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| Rick Davies (1944-2025) |
Rick Davies, the visionary keyboardist, singer, and co-founder of the British rock band Supertramp, passed away on Friday at his home on Long Island, New York, at the age of 81.
His death, following a decade-long fight with multiple myeloma—a rare blood cancer affecting bone marrow and white blood cells—was confirmed by the band in a heartfelt statement on social media, marking the end of an era for one of rock's most innovative and enduring acts.
Davies, known for his raspy baritone vocals, soulful Wurlitzer piano riffs, and songwriting prowess, was the driving force behind Supertramp's evolution from a progressive rock outfit to a global pop-rock phenomenon, with hits that blended jazz, blues, and wry introspection.
Born Richard Davies on July 22, 1944, in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, to Betty (a hairdresser) and Dick Davies (a merchant navy seaman who passed away in 1973), young Rick showed an early affinity for music. At age eight, a secondhand radiogram gifted by his parents sparked his passion; he was captivated by jazz drummer Gene Krupa's "Drummin' Man," initially training on percussion before switching to keyboards and piano, where he found his true calling.
"Music was the only thing he was any good at at school," his mother once recalled.
Davies cut his teeth in the 1960s London scene, forming Rick’s Blues with a teenage Gilbert O’Sullivan (future hitmaker of "Alone Again (Naturally)") on drums, who later credited Davies as a mentor. He also played in The Joint and the Lonely Ones alongside future Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding. By 1969, after The Joint disbanded, Davies placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking musicians for a new band.
Enter Roger Hodgson, a multi-instrumentalist from a contrasting privileged background. Despite their differences—Davies's working-class roots versus Hodgson's private school upbringing—they clicked instantly, co-writing nearly all of Supertramp's material. The group, initially Daddy, renamed itself Supertramp in 1970, inspired by W.H. Davies's 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp.