Jan Akkerman: My Focus
Jan Akkerman (1946) has been one of the most respected guitarists in the Netherlands for 55 years. Next to his role in internationally renowned groups like Brainbox and Focus, he has collaborated over the years with tons of national and international artists. He always manages to combine elements from rock, jazz and blues in his own, unique way.
Jan was born in Amsterdam, close to the Zuiderkerk and Waterlooplein. He played his first guitar at the age of five. During his teen years, Jan changed his interest from classical music to rhythm & blues and rock ‘n roll, partly due to the influence of Indo Rock. At a young age, Jan started playing in local bands, with Johnny & His Cellar Rockers being the best known of these. In 1964, the band changed its name first to Johnny and The Hunters and later to just The Hunters. Akkerman wrote ‘The Russian Spy and I’ that was a small hit in 1966 originally, but turned into a true Nederpop classic later on. Thanks to his lightspeed guitar riff in the song, he finally broke through to a wider audience. Three years later, Jan joined forces with singer Kaz Lux and formed the band Brainbox. In 1969, he left that project behind to join Focus. With that band, of which Jan was a member for six years, he enjoyed his biggest international successes through hits like ‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘Sylvia’. They recorded six very successful albums and went out on tour all over the world, including to the USA, Japan and Australia.
Leading music magazine Melody Maker called him “the Best guitarist in the world” in 1973, beating the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Since 1976, Jan Akkerman has been performing under his own name. The Jan Akkerman Band has had tons of great musicians in the line-up over the years, playing all over the world.
In 2025, he and his live band My Focus released the album “Live Under the Rainbow”. The album contains live recordings. His band consists of Marijn van den Berg (Drums), David de Marez Oyens (Bass) and Coen Molenaar (keys).
