Winifred Atwell - Pianist

Born in 1910 in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago, Winifred Atwell grew up playing the piano and performing. She moved to the U.S. to study music, and later to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Winifred studied the piano and whilst there won prizes and broke a record by not just passing her diploma but by becoming the first Black woman to achieve the highest-grade available at the time. Although trained as a classical pianist, she also played contemporary styles such as boogie-woogie, ragtime and honky-tonk.

Winifred Atwell’s popularity soared in the 1950’s. During this time she topped the UK Singles Chart not once, but twice becoming the first Black artist to have a UK number one single with  the track Let’s Have Another Party in 1954 – overall Winifred had eleven top ten hits and was the first woman in Britain to sell over a million records. Winifred performed to

packed theatres and appeared regularly on television and had her own variety series The Winifred Atwell Show. As she became more famous Winifred decided to insure her hands for £40,000 (equivalent to over £1,500,000.00 in 2025).

Winifred was generous, outspoken, and politically awake - she gave away proceeds from her concerts to charities, especially those supporting children and immigrants and refused to perform in South Africa under apartheid. Winifred toured worldwide and was especially popular in Australia. In 1969 she returned to Trinidad and set up a music school for disadvantaged youth.

Winifred Atwell passed away in 1983.

Winifred Atwell insured her hands for £40,000 in the early 1950s which is equivalent to over one and a half million pounds in 2025

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