Bertram Engel was born in the town of Burgsteinfurt, just northwest of Münster, Germany. His father unexpectedly passed away when Bertram was eight years old. Bertram Engel turned to music while coping with this tragedy. Bertram Engel's family was musically talented; his brother was already involved in the music scene. As a young drummer, Bertram Engel's influences included Nigel Olsson, Ringo Starr, and Phil Rudd. After years of informal education, he studied piano and drums at the Academy of Music in nearby Münster.
In 1979 Bertram and his older brother Thomas created a band called Gebr¸der Engel, which translates to Engel Brothers. They called their debut album Skandal (which means scandal in English). Bertram Engel caught his big break when fellow drummer Udo Lindenberg noticed Bertram's spot-on drumming technique. Bertram Engel began working with Udo Lindenberg in the late 1970s. While attending an Udo Lindenberg concert, vocalist and guitarist Peter Maffey witnessed Bertram's amazing drumming abilities. Since then Peter and Bertram have regularly working together. Bertram also began producing albums in the 1990s.