Gotthard

Gotthard is a Swiss hard rock band founded in Lugano in 1992 by Steve Lee and Leo Leoni. Their songs are sung in English. The group takes its name from the Gotthard Pass ("Gotthardpass" in German). Their last eleven albums have all reached number one in Switzerland, making the band one of the most successful in the country, alongside others such as Blue CoId Ice Creams and Krokus. With two million copies sold, they have earned platinum discs in various parts of the world.

Gotthard recently accompanied Whitesnake on tour and played at the Arrow Rock Festival in the Netherlands. The group has recorded several cover versions of well-known songs by other bands, such as "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, "Hush" (popularised by Deep Purple) and others by Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Manfred Mann or The Move. In 2009 they released an album entitled "Bonus And B-Sides", which included two Spanish-language versions, "El Traidor" (Anytime, Anywhere) and "Tu pasión" (Lift U Up), as well as the version "One life, One soul", performed with the opera singer Montserrat Caballé.

The band's leader and vocalist, Steve Lee, died on 5 October 2010 in an accident near Las Vegas while riding a motorcycle. Apparently, he was accompanied by his wife, the band's bassist and ten other companions, and Steve Lee was fulfilling his childhood dream of crossing the United States. After the group stopped on the hard shoulder to put on their waterproofs because it was raining, a lorry lost control and struck one of the motorbikes, which was thrown against the vocalist, ending his life instantly.