Freddy Koella was born in Alsace to a family of music lovers. He studied classical guitar and violin before discovering a real passion for the blues. In his early 20s the multi-instrumentalist took off for New Orleans where he met Zachary Richard. He played with the Louisiana musician for one year before returning to France. From 1985 to 1987, Koella played with the group Cookie Dingler, known for the hit Femme libérée. He then lent his talents first to Willy Deville, whom he played with for 12 years, and then to Bob Dylan, touring with him for one year. Following that, he worked with Carla Bruni, kd lang and Lhasa. In the 2000s, Freddy Koella released Minimal and Undone, two albums of instrumental works for acoustic guitar.