Inga Rumpf turns 80: 'The concert will be a time document,' says German rock pioneer ahead of sold-out Elbphilharmonie show
The singer, who rose from Hamburg's folk scene to perform with B.B. King and the Rolling Stones, will mark her birthday with a sold-out concert at the Elbphilharmonie on 13 September.
A voice from the harbour
Inga Rumpf arrived for her interview in a sailor sweater, leather jacket and boots, a look she says is no accident. "Hamburg hat mich geprägt" – Hamburg shaped me – the singer told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, her voice characteristically rough, as she gazed at the river and container cranes. Born a sailor's daughter near the main station, she grew up walking to the port, swimming at the beach and listening to the hammering of the shipyards. As a child she dreamed of going to sea as a radio operator.
As a young girl I could do Morse code and knew all flag signals.
She still admires what she calls the cool mentality of the north. "It turned out differently – and that's also good," she said.
From City Preachers to international stages
Rumpf's family life after the war was tight and modest, her father strict. A shy, stuttering teenager, she discovered her singing voice as a way to claim space. "When I sang, I knew that's my space, nobody can touch me. I thought with music I can achieve a lot – see the world, meet people, and earn my living," she recalled. She was right.
Her career began in 1965 with the folk-rock group City Preachers, first performing in a tea room on St. Pauli. The band, which at times included Udo Lindenberg on drums, was part of the American folk movement of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. "That was actually world music. Lots of folklore, I contributed blues and gospel. Because that's the music I was socialized with," Rumpf said. Others brought Yiddish folk songs, Spanish flamenco and skiffle. The group also protested the Vietnam War and released a record titled "Warum – Lieder gegen den Krieg" (Why – Songs against the war).
Fans were young people who were no longer satisfied with the established world. It was a transition – from narrow-minded to cosmopolitan.
Rumpf later found success in the United States with her band Atlantis and shared stages with Lionel Richie, B.B. King, Ron Wood and Keith Richards. Fellow musician Achim Reichel, 82, said in a 2021 WDR documentary: "Her voice is truly unique and unmistakable."
- Born in Hamburg as Ingeborg Rumpf
- Joins folk-rock group City Preachers, first performances on St. Pauli
- Sold-out 80th birthday concert at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie
The Elbphilharmonie homecoming
On 13 September, Rumpf will play a sold-out concert at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie under the banner "Inga 80 – Inga Rumpf & Friends + Very Special Guests". The identities of the friends and guests remain secret, but the evening will be recorded for a live album. Fans, some of whom have followed her for decades, now bring their children and grandchildren.
The concert will be a time document.
No regrets
Looking back, the award-winning singer, who now lives in Lower Saxony, expresses no second thoughts about the path her life took. The title of her dpa interview – "Bedaure überhaupt nichts" (I regret nothing at all) – captures the sentiment. From a timid girl decoding harbour flags to a voice that filled halls on both sides of the Atlantic, Rumpf's story is one of steady self-possession.
