Jan Akkerman

Description

Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist. Jan Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained note. He first reached world acclaim in the 1970s when he was seen as the core of the Dutch rock band Focus together with Thijs van Leer.<p>Jan Akkerman was born in the 'Jordaan' area of Amsterdam as the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and his first single was released when he was fourteen years old. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969. They continued under the name Focus and scored a few world hits in the seventies. In 1973 Akkerman was chosen Best Guitarist Of The World by the readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker.<p>In 1976 Jan Akkerman left Focus and continued his solo career, and...