Allan Holdsworth, RIP

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth passed away on April 16th, 2017, the news from a post by one of his daughters on Facebook. Uniquely talented, I would steer anyone to Gong's Gazeuse! album for a prime example of his guitar technique. When I was a teenager, I went to my local record shop (Spec's Music) and asked if they had Holdsworth's Velvet Darkness album, or if they could order it for me. The manager said to me, "He's pretty good guitarist, how do you know about him?" I replied that I had a Soft Machine and Gong album that he played on. The manager said, "Kid, you have good taste in music. Do you want a job here?" I told him I wasn't 16 yet, and he replied, "Well, come back when you turn 16 and I'll hire you." Yes, I did get that job. Thank you, Allan, my condolences to your family and loved ones.