Stoppok in Essen

Stoppok is the stage name of German singer-songwriter and guitarist Stefan Stoppok, who was born in Hamburg in 1956 and grew up in Essen. He writes German-language rock, blues and folk songs marked by colloquial storytelling; his best-known titles include “Dumpfbacke,” “Tanz” and “Learning by Burning.” In the 1970s, he performed as a street musician before taking his songs into clubs and theatres across German-speaking Europe. He has toured both alone with guitar and with a band, and the concert release Stoppok auf Zeche documents his work at Zeche Bochum.