On 1 October 2025, Black Lives in Music was proud to stand alongside English Heritage for the unveiling of a Blue Plaque honouring the legendary Winifred Atwell at her former home on Bourdon Street, Mayfair.
The event was hosted by musician and broadcaster YolanDa Brown OBE DL, with moving tributes from Sir Richard Stilgoe, Stephen Bourne, The Halo Collective, Chantal Mayo-Hollaway, Leee John, and Orphy Robinson MBE, Trustee of Black Lives in Music, who spoke on behalf of the organisation. The plaque was unveiled by the incomparable Jools Holland OBE DL.
A Life Beyond the Ivories
Born in Trinidad, Winifred Atwell was much more than her title, “The Queen of the Ivories.” She was a classical pianist, composer, entrepreneur, and visionary who defied the barriers of her time with brilliance, courage, and creativity.
Trained as a pharmacist with ambitions to become a doctor, Atwell first turned to music to fund her medical studies. Music, however, had grander plans. After moving to London, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music, earning its highest accolade while performing ragtime piano in nightclubs to make ends meet.
Her breakthrough came in 1948 at a charity concert in London, where she walked on stage an unknown and left a sensation. In the 1950s, she became the first Black artist to top the UK singles chart, with millions captivated by her joyful, high-energy piano style. Yet, despite her success with ragtime, she never lost her passion for classical music, performing Grieg, Gershwin, and Rachmaninov to sold-out audiences, including a packed Royal Albert Hall accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
A Pioneer in Business and Representation
Beyond her musical genius, Atwell was also a visionary entrepreneur. Using her pharmaceutical training and deep understanding of her community, she opened one of Britain’s first Black hair and beauty salons at 82A Railton Road, Brixton in 1956.
The salon became a sanctuary, a space of dignity, creativity, and empowerment for Caribbean women during a time when few hairdressers would cater to Afro-textured hair. Decorated by Trinidadian designer Althea McNish, the salon was vibrant, welcoming, and unapologetically Caribbean.
Atwell developed her own line of hair products, including Stay-Straight, and launched Opus Cosmetics, a range created specifically for darker skin tones, long before mainstream beauty brands even acknowledged this need. Her business was not about vanity; it was about visibility, pride, and power.
As Orphy Robinson MBE shared in his address:
“Winifred proved that Black women didn’t just deserve a seat at the table, they could build the table, decorate it with Caribbean colour, and give it a piano-shaped handle.”
An Enduring Legacy
Atwell’s legacy is as layered as her life, a pioneering artist, philanthropist, scientist, and advocate. She performed at three Royal Variety Shows, hosted her own TV programmes, and gave countless charity concerts for children, veterans, and communities around the world.
After emigrating to Australia, she continued her humanitarian work, raising funds for Aboriginal communities and orphaned children.
In every role she held musician, entrepreneur, advocate Winifred Atwell represented excellence, resilience, and self-determination. She broke down barriers not through protest, but through performance, intellect, and grace.
“She didn’t need to shout to make a statement. Her life was the statement.
She didn’t need to shout to be revolutionary. Her life was the revolution.”
— Orphy Robinson MBE, Black Lives in Music
A Legacy That Lives On
Today, Winifred’s influence can be felt across music, beauty, and culture. The Black hair and beauty industry she helped pioneer is now worth an estimated £2.7 billion annually (The Black Pound Report 2022), and her music continues to inspire generations of pianists and creatives worldwide.
The Blue Plaque unveiling marked not just a historic recognition, but a reminder of the power of excellence and visibility, values that lie at the heart of Black Lives in Music.
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