Allen Kwela

Who was Allen Kwela?

Allen Kwela was a kwela and jazz guitarist from South Africa. He was raised around Durban where he herded cattle and learned music after making a tin guitar. He began in kwela with Spokes Mashiyane, but later branched into jazz. His 2002 work The Broken Strings of Allen Kwela received award nominations for jazz. He has been said to have become a "revered figure" and "legendary" in South African jazz. He died of asthma in 2003 and had a wife as well as four children.