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He left us quietly, on tiptoe, with the same soberness and discretion that always defined him. Rick Davies, founder, keyboardist, singer and, together with Roger Hodgson, the creative soul of Supertramp, passed away on September 5th at his home on Long Island (New York), at the age of 81. He had long been battling multiple myeloma, diagnosed in 2015. Davies had been married since 1977 to Sue Davies, his life partner and, from 1984 onward, the band's manager.
Born in Swindon, England, on July 22, 1944, Davies was a precocious musician - first as a drummer, then as a pianist, with a style shaped by jazz and blues - and after stints with various outfits, including Rick's Blues (with Gilbert O'Sullivan on drums) and The Joint, he decided in 1969 to found a new band with the financial backing of Dutch patron Stanley August Miesegaes. It was in response to his ad that Roger Hodgson showed up: from their collaboration, Supertramp was born. The contrast between Davies's raspy baritone and Hodgson's ethereal, dreamlike falsetto became the band's trademark, allowing them to blend progressive rock and pop sensibility into a unique, instantly recognizable sound. But beyond their vocal interplay and shared songwriting credits, Davies and Hodgson embodied two very different musical approaches: the former, a devotee of American rock and blues, favored rougher textures and thornier arrangements, while the latter, steeped in folk-pop, crafted the brightest hooks and the most melodic ballads. All proportions considered, it was almost a reprise of the Lennon-McCartney dualism.

After formidable records that still remained under the radar, like "Crisis? What Crisis?" and "Crime Of The Century", Supertramp exploded with "Breakfast In America" (1979), a pop-rock masterpiece that has sold 18 million copies to date. But then something broke in the band's candid, naive harmony. And when Hodgson left the group in 1983, following the release of "...Famous Last Words...", the task of carrying on the saga of the "vagabonds" fell on Davies alone, who kept the name and the artistic direction alive through legal disputes and tensions that dragged on until shortly before his death. Under his leadership, Supertramp released four more albums, the last of which was "Slow Motion" (2002), and continued to perform until 2022.
But it was in the golden years of the 1970s that Supertramp truly left their mark. And Rick Davies's Wurlitzer electric piano became one of the sonic symbols of the decade, helping to build a bridge between highbrow rock and popular music. In this playlist in his memory, we've gathered what we consider the ten best songs bearing his signature. A small tribute to a great talent, too often underrated also because of his shy, reserved manner, far removed from rock excess. You'll find it below, followed by track-by-track commentary.

10. Cannonball (from "Brother Where You Bound", 1985)
The end of the Davies-Hodgson dualism, sealed in this lead single from the first album without the golden-falsetto singer. Despite a distinctly 1980s sheen, the track rides a bluesy, jazzy groove that lets Davies stretch out on keyboards and also leaves room for Helliwell's sax. Some even thought Davies was singing about Hodgson, with lines like "I'm washing my hands on you/ how could you be so untrue?". He later claimed the real target was a promoter who had betrayed him.

9. Bloody Well Right (from "Crime Of The Century", 1974)
The B-side of the single "Dreamer", it carved out its own space on FM radio thanks to Davies's extended, jazz-tinged piano intro, which leads into Hodgson's poignant electric guitar phrasing and an arrangement balanced between hard rock and music hall, capped by a memorable sax solo from Helliwell. The lyrics, following in the footsteps of the legendary "School", explore how the inequalities of the British education system described in that song ripple through society as a whole.

8. Just Another Nervous Wreck (from "Breakfast In America", 1979)
Though overshadowed by the hits of that "greatest hits" album in all but name, "Breakfast In America", this is a genuine melodic gem, opening with the typical Supertramp piano phrasing as Davies pushes forward with lines like "give a damn" and "fight, while you can", building to an almost gospel-fervent crescendo. Proof that the state of grace Supertramp reached on their bestseller extended even to the so-called "minor" tracks.

7. Another Man's Woman (from "Crisis? What Crisis?", 1975)
Another blues-soaked, hard-driving track from one of Supertramp's most evocative and underrated records. Davies's polished delivery masks the story's darker undertones, with the chorus referencing "your cannonball comin'", a full decade before "Cannonball" actually arrived.

6. Ain't Nobody But Me (from "Crisis? What Crisis?", 1975)
Another tormented tale of light and shadow, sung by Davies as a latter-day "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde", theatrical and desperate, in a kind of musical-theater turn. Featuring the famous line "Ain't no fish in the sea/ Gonna sigh for you". Crisis, indeed...

5. Rudy (from "Crime of the Century", 1974)
One of the gems from the album that stands, to all effects, as number 2 in Supertramp's discography. A touching meditation on loneliness, warmed by Davies's luminous piano and gritty voice, but also by an almost hard rock guitar approach (the experiment would be repeated on "Asylum", also from "Crime Of The Century"). We present it here in the poignant live version from the historic "Paris" concert, marked by a cinematic tension heightened by the live performance.

4. From Now On (from "Even In The Quietest Moments", 1977)
Another feat from another underrated Supertramp record, "Even In The Quietest Moments". A sumptuous ballad steeped in smoky nightclub atmosphere, stretching out for almost six and a half minutes, sealed by one of Davies's finest vocal performances. A pulsing, desire-drenched crooning that leads into a call-and-response embellished by Helliwell's sinuous sax solo.

3. My Kind Of Lady (from "...Famous Last Words...", 1982)
The most underrated song from the most underrated album. "...Famous Last Words..." suffers from following a masterpiece like "Breakfast In America", and even the cover art seems like an omen of doom: a hand about to cut an acrobat's rope, almost an admission that the band's magical balance was about to shatter. Tensions between Davies and Hodgson had already surfaced during the sessions for Breakfast In America, and the new record can't quite mask the by-then latent internal strain. Still, it retains a handful of classy tracks, starting with this 1950s-style slow-dance number, complete with backing vocals and a closing sax solo. A poignant love song in which Davies declares "You know I'll love you all the way/ When times get hard, we'll smile and sing" over a classic doo-wop arrangement that also showcases his falsetto. In the video, Supertramp already appear as a quartet, with Hodgson absent due to his imminent departure from the group.

2. Goodbye Stranger (from "Breakfast In America", 1979)
One of Supertramp's most legendary tracks, among the classics on their most beloved LP. A sublime, enveloping passage, an indelible romantic peak of bass, falsetto vocals, drums... Even better is how the anticipation for that absolute zenith is set up: brief, menacing hard guitar riffs, diaphanous keyboard notes, and then the lulling, aching instrumental alcove of piano and acoustic guitar. The way the piano sets up the chorus is something emotionally ravishing. And when the keyboard renews its ardor in that perfect, fleeting, celestial whistle, something extraordinary happens, something vainly chased in thousands of other song collections. A place of alluring languor and cynicism at once, after love comes affliction and regret. Tenderness and visceral passion like never before, drifting away from the literal lyrics and gliding just above the water's surface. What a thrill of seduction even in the carnival-like fantasy of the coda, wandering into a lucid madness, the excitement conveyed in Hodgson's guitar solo, a magical fluid. (Fabio Russo)

1. Crime Of The Century" (from "Crime of the Century", 1974)
The majestic title track of Supertramp's most experimental and audacious album, with a fine piano riff serving as a prologue to its various sonic panels, before the grand symphonic finale bursts with a riot of keyboards and a blistering sax solo. "Who are these men of lust, greed and glory?/ Rip off the masks and let's see", sings Davies, in a song that retains an unsettling relevance even today. It may also be the missing link between Supertramp and British progressive rock, with its composite structure, dramatic staging and Broadway-style arrangements, culminating in a long instrumental finale. A masterpiece that honors, in the best possible way, the memory of a great musician named Richard Davies.

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26/02/2026