Winifred Attwell: The one musician Elton John “wanted to be” as a child
Elton John grew up in a musical household, and fortunately, his prodigal talent was discovered at an early age. From his earliest childhood, Elton knew precisely what his destiny entailed and began consuming as much music as possible, which he soaked up like a sponge.
While anybody playing the piano was of fascination to Elton, he did have a favourite artist who he dreamt of imitating. Astonishingly, his story with the instrument began when he was only three years old, a time when his grandmother, Ivy Sewell, sat him down at her piano, and he immediately showed a level of competence.
Every time he played, his skill set developed, and the piano became a source of refuge for Elton during a difficult childhood. His grandmother’s home was a safe place, unlike his parent’s house, which usually hosted an argument between his parents.
John spent a considerable chunk of time at his grandmother’s home during his childhood. Her residence was not only a sanctuary but provided Elton with the opportunity to sit down at the piano. By the age of five, he was capable of playing along to songs on the radio and due to his gift, he later won a junior scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Around this time, John was also exposed to the talent of Winifred Attwell, his childhood hero. The pianist was a prominent figure throughout the 1950s, selling over 20 million records, and Atwell is also the first Black woman to have a number-one single in the United Kingdom. To date, no other female instrumentalist has topped the chart.
Although Atwell was from the Caribbean, she moved to the United Kingdom and was a regular on television throughout Elton’s childhood. At one stage, her hands were insured for £40,000, which signifies the power she commanded in the ’50s. Sadly, she tragically suffered a fatal heart attack in 1983. However, before her death, she did meet Elton, who described Atwell as his “first pianist hero”.
He said of the musician to BBC 6 Music: “My first pianist hero was a woman called Winifred Attwell, who was a Bajan Black lady who was very popular in the 1950s and used to appear on television. She would play a grand piano when she was doing something classical, and then she’d say, ‘I’m now going over to my other piano’ which was a honkytonk upright piano, and she would play pub songs.”
Elton continued: “She made records like Let’s Have A Party Volume 1, and I loved her. I wanted to play the piano, and I wanted to be like her. She had this beautiful smile and this beautiful face. When I first went to Australia, she’d moved there to be with her husband, and I met her. It was one of the best things in my life because she was a hero and she was the person I really loved because she played the piano so joyously and she smiled. She was successful, incredibly successful and sold a lot of records.”
In 2022, a new piano-shaped headstone was installed upon her grave with no expense spared. While Elton has never confirmed he was the person who paid for the commissioning of the item, he’s rumoured to be responsible for the generous gift.
