Allan Olsen grew up enjoying the musical styles of The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks a.m.. Olsen picked up a guitar himself in the seventies, and hit the road – initially as a low key performer, often playing in the outskirts of Denmark and with a style inspired by Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch and Randy Newman.

The debut album "Norlan" hits the style of British and American rock, combined with a lyrical talent for storytelling that sparsely used dialect (north Jutlandic).

The album flavours Olsens folkrock style with Irish instruments as does 1998's "Sange for Rygere" (i.e. "Songs for Smokers").

Later albums have seen Olsen increasingly experimenting with musical styles and lyrical escapades – but also maintaining artistic focus and critical integrity and still beholding his original inspiration in Dylanesque storytelling – Jansch' poetic nerve and Newmans' wit and eccentricism.

He was also part of a Danish supergroup named Dalton made up of Olsen in addition to Lars Lilholt and Johnny Madsen.