By Paul Freeman [1997 Interview]

We interviewed Rick Davies, a founding member of Supertramp, in 1997. The band continued to tour, on and off, with big gaps, through 2015, when Davies was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer attacking the bone marrow.

Through the years, there were even occasional reunions with co-founder Roger Hodgson, though his relationship with Davies remained stormy.

By 2017, Davies' health had improved to the point where he was performing with his band Ricky and the Rockets.

The passage of a decade is bound to bring change.

Prior to Supertramp's new "Some Things Never Change," the band hadn't released a studio album since 1987. That's a hefty hiatus. Now they're in the midst of a 1997 tour that lasts until the end of the year.

"We had the urge to get out and play again," explains singer/songwriter and keyboardist Rick Davies. "It was now or never. In terms of physical demands, it was getting a bit late for us. Fortunately, everybody is in good health."

Supertramp is currently an eight-piece band. From the British Prog Rock group's 1969 birth through smash albums in the 70s and 80s, it was a quintet. Hits included "Bloody Well Right," "Take The Long Way Home," "Goodbye Stranger," "Dreamer," "Give a Little Bit" and "The Logical Song." The combination of earthy vocals, majestic keyboards and tasty horns have made the band immensely popular throughout the world.

Success didn't come to Davies early, however. At age eight, in his little hometown -- Swindon, Wiltshire -- west of London, he discovered an old Gene Krupa album. "That one hit me like a rocket. It was like water in the desert," Davies says. "On the radio in England in that era, all you heard was Vera Lynn and corny sort of stuff."

Emulating Krupa, Davies decided to be the best drummer in the world. "That's like being Tiger Woods. You get to do what you love to do and everything else is pretty much done for you."

Davies didn't prove to be a master of the drums, however. So he taught himself to play piano. "Suddenly people were responding to me," he says. "That instrument just seemed right for me."

While in art school, he formed a band with future pop singer Gilbert O'Sullivan ("Alone Again Naturally") on drums. At 20, upon escaping a menial job, Davies joined The Lonely Ones as the organist. The group had been co-founded by Noel Redding, who would later go on to fame with Jimi Hendrix. For five years, The Lonely Ones struggled and starved.

"It was an educational experience," Davies says. "I was pretty much a sheltered kid. It opened me up. It was, I guess, the equivalent of going into the army. It makes you grow up in a hurry."

A Swiss millionaire decided to back The Lonely Ones financially, but the band broke up soon after. "This was a classical-rock hybrid, along the lines of Nice or Yes. Ultimately, it fell to pieces, because we just weren't any good."

At that point, Davies founded Supertramp. Stardom still eluded him. The band's first two albums sold only a handful of copies. Then in 1974, "Crime of the Century" broke through. The group devised a spectacular concert presentation. "It was immediately lapped up by the public," Davies says.

1979's "Breakfast in America" album went quadruple platinum and won two Grammy Awards.

Nevertheless, all was not blissful. Roger Hodgson, who also wrote and sang some of the hits, began talking about leaving. "He was always an odd guy about being confined," Davies says. "He wanted to do his own thing."

Hodgson departed in 1982. "We weren't sure whether to go on, "Davies says. "We continued and did well. Having to run the show undeniably made me stronger. In '88, after being on the road for 20 years, we thought it was time to take a break."

Davies lived in Los Angeles for 22 years, but plans to relocate to Long Island with his wife and three dogs. At the moment, having returned from European dates, he and the band are embarking on a North American tour.

These are Supertramp's first shows in nearly 10 years. "Young kids are into the band," Davies says. "So this isn't a purely nostalgic thing. There's a new energy. We want to enjoy that while we can."

For more on the band, visit www.supertramp.com.