Steffens studied guitar and piano at the Hamburg Conservatory. As well, he played in the group Beathovens between 1969 and 1971.

In 1971, he began his own group Pennywonder, which also consisted of Thomas Kuckuck, Jurgen Ehlert,and Enrico Lombardi.

In July, 1973, he joined the group Birth Control, and for family concerns, he left the group in Jan. of 1974. He then worked as a guitar instructor and studio musician.

In the fall of 1975, Dirk Steffens began work on his first solo album, "The Seventh Step",in which he played guitar, and with help from musician Ian Cussick from Scotland,who was a member of Lucifer's Friend for a short time, and musician Rolf Köhler, who was from Hamburg, and part of the group To Be.

"The Seventh Step" was finished and released in 1976 by Nova, and a second solo album entitled "Tollhouse" was completed and released by Nova in 1978, also with Dirk Steffens on guitar, and featuring Cussick and Kohler, as well as guest guitarist Peter Wiehe.

A lot of both solo record's song titles were referring to personal things from Steffens' own life.