Gotthard (band)

Swiss hard rock band

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Gotthard

Gotthard performing in 2016

Background information
Origin| Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland
Genres| Hard rock[1]
Years active| 1991–present
Labels| BMG, Nuclear Blast
Members| Leo Leoni
Marc Lynn
Freddy Scherer
Nic Maeder
Flavio Mezzodi
Past members| Steve Lee
Mandy Meyer
Hena Habegger
Website| gotthard.com

Gotthard is a Swiss hard rock band founded in Lugano by Steve Lee and Leo Leoni. Their last sixteen albums have all reached number 1 in the Swiss album charts,[2] making them one of the most successful Swiss acts ever.[3] With over three million albums sold, they managed to get multi-platinum awards in different parts of the world.[2] The band takes its name from the Saint-Gotthard Massif.

Singer Steve Lee died in a motorcycle accident on 5 October 2010.[4][5] 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.[6]

## Influences

[edit]

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.[7][8]

## Members

[edit]

Current members

* Leo Leoni – guitars, backing vocals (1991–present)
* Marc Lynn – bass, backing vocals (1991–present)
* Freddy Scherer – guitars, backing vocals (2004–present)
* Nic Maeder – lead vocals (2010–present)
* Flavio Mezzodi – drums (2021–present)

Past members

* Steve Lee – lead vocals (1991–2010; his death)
* Hena Habegger – drums (1991–2021)
* Mandy Meyer – guitars, backing vocals (1996–2004)

Timeline

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

* Gotthard (1992)
* Dial Hard (1994)
* G. (1996)
* Open (1999)
* Homerun (2001)
* Human Zoo (2003)
* Lipservice (2005)
* Domino Effect (2007)
* Need to Believe (2009)
* Firebirth (2012)[9]
* Bang! (2014)
* Silver (2017)[10]
* #13 (2020)[11]
* Stereo Crush (2025)

### Live albums

[edit]

* The Hamburg Tapes (1996)
* D Frosted (1997)
* Made in Switzerland – Live in Zürich (2006)
* Homegrown – Alive in Lugano (2011)
* Live & Bangin' (official bootleg; 2015)
* Defrosted 2 (2018)

### Compilation albums

[edit]

* One Life One Soul – Best of Ballads (2002)
* One Team One Spirit – The Very Best (2004)
* Heaven: Best of Ballads – Part 2 (2010)
* Steve Lee – The Eyes of a Tiger: In Memory of Our Unforgotten Friend (2020)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gotthard". AllMusic.
2. ^ a b "The Band – Gotthard". Retrieved 18 May 2024.
3. ^ "Gotthard". Hitparade.ch.
4. ^ "Gotthard singer dies in motorcycle accident". Swissinfo.ch. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
5. ^ "Gotthard singer dies in motorcycle accident". 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
6. ^ "Ticinonline – I Gotthard hanno un nuovo cantante". Tio.ch. 20 November 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
7. ^ "GOTTHARD Collaborates with STATUS QUO's FRANCIS ROSSI on New Single, 'Bye Bye Caroline'". 5 October 2018.
8. ^ "Gotthard - #13". Discogs. 2020.
9. ^ "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.
10. ^ "New Album released worldwide January 2017". Gotthard.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
11. ^ "GOTTHARD – kündigen neues Album "#13" an!". Nuclearblast.de. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotthard.

* Official website
* Gotthard discography on jugi3.ch

* v
* t
* e

Gotthard

* Nic Maeder
* Leo Leoni
* Marc Lynn
* Freddy Scherer
* Hena Habegger

* Steve Lee
* Mandy Meyer

Studio albums|

* Gotthard
* Dial Hard
* G.
* Open
* Homerun
* Human Zoo
* Lipservice
* Domino Effect
* Need to Believe
* Firebirth
* Bang!
* Silver

Live albums|

* The Hamburg Tapes
* D Frosted
* Made in Switzerland

Compilations|

* One Life One Soul
* One Team One Spirit

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* IdRef

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