|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Roger has always considered music to be food for the
spirit. “My yearning for inner peace and meaning in my life seemed to
be a voice for many who had similar feelings. Suddenly there was an
artist who was hurting as much as they were and asking the same
questions.” Roger’s
trademark way of setting a sad or questioning lyric to an upbeat melody
created a unique style that proved appealing time and again –
“Dreamer”, “The Logical Song” “Take the Long Way Home”, and
“Give a Little Bit” ultimately helped to drive worldwide sales of
Supertramp albums to a staggering 80 million. At its peak, in 1979, the
band enjoyed the biggest-selling album in the world that year with
“Breakfast in America”, Hodgson’s contribution to this success was
obvious and appreciated, by both the record-buying public and the music
industry alike. In 1980, “The Logical Song” was named Best Song
Musically and Lyrically at England’s prestigious Ivor Novello Awards. “The way the Beatles and others music had affected me
and the world in the 60’s had a profound impact on me and I always
wanted Supertramp to carry on the torch and see how high we could take
it.” Supertramp truly became a global phenomenon. “The
Logical Song” became one of the most quoted lyrics in schools around
the world. In Canada, one in twenty people owned a Supertramp album. The
“Famous Last Words” tour in 1983 was among the first of what became
known as rock “megatours”. Ironically, it was his last with the
band. In the following year Roger came out with his debut
solo album, “In the Eye of the Storm”, which quickly became an
international hit – amassing sales of two million, putting Roger
firmly on the map in his own right. “Hai Hai”, the follow-up album
which emerged three years later, continued to build upon the base which
Roger had established for himself. By this time, however, the passion
and joy that had animated his earlier work eluded him. The week “Hai
Hai” was released Roger broke both wrists in an accident, initiating a
period of introspection and soul searching that would last 13 years. During this period of relative inactivity, Roger joined
forces with the band “Yes” on the album “Talk” in 1990. In 1995,
he appeared alongside Andrea Bocelli, Brian Ferry and Al Jarreau for a
mix of contemporary and classical music that is Europe’s annual
“Night of the Proms” Tour. In 1996, the “Rites of Passage” album
brought Roger back to the stage and featured his son Andrew playing the
drums. Roger’s renewed love of performing and connecting intimately
with audiences led him to a series of tours as a one man show. He toured
extensively in Europe and North America under the nickname “Solotramp”.
In 1998 he put a band together and made a highly successful tour of
South America. Roger’s most recent solo album, “Open the Door”, was
once again a cry to come home. Shortly
after its release, a profound occurrence answered this call. On New
Year’s 2001, Roger attended a spiritual retreat with H.O.E.M, Heaven
On Earth Ministries, and met Anandi Devi, whom he recognized as his
spiritual guide of many lifetimes. As Roger puts it, “When I first met
her gaze, the door to my heart burst open and I shed tears for the first
time in years. I had a sudden realization that “Even in the Quietest
Moments”, a song I wrote 25 years ago, had been written for her, the
spiritual mentor I had been longing for.” “And
though your door is always open, where do I begin ? May
I please come in, dear…… ?” “Since the retreat I have felt my passion, my inspiration
and love of life reawakened. I’m realizing that the home I’ve been
singing about for years is in my heart, which is where I believe God
resides.” “I believe our universal cry is for Love. In the 60’s the
Beatles gave a voice to that yearning, and that’s what I’ve always
tried to do. Most of my
love songs have been to God, though I left them open ended enough that
people could receive them in their own way.” Aside from the Ringo Tour Roger is taking a creative /
spiritual sabbatical now, and he doesn’t know how long it will last.
“I’ve found something very precious and I want to give it
time to unfold. I feel I haven’t touched what’s possible with music.
There is a higher octave waiting to be brought in.” Roger is indeed reaching for this new octave in his life - to become an instrument that can open peoples’ hearts in a deeper way. “I’ve taken the long way home but now that I’ve found what it was I was searching for, I am excited about the new music flowing from this place in me.”
Contact
information:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
