Konstantin Wecker

Konstantin Alexander Wecker (born June 1, 1947, Munich) is one of the best-known German singer-songwriters ("Liedermacher"); he also works as a composer, author, and actor. Classically educated at the Wilhelmsgymnasium, Wecker got one of his first jobs as a songwriter at Munich's cabaret "Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft" in 1973. His breakthrough as a singer came in 1977 with the record Genug ist nicht genug ("Enough Is Not Enough"), which includes the popular talking blues "Willy, " about a presumably close friend of Wecker's who was slain by drunken Nazis. Wecker has released more than forty albums, and has also composed music for film, theater, and children's musicals.

In 2003, Wecker became a public opponent of the Iraq War, joining his leftist Liedermacher colleagues Hannes Wader and Reinhard Mey. He is connected to the left-wing party Die Linke (The Left). In March 2006, Wecker was forced to cancel a scheduled performance in the small town of Halberstadt, Saxony-Anhalt. This came after the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) pressured local authorities and threatened to forcibly disrupt the concert.

Wecker pledged to return to Halberstadt in the summer of 2006, and eventually performed in Halberstadt on 17 June 2006, accompanied by fellow singer-songwriter Hannes Wader and Afghan percussionist Hakim Ludin.