Roger Davies of Supertramp has ignored the request of former member and found Roger Hodgson and has started his Supertramp tour with six Hodgson songs in the setlist.
Davies started the latest incarnation of Supertramp tour in Europe last Thursday and the first night setlist included the Hodgson songs 'Breakfast In America', 'Give A Little Bit', 'It's Raining Again', 'Take The Long Way Home', 'The Logical Song' and 'Dreamer'.'School', co-written by Davies and Hodgson was also in the set. Hodgson performs that song in his shows as well.
Hodgson says he made a deal with Davies to not perform his songs after he left Supertramp. He now argues that Davies has gone back on his word. . "I feel good about Rick going out," Roger told Undercover earlier this year. "What I don't feel good about is about him breaking an agreement that we had. To tell you the truth Paul, I would never have handed over Supertramp, I am not that much of a fool, to just hand over something I had put 14 years of my life into to Rick for nothing. I really was the driving force in that band for 14 years. I remember very clearly the only thing I cared about when I gave Rick the name was that I would leave with my songs and my voice in tact. That would be my security. For him, his security would be the name, obviously".
Despite the disagreement, it is unlikely this conflict will end up in court. "That was where I did not have a good attorney. No, it was not in writing," he admits. "It was a handshake where we looked each other in the eye. I had been with Rick for 14 years. I thought that I could trust him. The first tour he did, the "Brother Where You Bound' tour, he didn't play my songs. He honoured the agreement. Then 5 or 7 years later that is when he started to, for whatever reason, play my songs. I felt very betrayed. That is part of the reason Dougie Thompson left the band. He felt it was really wrong".
Supertramp is on tour in Europe until October 6, 2010.
