Franz Josef Degenhardt was a German poet, satirist, novelist, and - first and foremost - a folksinger/songwriter with decidedly left-wing politics. He was also a lawyer, bearing the academic degree of Doctor of Law.
Degenhardt was born in Schwelm, Westphalia. After studying law from 1952 to 1956 in Cologne and Freiburg, he passed the first German state bar examination in 1956 and the second in 1960. In 1961, he worked for the Europa-Institut of the University at Saarbrücken, where he obtained his doctorate in 1966. Degenhardt joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1961, but was forced out in 1971 because of his support for the German Communist Party, which he joined in 1978.
From the early 1960s onward, in addition to practicing law, Degenhardt was also performing music and releasing recordings. His most successful work was the song "Spiel nicht mit den Schmuddelkindern". He released close to 50 albums, starting with Zwischen Null Uhr und Mitternacht, renamed Rumpelstilzchen. His final album, Dreizehnbogen, was released in 2008.
In 1968, Degenhardt was involved in trials of members of the German student movement, principally defending social democrats and communists.