Once upon a time in 1969, a young Dutch millionaire by the name of Stanley August Miesegaes gave his acquaintance, vocalist and keyboardist Rick Davies a “genuine opportunity” to form his own band; he could form the band of his dreams and Miesegaes would pay for it. After placing an ad in Melody Maker, Davies assembled SUPERTRAMP. Supertramp released two long-winded progressive rock albums before Miesegaes withdrew his support. With no money or fan base to speak of, the band was forced to redesign their sound. Coming up with a more pop-oriented form of progressive rock, the band had a hit with their third album, Crime of the Century. Throughout the decade, Supertramp had a number of best-selling albums, culminating in their 1979 masterpiece, BREAKFAST IN AMERICA. Breakfast in America marked their first album that tipped the scale completely in the favour of pop songs; on the strength of the hit singles GOODBYE STRANGER, LOGICAL SONG, and TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME it sold over 18 million copies worldwide. After that album, Supertramp continued to develop a more R&B-flavored style; the change in direction was successful on 1982’s FAMOUS LAST WORDS. The band continues to tour in the new millennium.
