also come up with a new sound than in previous incarnations, in the form of more pop-oriented progressive rock. They broke through with their third album, Crime of the Century, which was the subject of a massive advertising/promotional campaign, and went to #1 in the U.K. but didn't take off commercially in the U.S., though it did sow the seeds of a cult following. In 1975 the Supertramp songs "
Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right" from Crime achieved some chart success in both the U.K. and the U.S. and Supertramp toured the U.S. as a headliner, with A&M giving away most of the tickets
With the release of Breakfast in America in 1977, Supertramp attained true international fame. The album, which reached #1 worldwide eventually sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. and contained hit singles in "
The Logical Song" (#6), "
Goodbye Stranger" (#15), and "
Take the Long Way Home" (#10). After that album, Supertramp continued to develop a more R&B-flavored style; the change in direction was successful on 1982's Famous Last Words, which charted Its Raining Again, but the band stopped making hits. Hodgson left in 1983 to mount a solo career, and Supertramp continued to sporadically record and tour into the new millennium. But by that time, what had started out as the wish fulfillment on the part of millionaire rock fan, had already left its sonically pleasing mark on pop music lovers everywhere.
