Gotthard is not only a Swiss Mountain

While I was thinking about what Swiss thing to write about next, I was contemplating famous Swiss musicians. I already wrote about Swiss troubadour Mani Matter but now I was looking for a Swiss musician who was or is well known outside of Switzerland as well.

I didn't find any. There is 'DJ Bobo' who has earned some recognition in a few European countries but is far from famous abroad. There is also Celine Dion who won the European Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 but she isn't really Swiss.

So, instead of writing about a musician who is already famous abroad, I decided to take a chance and write about a great Swiss band that is very well known and loved in Switzerland but barely heard of outside of it..

A Swiss Band called 'Gotthard'

Gotthard, named after a famous Swiss mountain, is a Swiss hard rock band from the canton of Ticino, which is the Italian speaking southern part of the country. They recorded and produced several hit albums in Switzerland in the 1990s and early 2000s. Among their best known songs are "I'm on my way", "One life, one soul", "Let it rain" and "Human Zoo".

I saw Gotthard life in concert in 2004 and was impressed by their talent and Steve Lee's unmistakable rough edge voice. My personal favorite song of theirs is "Lonely people", an unplugged-style song with real good lyrics.

The band Gotthard originally included the following musicians:

• Steve Lee*: Singer 
• Leo Leoni: Guitar
• Marc Lynn: Bass guitar
• Hena Habegger: Drums
• Nicolo Fragile: Keyboards

Lead singer Steve Lee died in a motorbike accident in October 2010 and Nic Maeder has replaced him as lead vocalist. The remaining band members were devastated by the loss of their friend but decided to carry on with their music and the new front man.

Get a taste of Gotthard and their music:

Source: Gotthard Website, http://www.gotthard.com/


© 2011 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED