In honour of Black History Month last week at IRCOM, we would like to introduce you to George Ivan Henry Atwell.
He was born in Winnipeg on August 14, 1959, and was the son of Gerry Atwell (1925-2017) and Frances Helen Brown (1923-2015).
Gerry Atwell was the student council president in his last year at high school in St. Norbert. He was also active in the Navy League and Sea Cadets, playing trumpet in their marching bands. He was widely known for his on-stage performances as a keyboard player and vocalist with bands such as Eagle and Hawk, Ministers of Cool, Rockalypso, the Boogie Nights band, and Voice of Boom. In 2002, he won a Juno Award with Eagle and Hawk.
Gerry Atwell served as the President and Artistic Director of the St. Norbert Arts Centre. He was also a Musical Director for Sarasvati Theatre and Rainbow Stage. Moreover, he was a writer for theatre, television, radio, and film, with such works as The Hands of Ida (1995), Soul on Ice (1996), The Last Stop (2001-2002), Life of the Party (2002), Barbara James (2003), Hotel Babylon (2005), New Beginnings (2018), and the CBC radio drama Soul Games.
Unfortunately, Gerry Atwell died of a heart attack in Winnipeg on November 23, 2019. However, his legacy lives on through the Gerry Atwell Memorial Mentorship Fund.
This article came from Gordon Goldsborough at Manitoba Historical Society https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/atwell_g.shtml
