Three Songs by Franz Josef Degenhardt

Abstract

Franz Josef Degenhardt was born in 1931 in Schwelm (Ruhr) and became the father of the German Liedermacher movement with his first LP in 1962. He went on to compose/sing/play more than thirty albums, including compilations before his death in 2011. He was the archetypal Liedermacher (singer-songwriter) with an engaged, socially critical standpoint. He was especially gifted with his characteristic Rollenlieder (role songs). He toured widely for more than thirty years but is not well known outside of Germany. None of his songs have been recorded in other languages than German. He was a major activist voice of the 1968 student movement and wrote several novels as well as more than 250 songs. One of his major musical influences was the French chanson singer Georges Brassens (1921–1981).