Creator of the biggest dialect hit "Frau Stirnimaa" composer Mario Feurer has died
The Swiss music scene is in mourning: Mario Feurer, founder of the Minstrels and creator of the dialect hit "Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa!" has died at the age of 82.
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- Zurich musician Mario Feurer, known for the dialect hit "Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa", has died at the age of 82.
- The song was one of the most successful dialect hits in Switzerland and reached number 1 in the Swiss charts in 1970. In Germany, the song reached number 3.
- The band The Minstrels, which performed the hit, was popular in Europe but disbanded in 1974. Feurer remained connected to music.
"Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa!" - every child in German-speaking Switzerland probably knows this dialect catchy tune by The Minstrels. The hit was written by Zurich violinist and composer Mario Feurer.
The musician died on Tuesday at the age of 82, his family told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
With his passing, Switzerland has lost a formative figure in dialect music.
Also known in Italy
"Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa", which was composed by Mario Feurer for the Minstrels, is considered one of the biggest Swiss dialect hits of all time.
With 1.5 million copies sold, the song was a huge success in 1970. According to the hitparade.ch portal, the hit stayed at number 1 in the Swiss charts for ten weeks.
"Frau Stirnimaa" also made it into the charts internationally: the song reached number 3 in Germany and number 5 in Austria.
Their success was not limited to sales figures. The Minstrels were sought-after guests on TV shows throughout Europe, including in Italy, where they presented their music to a wide audience.
Feurer was a Niederdorf original
Mario Feurer, the creative mind behind the cult hit, grew up in Zurich's Niederdorf district and was considered a true original there. Together with his bandmates Pepe Solbach and Daniel Fehr, who passed away in 2021, Feurer initially toured the city's pubs, where they delighted guests with their music. Their first major performance followed at the renowned Hechtplatz Theater.
The Minstrels' breakthrough came in 1970, when they presented "Frau Stirnimaa" to a wider audience for the first time at a TV appearance during the Olma in St. Gallen.
Despite numerous successes, the band disbanded in 1974.
Mario Feurer remained faithful to the music and later played in other bands.
