Rick Davies dies: Supertramp's voice has fallen silent

Singer, pianist and composer Rick Davies, who died on September 6 at the age of 81 at his home on Long Island (United States), was the driving force behind the British rock band Supertramp, which he co-founded in 1969. "Rick Davies, founder, lead singer and songwriter of Supertramp, died on Saturday, September 6 at the age of 81 after battling multiple myeloma for more than ten years," the band announced on Monday, September 8. "He was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp's most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on the history of rock music," the Supertramp statement added.

Born on July 22, 1944, in the English city of Swindon (Wiltshire), Richard (Rick) Davies, who hoped as a teenager to become a jazz drummer, then a blues player, was behind the founding of Supertramp. In the 1960s, he met Dutch billionaire Stanley August Miesegaes in a London club, who financed the young man to create a band mixing progressive rock and classical music. It was through classified ads in the trade magazine Melody Maker that Rick Davies formed his band in 1969: first the singer and bassist Roger Hodgson, then a group of musicians who only passed through.

Supertramp found its decisive form when Rick Davies and Roger Hodson recruited saxophonist John Helliwell, bassist Dougie Thomson, and American drummer Bob C. Benberg. Success came with the album Crime of the Century in 1974. Supertramp's alchemy crystallized on the hit Dreamer, a huge success in 1975. Dominance of keyboards, syncopated tempos modeled on jazz, alternating vocals by Davies and Hodgson, the Supertramp style was in place. The former singer embraces the melodies and embodies the lyrics with conviction, the latter dramatizes them with his theatrical high-pitched tone.

Rick Davies composed albums that became classics of English pop. After Crime of the Century, the band released the albums Crisis? What Crisis? (1975) and Even the Quiest Moments (1977). This album contained one of Supertramp's most ambitious songs, Fool's Overture , as well as the phenomenal hit , Give a Little Bit .

In 1979, with the album Breakfast in America, Supertramp reached the top of its game. Four 45s were extracted from it, featuring four famous tracks: The Logical Song, Goodbye Stranger, Take the Long Way Home , and of course, Breakfast in America . The cover, featuring a fast-food waitress dressed as the Statue of Liberty, made a lasting impression. The music triumphed in charts around the world and won two Grammy Awards. It fascinated France, so much so that Rick Davies decided to release a live album in 1980, Paris, a city where Supertramp received an extraordinary reception. Critics praised the album's most ambitious track, Child of Vision.

Rick Davies's triumphant Breakfast in America marked a peak for Supertramp. The musician imposed his choice of a more accessible and commercial pop sound, capable of rivaling the Bee Gees, who had just triumphed with Saturday Night Fever (1977). But Roger Hodgson disapproved of this artistic choice and left the group in 1982. It was a shock for Supertramp to lose his high-pitched voice and his demanding musical standards.

Rick Davies became the sole master of the band, whose musicians would change again over time, with the arrival of guitarist Richard Palmer and drummer Robert Millar. The albums Brother Where You Bound (1985) and Free as a Bird (1987) were disappointing. The band disbanded in 1988 after a final world tour. It reformed in 1997 with the album Some Things Never Change . Roger Hodgson did not return for the adventure: the two co-founders of Supertramp were fighting over the rights to the British band's repertoire. It's a cruel world, is the title of one of Rick Davies's last songs, It's a Hard World.