Photo: The original uploader was Gm7b52001 at English Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Allan Holdsworth is a musician's musician, and I mean that as the highest praise. The Bradford-born guitarist made the instrument sing with a liquid legato and harmonic logic that genuinely sounded like nobody else, which is why peers from Soft Machine to Tony Williams clamored to play with him. He was never built for mass appeal; his music demands you meet it on its own difficult terms. But those who get it tend to stay obsessed for life. His 2017 death felt like losing a true frontier explorer of sound. I revere him as someone who transcended the jazz and rock labels entirely.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Allan Holdsworth
- Name (Japanese)
- アラン・ホールズワース
- Reading
- あらん・ほーるずわーす
- Born
- August 6, 1946 – April 15, 2017
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / music educator / jazz musician / jazz guitarist / composer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Allan Holdsworth born?
August 6, 1946 – April 15, 2017.
Where is Allan Holdsworth from?
Allan Holdsworth is from United Kingdom.
What does Allan Holdsworth do?
Allan Holdsworth works as guitarist, music educator, jazz musician, jazz guitarist, composer.
Guitarist — see all → · Music educator — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.