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.
[2] He has been said to have become a "revered figure" and "legendary" in South African jazz.
[3] He died in Johannesburg on 30 June 2003 and left a wife and four children.