Belfast gave us the visionary songsmith David McWilliams. In 1965 David
formed the Coral Showband, named after Buddy Holly's record label. A year
later Phil Solomon set up his 'Major Minor' label and David joined after a
one off single for CBS entitled "God and My Country". Phil Solomon started
out leasing recordings of artists he managed to 'Decca' which included The
Bachelors, Twinkle, and Them. David's unique folk expression would often
make use of reverb electric guitar, jazz drumming and a taste of traditional
Irish. David's 1967 debut single release "Days of Pearly Spencer" / "Harlem
Lady" with it's distorted vocals through the use of a megaphone remains one
of the most infectious singles to challenge the British. The equally
impressive follow-up "Three o'clock Flamingo Street" found little strength,
probably due to him never performing live. David is truly a masterful
songsmith with a tone likened to the misty breath of God that sweeps those
bog hills of Eire daily. Even his reverberating "Hiroshima" carries a
penetrating truth and shiver that holds itself hours later.
The media quoted
'This boy is going to be around for a long time', while pop expert Penny
Valentine claimed in 'Disc & Music' Echo - 'Put this record on your player
and you will understand the raving'. Although it didn't chart in England the
fading transmission of 'Radio Caroline' allowed "Days Of Pearly Spencer" to
gaze far deeper than through misted windows, reaching # 1 France ,#10
Holland, Finland and Belgium. In 1992 Marc Almond took "Days of Pearly
Spencer" back into the charts. David would dwell on the aspect of love as
portrayed in the compositions "For Josephine", "Marlena", and "Lady Helen of
the laughing Eyes". After David's comeback performance alongside Peter
Sarstedt's guitarist Tim Hollier he attained blissful actualization on the
1972 Dawn compilation spearheading "Lord Offaly", the anti - King Henry
title track.
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