Allen Kwela

Together with Spokes Mashiyane, Allen Kwela, who was considered to be one of South Africa's most outstanding guitarists, helped bring kwela music, an indigenous South African style created from jazz and pennywhistle sounds, into focus. Born in Durban (KwaZulu-Natal), he was exposed to Western and traditional African musical styles, both of which shaped his future approach to music. Hearing the sounds of Glenn Miller for the first time, he started to practice on a self-built guitar. His move to Johannesburg, a melting pot of different musical styles, at the end of the '50s wa...