Pink Floyd, Nina Simone, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Elton John; this sounds like a lineup destined for the largest stages in the world, like Glastonbury or Summerfest. Thanks to one man, these legends all came to a small town in Canton Vaud.

From the kitchen to backstage 

Claude Nobs was born in Montreux in 1936. After not dazzling his teachers with academic excellence, when he was 17, his father, a baker, told him to either find an apprenticeship or get out of their house. Nobs listened, training to become a chef and working at restaurants in Spiez, Basel and Zurich.

Even as he rose through the ranks, and won the best young chef of the year, Nobs was still captivated by his one main passion: music. While working at the Congress Centre in Zurich, Nobs would ditch the kitchens to go backstage, where he was able to witness the very best of the jazz world, from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald.

His transformation from chef to music mogul began while training at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne. During his studies, Nobs was also appointed to the tourist office of his hometown of Montreux, but only as an accountant. 

His big break came in 1961, when Montreux was due to host an international award ceremony called the “Montreux Television Symposium and Rose d’Or.” Nobs lept at the chance to help, and in the 1964 iteration of the event, he saved the day by driving to the airport in his ancient car to pick up a new band called “The Rolling Stones.” They made it to Montreux, and their performance was broadcast live on the BBC. 

The experience convinced him to leave cooking and accounting for good, soon becoming the main organiser of events in Montreux. Just a year after he rubbed shoulders with British rock royalty, Nobs would make the trip that would put his name on the map and create one of Switzerland’s and the world’s greatest music festivals.

Montreux Jazz Festival: Born on Broadway

In 1965, the head of the Montreux Tourist Office sent Nobs to New York to get a feel for the luxury hotel business and pick up ideas which he could bring back to Vaud. While he was there, Nobs used his concert connections to employ artist Willie Dixon as his guide, and together the pair toured the best jazz clubs the Big Apple had to offer.

One day, Nobs decided on a whim to visit Atlantic Records on Broadway, the label which brought us some of the best jazz and R&B artists. Though he was told there was no chance of being seen, Nobs persisted, waiting for an eternity until he was eventually met by the son of the founder of Atlantic Records, Neshui Ertegun.

After a few hours together, Nobs devised a plan to put Montreux on the map by hosting a Jazz festival, an idea which the Ertegun family backed. Thus, the Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) was born.

Humble beginnings

The first Montreux Jazz Festival began in 1967, hosted in the town’s Casino with a 10,000-franc budget, featuring performances by Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett. Nobs was able to use his connections with Atlantic Records to book top jazz artists. However, his real genius was in promotion, securing Swiss radio stations for the duration of the festival, which meant the music coming from it was broadcast nationwide.

The festival continued to grow from there, and in 1969, the first rock groups were invited to attend the jazz festival. At the same time, Nobs continued to organise one-off concerts in the city, making Montreux one of the country’s most iconic venues, even when the festival was over.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Nobs himself, with many figures instrumental in starting the festival feeling uneasy about expanding the festival beyond jazz. Nevertheless, the incorporation of rock stars with jazz club legends and alternative artists drew more people to the festival, creating a unique atmosphere which Montreux maintains to this day. 

The festival developed a reputation for rich sound quality, intimate atmospheres and innovative collaborations. Some of the most groundbreaking include the reunion of Miles Davis and Quincy Jones in 1991 – something Davis had long resisted, and the captivating and in many cases improvisational concerts hosted by Prince in 2007, 2009 and 2013. Montreux also became a hub for bands and artists to record new songs and albums.

Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

What truly put the festival on the map was not an iconic performance but what could have been a tragedy. In 1971, during a performance by Frank Zappa, an overenthusiastic fan let off a flare in the Montreux Casino, which started a major fire. Nobs, a volunteer firefighter himself, realised that many young people were hiding in the casino, and acted quickly to get everyone out.

Though everyone was successfully evacuated, the old Montreux Casino burnt down. The festival would survive, returning to the Casino in 1975, before moving again to the larger Montreux Convention Centre in 1993. 

What truly made the fire a global event was Deep Purple, who were recording their album in the city at the time of the fire. Following the fire, they were inspired to write their greatest hit Smoke on the Water. One lyric reads: “Funky Claude was running in and out, He was pulling kids out of the ground now.” 

Montreux: The home of jazz

Delighting hundreds of thousands of music fans every year, the Montreux Jazz Festival is now a red-letter day for Switzerland and the world. David Bowie, Paul Simon, James Brown, Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, Queen and Phil Collins, to name just a few, have performed in the city.

Through his work, Nobs was able to put the sleepy town on the banks of Lake Geneva on the map, delighting music goers the world over. Nobs would continue to run the Jazz Festival for the rest of his life. In late 2012, he would suffer an accident while cross-country skiing, passing away in January 2013, at the age of 76. 

Funky Claude: Switzerland’s music mogul

The story of Claude Nobs is a story of glamour. A personal friend of many of the greatest music artists, Nobs redefined the music scene in Switzerland, turning the country into a necessary stop for jazz, rock and pop musicians alike. His impact on Montreux has not been forgotten, hence why the main street in the town is now named in his honour.

Despite his proximity to fame, Funky Claude never lost his down-to-earth charm or his passion for great music and connections. Because of him, the Montreux Jazz Festival became — and remains — a celebration of creativity, connection, and the magic of live performance.