David McWilliams (musician)
| David McWilliams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Samuel McWilliams |
| Born |
4 July 1945 Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 8 January 2002 (aged 56) Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1965–1980s |
| Labels |
CBS Major Minor Dawn EMI Kapp (USA) |
| Website | http://www.davidmcwilliams.com/ |
David Samuel McWilliams (4 July 1945 – 8 January 2002) was a Northern Irish singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his 1967 song "Days of Pearly Spencer".
McWilliams was born in the Cregagh area of Belfast and moved to Ballymena at the age of three. He began playing guitar and writing songs in his early teens. After leaving Ballymena Technical College in 1963, he started an apprenticeship at the Shorts missile factory in Antrim, and also started a local dance band, the Coral Showband. He was a well-respected football player, and had a trial with Linfield as a goalkeeper.
He recorded a demo of some of his own songs, which was heard by music industry entrepreneur Phil Solomon, who had previously managed The Bachelors and Van Morrison's band Them and also had close business ties with Ronan O'Rahilly's pirate radio station Radio Caroline. Solomon convinced close friend and well established songwriter Dominic Behan to take McWilliams under his wing to the point that McWilliams moved into the Behan family home in West London, an environment within which he was able to focus on songwriting; the impact of Behan's influence is difficult to determine but it can be seen that McWilliams' live performances became much more self-assured, a key to future success. Following a period of 5 months in Behan's household, Solomon was able to negotiate a contract with CBS Records, which released his first unsuccessful single "God and My Country" in 1966, before signing McWilliams to his own new Major Minor label. McWilliams and Behan were to remain extremely close friends until the death of Dominic Behan in 1998.
...
Wikipedia