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Witness History: Winifred Atwell: The honky-tonk star who was Sir Elton John’s hero

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14/03/2024 GMT

Winifred Atwell: The honky-tonk star who was Sir Elton John’s hero

BBC World Service - Witness History, Winifred Atwell: The honky-tonk star who was Sir Elton John’s hero

The forgotten story of Winifred Atwell, the pianist from Trinidad who broke sales records

Winifred Atwell was the classically-trained pianist from Trinidad who became the first black artist to go to number one in the UK.

Winifred Atwell was a classically-trained pianist from Trinidad who became one of the best-selling artists of the 1950s in the UK. 

She played pub tunes on her battered, out-of-tune piano which travelled everywhere with her. 

Her fans included Sir Elton John and Queen Elizabeth II. 

She was the first instrumentalist to go to number one in the UK. 

This programme, produced and presented by Vicky Farncombe, tells her story using archive interviews. 

(Photo: Winifred Atwell. Credit: BBC)

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