English Heritage honours Winifred Atwell

TUNAPUNA-BORN piano personality Winifred Atwell (1914-1983) was remembered in London by the award of a blue plaque on her former home, said a statement on October 1 by UK conservation group English Heritage.

The statement said, "Piano legend Winifred Atwell honoured with English Heritage plaque: First black artist to top the UK charts commemorated at her Mayfair home."

The plaque reads, "Winifred Atwell, died 1983. Pianist, entertainer and entrepreneur."

The statement describes her as an "internationally renowned pianist, television personality and trailblazing entrepreneur."

"The plaque marks 18 Bourdon Street, Mayfair, where Atwell lived close to the height of her extraordinary career in the 1950s and 60s with her husband and manager, Lew Levisohn."

At her residence she kept her two most famous instruments: her Steinway concert grand and her beloved other piano, described as "a deliberately out-of-tune upright piano that became her signature in countless honky-tonk performances."

Musicians and others gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the new blue plaque to Atwell.

Pianist and UK television personality Jools Holland praised Atwell's legacy.

“Winifred Atwell is very important in British cultural and musical life.

"She is one of the first women, and certainly one of the first women of Afro Caribbean heritage to become a mainstream figure in 1950s British entertainment.

"She was also a piano inspiration to both Sir Elton John, myself, and many others. It is therefore a tremendous personal honour for me to help celebrate her legacy with a blue plaque.”

Atwell was the first black artist to achieve a UK number one single, with her 1954 medley Let’s Have Another Party, English Heritage said.

"Her electrifying honky-tonk style – ragtime and boogie were her staples – was paired with classical virtuosity and undeniable stage presence, making her a household name. "

She was one of the most successful musicians in post-war Britain.

"Between 1952 and 1960, she spent 117 weeks in the British pop charts, appeared on over 100 BBC radio programmes, and fronted her own shows on ITV and BBC television."

Her characteristically energetic rendition of the ‘Black and White Rag’ was later used as the theme tune of the BBC snooker programme Pot Black.

UK musician and English Heritage member Yolanda Brown said, “Winifred Atwell was a dazzling performer and a true trailblazer.

"Her virtuosity, charisma and entrepreneurial spirit helped her break racial and musical barriers in mid-century Britain.

Brown said Atwell opened doors for black artists, and her success in both classical and popular music challenged assumptions about genre and identity.

"This plaque in Mayfair – close to her recording studios, television sets and business premises – is a tribute to a woman who deserves far greater recognition in the story of British music.”

The article said alongside her musical achievements, Atwell was a forward-thinking entrepreneur.

"She opened one of the UK’s first salons for black women and launched a line of beauty products – drawing on her earlier training as a pharmacist."

Her multifaceted success and public profile made her an inspirational figure, especially within the Caribbean diaspora in Britain and Australia where she later lived and died.

"Winifred Atwell’s life and music continue to resonate – a lasting legacy of artistry, entrepreneurship and cultural impact that helped reshape the sound and face of post-war Britain."

The article did not mention Atwell was born in TT where she learnt to play. In TT she adopted the flamboyant boogie-woogie style of piano-playing from US soldiers stationed in TT during World War Two who themselves had learnt it from African-American communities.

Recently TT honoured the memory of Atwell by naming the main auditorium in Queen's Hall, St Ann's, after her. The 2024 TT Music Festival included the performance of one of Atwell's compositions on the steelpan, TT's national instrument.