Gotthard (band)

Gotthard is a Swiss hard rock band founded in Lugano by Steve Lee and Leo Leoni. Their last eleven albums have all reached number 1 in the Swiss album charts, making them one of the most successful Swiss acts ever.[2] With two million albums sold, they managed to get multi-platinum awards in different parts of the world. The band takes its name from the Saint-Gotthard Massif.

Gotthard
Gotthard performing in 2016
Gotthard performing in 2016
Background information
OriginLugano, Ticino, Switzerland
GenresHard rock, heavy metal[1]
Years active1992–present
LabelsBMG, Nuclear Blast
MembersLeo Leoni
Marc Lynn
Freddy Scherer
Nic Maeder
Flavio Mezzodi
Past membersSteve Lee
Mandy Meyer
Hena Habegger
Websitegotthard.com

Singer Steve Lee died in a motorcycle accident on 5 October 2010.[3][4] In November 2011, Gotthard announced a new singer, Nic Maeder, through their official Facebook page and their website with a new song, "Remember It's Me", downloadable for free.[5]

Influences

Influences include Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Aerosmith. Singer Steve Lee was especially fond of Whitesnake.

Gotthard also performed "Immigrant Song" (originally by Led Zeppelin) live and it featured exclusively on a CD by Classic Rock (a long running monthly UK rock magazine). "Hush" was also performed live and can be found on the Made In Switzerland and "D frosted" albums.

They have also covered songs from Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Manfred Mann, Abba, and The Move.

In 2008, Gotthard was supporting act for one of their favourite bands Deep Purple, during Deep Purple's German Tour. They also played at the Magic Circle Music Festival alongside bands such as Manowar, Alice Cooper, Doro and W.A.S.P. in Bad Arolsen, Germany.

Gotthard also opened up for US rock band Bon Jovi in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, and for Canadian rock star Bryan Adams.

After forging a friendship during a Rock Meets Classic tour, Francis Rossi of Status Quo has collaborated with Gotthard by co-writing and featuring on multiple tracks: first, on the 2018 single "Bye Bye Caroline" from the album Defrosted 2 and then on the track "Missteria" from the 2020 album #13. "Bye Bye Caroline" was inspired by Status Quo's hit single Caroline from 1973.[6][7]

Members

Discography

References
  1. "Gotthard". AllMusic.
  2. "Gotthard". Hitparade.ch.
  3. "Gotthard singer dies in motorcycle accident". Swissinfo.ch. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  4. "Gotthard singer dies in motorcycle accident". Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. "Ticinonline – I Gotthard hanno un nuovo cantante". Tio.ch. 20 November 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  6. "GOTTHARD Collaborates with STATUS QUO's FRANCIS ROSSI on New Single, 'Bye Bye Caroline'". 5 October 2018.
  7. "Gotthard - #13". Discogs.
  8. "Gotthard To Release New Album – in Metal News ( Metal Underground.com )". 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  9. "New Album released worldwide January 2017". Gotthard.com.
  10. "GOTTHARD – kündigen neues Album "#13" an!". Nuclearblast.de. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
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