Tribute de David Richards
’He had a magic touch and had an innate talent for blending sounds - it was as if the studio was an extension of his body’’ Brian May
Producer and engineer in charge of «Mountain Studios», David Richards quickly became a loyal friend to Queen and associate producer.
Best known for his long-lasting collaborations with the British band as well as with David Bowie, David Richards was renowned for his work in the studio as well as for his live recordings.
Throughout his prolific career he worked with a multitude of artists and recorded the Montreux Jazz Festival from 1975 during 38 years, contributing to the Festival’s audio archive collection classified as UNESCO World Heritage. Recordings include many of the great names in jazz, blues, rock and pop and some extremely rare and unique footage.
See David Richards Discographies : https://www.discogs.com/artist/42989-David-Richards
In 2013, David Richards tragically passed away at the early age of 57.
A Bronze figure of David Richards in Montreux!
If sufficient funds are raised, the bronze figure in tribute to David Richards will be presented to the public and the press on Friday September 4th 2020 during the Freddie Celebration Days under the Montreux Market Hall.
www.montreuxcelebration.com
It will then be permanently placed in the ’Queen, The Studio Experience’ museum thanks to the support of the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The choice of this location is not insignificant as it was the former premises of Mountain Studios where David Richards recorded some of the greats such as Queen, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Chris Rea, Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Anita Kerr, Bryan Ferry, Patrick Juvet, Smokie, Chaka Khan, Roger Taylor, Giorgio Moroder, Status Quo, Jimmy Nail, Magnum, Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé, The Cross, Tin Machine, Francie Conway, The Zombies, Brian May, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Françoise Hardy, Led Zeppelin, the Montreux Jazz and many others – thus forever imprinting the world of music with his sound!
www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com
David Richards (5th from left) with Queen and Claude Nobs 
David Richards inside the voyageur
How your support will help
Today it is with emotion and enthusiasm that his children Wendy and Christopher and the Montreux Celebration team, announce their intention to have a bronze figure of David Richards made in his memory.
The choice of the sculptor naturally went to the montreusian artist Bernard Bavaud who created the figures of Miles Davis, Nabokov, Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky which are located by the lake in Montreux and in Blonay.
www.bavaud-sculpteur.com
Creation of the bronze figure in 3 steps:
FIRST STEP: Creation of an original clay sculpture, based on personal photos to constitute a 360-degree portrait, which will be delivered to the foundry
SECOND STEP: Creation of an elastomer mold (from the original clay sculpture) into which lost-wax will be poured to make a shell where the bronze will be melted. Once the raw bronze is released from its shell, an intense work of chiseling and patina of the sculpture will be necessary before it is ready for delivery to the marble workshop. A steel plate will be made with the engraving of a descriptive text.
THIRD STEP: The last step will consist of the placement and sealing of the bronze onto its base by the sculptor and the marble mason.
The cost to make this piece of art will amount to approximately CHF 25’000.
We have chosen to create this crowdfunding so that everyone can join in this wonderful tribute to David Richards and salute the importance of the women and men working behind the scenes to help our favorite artists shine their light.
We need your help today so that this project can be achieved and a Tribute be given to David Richards!
