Mario Feuerer wrote: “Grüezi probably Mrs Stirnimaa!” a Swiss million-dollar hit for his band the Minstrels. He has now died at the age of 82.
In Zurich’s Niederdorf, where he grew up, Mario Feurer was considered an original in the 1960s. The violinist was the first musician in Zurich to play in pubs with a peddler’s license. The paper with two stamps plus ticket tax cost 17 francs a day.
Hit “Grüezi well, Ms. Stirnimaa!”
As Feurer was walking through a pedestrian zone in Zurich in 1969, he heard an accordion player singing the Swiss folk song “Grüezi Wohl, Frau Stirnimaa!” intone. He therefore decided to record the title with his folk music band the Minstrels, with whom he also toured the Zurich pubs.
At their first television appearance at the Olma in St. Gallen in October 1969, the song hit like a bomb. “Grüezi, Mrs Stirnimaa!” immediately shot to number 1 in the Swiss hit parade. The song also became a hit in Germany (number 3) and Austria (number 5). Ultimately, “Grüeziwohl Frau Stirnimaa” sold 1.5 million copies in 27 countries.
Ms. Stirnimaa is an Italian immigrant
“Grüezi, Mrs Stirnimaa!” became a classic of Swiss dialect music, but Ms. Stirnimaa has its origins in Italy. The melody of the song has appeared in various areas of Switzerland. That’s how she met Mario Feurer in the Zurich pedestrian zone.
After the Minstrels disbanded
With “Hopp de Bäse” the Minstrels had another hit in 1970, at least in Switzerland, which was musically and lyrically similar.
After the Minstrels broke up in 1974, Feurer toured with other bands such as Rio Grande. But he was no longer able to achieve another hit like “Grüezi probably Frau Stirnimaa”. As a Zurich original, the bon vivant remained loyal to his Zurich Niederdörfli until his death.
Swiss
