Rick Davies

Rick Davies, the Supertramp co-founder who sang lead vocals, played keyboards, and wrote and co-wrote hits like "Goodbye Stranger" and "Bloody Well Right," died September 6, 2025, of multiple myeloma at his home in East Hampton, New York.

Born July 22, 1944, in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, Davies discovered music early—captivated as a boy by drummer Gene Krupa—before switching to keyboards and forming local groups. In 1969, after placing an ad in Melody Maker and with support from financier Stanley Miesegaes, Davies assembled the band that became Supertramp. Their self-titled 1970 debut led to a signature blend of pop, prog, blues and jazz that defined the group’s sound.

With co-writer and co-vocalist Roger Hodgson, Davies helped craft songs that became staples of ‘70s and early-‘80s radio: “Goodbye Stranger,” “Bloody Well Right,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “The Logical Song,” and more. Supertramp’s 1979 blockbuster album "Breakfast in America" topped charts around the world and won two Grammy Awards the following year.

After Hodgson’s 1983 departure, Davies continued to lead Supertramp on albums and tours into the 2000s, even as his health later limited travel. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015, he canceled a planned European tour that year but continued to make music close to home on Long Island, occasionally performing with a local project, Ricky and the Rockets, at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett.

Davies’s musical identity—earthy, blues-tinged vocals, sardonic lyrical turns, and the percussive shimmer of his Wurlitzer electric piano—was inseparable from Supertramp’s appeal. His lead turns on “Goodbye Stranger,” “Bloody Well Right” and “Cannonball,” and his harmonies alongside Hodgson, helped the band maintain its distinctive dual-frontman chemistry for which fans still care deeply.

Away from touring, Davies and his wife, Sue—who managed Supertramp for decades—made their home on Long Island, where they supported local causes; Sue served on the board of Fighting Chance, a New York cancer support nonprofit.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: Katja Lenz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)