Gotthard is a Swiss hard rock band founded in

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

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. 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 The Gotthard Massif or Saint-Gotthard Massif (german: Gotthardmassiv or ; it, Massiccio del San Gottardo; rm, Massiv dal Gottard) is a mountain range in the Alps in Switzerland, located at the border of four cantons: Valais, Ticino, Uri and G ...

. Singer Steve Lee died in a motorcycle accident on 5 October 2010. 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.

Influences

Influences include

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, AC/DC,

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own en ...

, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi,

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

and Aerosmith. Singer Steve Lee was especially fond of Whitesnake. Gotthard also performed "

Immigrant Song "Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is built upon a repeating riff and features lyrical references to Norse mythology, with singer Robert Plant's howling vocals mentioning war-making and Valhalla. The song was ...

" (originally by Led Zeppelin) live and it featured exclusively on a CD by ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

'' (a long running monthly UK rock magazine). "

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...

" 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 Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...

and

The Move The Move were a British rock band of the late 1960s and the early 1970s. They scored nine top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. For most of their car ...

. 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 Magic Circle Music was founded by Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio in 2005 named after Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''. The purpose of the label is to give the band (Manowar) creative control. Furthermore, it is stated on their website t ...

Festival alongside bands such as Manowar,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Doro Doro may refer to: * Doro (musician), rock singer, former vocalist of the German heavy metal band Warlock ** ''Doro'' (album), a 1990 album by Doro * AKA (rapper) (born 1988), South African hip hop recording artist * Dorothy Bush Koch, often call ...

and W.A.S.P. in

Bad Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, ''Bad'' being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and ...

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

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

. After forging a friendship during a Rock Meets Classic tour,

Francis Rossi Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo. Early life Rossi was born o ...

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.

Members

;Current members *Leo Leoni – guitar (1992–present) *Marc Lynn – bass (1992–present) *Freddy Scherer – guitar (2004–present) *Nic Maeder – vocals (2012–present) *Flavio Mezzodi – drums (2021–present) ;Past members * Steve Lee – vocals (1992–2010; until his death) *Hena Habegger – drums (1992–2019) *

Mandy Meyer Armand "Mandy" Meyer (born August 29 1960) is a Swiss-Canadian guitarist best known for being a member of the hard rock band Gotthard, the progressive rock band Asia, and the heavy metal band Krokus. Meyer has also worked with Cobra, Stealin' H ...

– guitar (1996–2004)

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Gotthard'' (1992) * ''

Dial Hard ''Dial Hard'' is the second studio album released by the hard rock band Gotthard. The album peaked at #1 on the Swiss Charts and was certified as platinum for exceeding 30,000 sales. Track listing All songs written by Steve Lee/Leo Leoni/Chr ...

'' (1994) * '' G.'' (1996) * ''

Open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' ( ...

'' (1999) * ''

Homerun HOMERUN was a secret US aerial reconnaissance operation against the USSR in 1956. History Project HOMERUN was conducted between March and May 1956. During that time RB-47E and RB-47H reconnaissance aircraft flew almost daily flights over the North ...

'' (2001) * ''

Human Zoo Human zoos, also known as ethnological expositions, were public displays of people, usually in a so-called "natural" or "primitive" state. They were most prominent during the 19th and 20th centuries. These displays sometimes emphasized the sup ...

'' (2003) * '' Lipservice'' (2005) * ''

Domino Effect A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect generated when a particular event triggers a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically ...

'' (2007) * ''

Need to Believe ''Need to Believe'' is the ninth studio album released by Swiss hard rock band Gotthard (band), Gotthard. It was released on 4 September 2009 and is the last album with singer Steve Lee (Gotthard singer), Steve Lee before his death. In an inter ...

'' (2009) * ''

Firebirth ''Firebirth'' is the tenth studio album released by Swiss hard rock band Gotthard. It is the first album with singer Nic Maeder after Steve Lee's death. Track listing All songs written by Leo Leoni, Freddy Scherer and Nic Maeder, except wher ...

'' (2012) * '' Bang!'' (2014) * ''

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

'' (2017) * ''#13'' (2020)

Live albums

* '' The Hamburg Tapes'' (1996) * ''

D Frosted ''D Frosted'' is the second live album released by the hard rock band Gotthard. It was released on 29 September 1997 by BMG. Track listing Personnel ;Gotthard * Steve Lee – vocals *Leo Leoni – guitars and backing vocals *Marc Lynn – ba ...

'' (1997) * '' Made in Switzerland – Live in Zürich'' (2006) * ''Homegrown – Alive in Lugano'' (2011) * ''Live & Bangin (official

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

; 2015) * ''Defrosted 2'' (2018)

Compilation albums

* ''

One Life One Soul ''One Life One Soul'', additionally subtitled ''Best of Ballads'', is the first compilation album released by the hard rock band Gotthard. As the title indicates, the album consists only of ballads from Gotthard's studio albums from the albums '' ...

– Best of Ballads'' (2002) * ''

One Team One Spirit 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. With two million albums sol ...

– 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

External links

*
Gotthard discography
on jugi3.ch {{Authority control Music in Lugano Musical groups established in 1992 Nuclear Blast artists Swiss glam metal musical groups Swiss hard rock musical groups Swiss heavy metal musical groups English-language singers from Switzerland