Rick Davies, Supertramp Co-Founder, ‘Bloody Well Right’ Songwriter Dies at 81

Rick Davies, a founding member and singer/keyboardist for prog rock group Supertramp, died on Saturday (Sept. 5) at his Long Island, N.Y. home at age 81. The passing of the writer and voice of such indelible hits as “Goodbye Stranger” and “Bloody Well Right” was confirmed by the group in a statement honoring his half century of service in the group.

“The Supertramp Partnership is very sad to announce the death of Supertramp founder Rick Davies after a long illness,” the band wrote in a statement that said Davies had been sick with the blood cancer multiple myeloma for more than a decade. “We had the privilege of knowing him, and playing with him for over 50 years. We offer our sincere condolences to Sue Davies.”

The statement continued, “As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history. His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the bands’ sound. Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades. After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.”

Born in Swindon, England on July 22, 1944, Davies was first attracted to music after his parents gave him a record player and he became obsessed with the album Drummin’ Man by legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa. After playing with a series of bands in high school and college, including Rick’s Blues (with pop singer Gilbert O’Sullivan) and the Lonely Ones, Davies put an ad in Melody Maker magazine in 1969 looking for bandmates to join him, with vocalist Roger Hodgson signing on along with guitarist Richard Palmer and drummer Keith Baker.

Taking a name inspired by Welsh author William Henry Davies’ 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, the group signed to A&M Records, which released their self-titled debut album in 1970. After a few lineup changes, the prog rock group released 1971’s Indelibly Stamped, with Davies handling lead vocals on most of the tracks as he and Hodgson shared songwriting duties.

But it wasn’t until 1974’s Crime of the Century that the band had its first commercial breakthrough, with the album hitting No. 38 on the Billboard 200 chart and Davies-penned single “Bloody Well Right” running up to No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. After a mis-fire with the 1975 LP Crisis? What Crisis? featuring leftovers from the previous album, the band earned its first gold record in the U.S. with 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments… which hit No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the pop-leaning No. 15 Billboard pop singles chart hit “Give a Little Bit,” with vocals by Hodgson.

Further leaning into their pop proclivities, the band finally broke through with their landmark Grammy-nominated sixth album, Breakfast in America, which spun off a series of sing-along radio hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 6 smash “The Logical Song,” as well as “Take the Long Way Home” (No. 10) and the bouncy Davies-written “Goodbye Stranger” (No. 15). In keeping with previous releases, the songs included lead vocals by both men, with both also getting songwriting credits on the tunes.

After a filler live album, 1980’s Paris, Hodgson departed following 1982’s …Famous Last Words... after years of battles over the group’s creative direction and songwriting royalties, leaving Davies as the lead man for 1985’s Brother Where You Bound. That collection featured one of the group’s final chart hits, the Hot 100 No. 28-charter “Cannonball,” along with a meandering, ambitious 16-minute title track with guitar solo from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.

Supertramp’s 1987 album Free as a Bird featured another left turn, this time into dance-y synthesizer-fueled new wave tunes and marked their first LP not to make it into the top 100 on the Billboard album charts. The Davies-fronted group would release two more albums, 1997’s Some Things Never Change and 2002 swan song, Slow Motion, and continue to tour until 2012. And while they announced a European tour in 2015, it was ultimately scotched due to Davies’ treatment for multiple myeloma.

Listen to “Bloody Well Right,” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Cannonball” below.