David McWilliams (4 July 1945 — 8 January 2002) was a Northern Irish singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He landed three albums in the UK Albums Chart in the mid 1960s. Music critic, Richie Unterberger states "performing in a style similar to Donovan, the similarities to Donovan made unfavorable comparisons unavoidable".

Born in Belfast he was best known for his 1967 song, "Days of Pearly Spencer".[2] The lyrics were inspired by the fate of a homeless friend of his.[1] The song was covered in 1968 by Caterina Caselli ("Il Volto Della Vita"), later in 1988 by the French psychedelic band the Vietnam Veterans, and in 1992 by Marc Almond (with an additional verse written by Almond, giving the song a more optimistic tone). The latter became a British No. 4 hit single.[3]
McWilliams recorded his first single in 1966, and was lifted to a higher profile throughout the UK by Phil Solomon, an influential Irish manager who had worked with Them and The Bachelors.[2] In 1967 McWilliams managed to record three albums — quite a prolific rate for an artist who was not a star — all of which reached the lower regions of the UK Albums Chart, with the second, David McWilliams Volume 2, almost making the Top 20.[2][4] These albums were produced and arranged by Mike Leander, who had already proven his facility for mixing pop music and rock with classical influenced orchestration, on records by Marianne Faithfull.[2]
"Days of Pearly Spencer" had some airplay on British radio when it was released at the end of 1967.[2] It is well remembered by listeners of the time, but somehow did not make it onto the UK Singles Chart, although it was a hit in several European countries. Although McWilliams never had a hit single in the United Kingdom, he was popular on continental Europe (Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands) and Japan. McWilliams song, "Can I Get There By Candlelight?", first released in 1968, and was used for the theme of a Dutch radio programme, Candlelight, with Jan van Veen.
McWilliams continued to record through the 1970s, without breaking through to wide success.[2] A reluctant stage performer, McWilliams nevertheless recorded more than ten solo albums.[1] A compilation album culled from his first three albums, The Days of David McWilliams, was issued by RPM Records in 2001.[2]
McWilliams died of a heart attack at his home in Ballycastle, County Antrim in 2002, at the age of 56. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.