Brothers José Muñoz and David Muñoz were born 1978 and 1976 respectively in Cornellà de Llobregat, a suburb of Barcelona to parents from Extremadura (South Western Spain). The brothers grew up listening to Los Chichos, Los Chunguitos, and Bordón on trips with their parents from Cornellà to the Extremaduran village of Zarza Capilla, where their family was originally from. José and David attended college for some time before quitting their studies; they worked for a factory manufacturing automobile parts for the company SEAT; the band name "Estopa" comes from the expression used by their boss to keep everybody on task, "Dale estopa a la maquina". There, they began composing songs and began to play in local bars. After playing a song for the executives at BMG Music España, Estopa was given a record deal. Their first album, "Estopa," was released 19 October 1999 and one of its songs, "La Raja de Tu Falda," became an instant hit. Other songs such as "Tu Calorro," "Suma y Sigue," and "El del Medio de los Chichos" (an ode to the band Los Chichos), have also become fan favorites.