Freddie Mercury and Montreux :

Freddie Mercury and the band Queen loved visiting the Swiss Riviera for its calm and beauty. But they also came because of the famous recording facilities available at Mountain Studios in Montreux; at the time, one of the best recording studios in the world. When Queen first came to Mountain Studios in 1978, the Montreux Jazz Festival was in full swing during the same period, and so they decided to call the album they were in process of recording, “JAZZ”.

David Richards was the sound engineer at the studio and Queen were so impressed with the result of the recordings that they simply bought the studio and hired David Richards as their producer and sound engineer. Queen went on to record some of their biggest hits at the studio, including the tracks on their last album “Made in Heaven”. This masterpiece was Freddie Mercury’s ultimate recording. He passed away at his home in London shortly after his last visit to Montreux.

The cover of the "Made in Heaven" album was created from a photograph of one of Freddie’s favourite places in Montreux, The Lake House, where he had spent much of his spare time. Freddie Mercury told his friends, "If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux". November 25, 1996 five years after his death, a bronze statue was unveiled by the lakeside in Montreux; a figure forever singing songs of life, love, struggle and hope becoming an integral part of the town. Every day, fans honour his memory by laying a flower at the statue's feet.

The Statue :

Montreux, cultural town, welcomed many celebrities over the past years. One of them, the English rock band QUEEN with its lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie loved the Riviera and actually bought an apartment there and recorded many songs in the famous former Mountain Studios. The sound engineer was no-one else than David Richards.

It has been 26 years that Jacky Smith, a dynamic and wholehearted fan presides over the Queen fan club in England. This association, established in 1974 in London, has got more than 6000 members not only in UK but also worldwide.

In 1996, the fan club has been involved in the debats regarding the edification of Freddie Mercury’s statue. The process was unsuccessful in London and Queen members with Jim Beach decided to offer it to Montreux with the result we all know. So, together with the studios, Freddie’s apartment close to Territet and the “Lake House”, the statue has brought Montreux to a highlight position for all Queen and Freddie fans.

When she first came to Montreux, the year after the unveiling of the statue, Jacky Smith fell in love with this region even though it was winter. So she decided to organize, for her fans, week-end trips from England. The first one was on September 2nd 1997.

Now, montreuxmusic.com has taken over in the same kind of spirit.