Many people have dreams of a glamorous career on stage, only to end up doing a desk job when real life eventually kicks in. For Gary Williams, it was the other way round. The jazz singer gave up school — and his A-levels — to become a clerk at the local docks in Immingham, Lincolnshire, a job he loved because he had been a “very square” child.
Despite this unlikely start, Williams, who had no formal training as a singer, is now one of the country’s best-loved crooners and even performs for royalty.
Born in Grimsby, he honed his talent by singing in a community theatre group. He got his first big break performing with the BBC Big Band, which regularly appears at leading music festivals including the Proms.
In 2004, Williams starred as Frank Sinatra in the West End production of The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas, before going on the show’s European tour. He has recorded eight albums and performed everywhere from Ronnie Scott’s and Brasserie Zédel in London to Buckingham Palace, for the Prince of Wales.
Starting in April, he will tour the UK in Remembering Fred, a tribute to Fred Astaire, with the dancer Darcey Bussell.
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Williams, 46, who separated from his civil partner about five years ago, lives in Islington, north London.
How much money do you have in your wallet?
£220 — I’ve just been in Grimsby, where we had a big family dinner, and I took cash for that but spent less than I thought I would. Normally I use credits cards.
I am obsessed with collecting air miles, even though I never use them. I tend to have 20 to 25 work trips abroad a year, mostly performing on cruises.
What credit cards do you use?
have an American Express gold card, and a Santander Mastercard for when I am abroad.
Are you a saver or a spender?
I’m a saver but I see no point in sticking my money in the bank at these rates, so I put all my spare cash in an offset mortgage account on my home.
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How much did you earn last year?
Over £100,000, which was more than I did the year before and hopefully less than I will this year. I have always felt as though I’ve had to graft for every penny. It is only in the last few years, since I reached my early forties, that it has started to get easier. The ratio of work to income seems to be nudging in the right direction. It’s as though decades of hard work are finally paying off.
Have you ever been hard up?
The feeling of being hard up is relative. What feels hard up to me could mean luxury to someone else. When I was in my early twenties I did feel very hard up. I couldn’t afford to use the heating for more than short bursts in the winter. In the morning, there’d be icicles on the inside of the bedroom windows. Oddly, I don’t remember being especially bothered by any of this.
Do you own a property?
Yes. I live in a roomy flat and let out two of the bedrooms. I’m usually away with work for half the year and it’s good to have people in the house. I have another flat in Islington, which has also got tenants in. I’ve been a homeowner since
I was in my mid-twenties. My first house, in Lincolnshire, cost £26,000, including all the furniture.
What was your first job?
An import clerk for a shipping company in Immingham docks. I quit my A-levels to do this job, much to my parents’ disappointment. A few of my friends had left school and were earning money and I thought the fact they could buy their own clothes was amazing.
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My annual salary was £3,500. Going from getting £2 a week in pocket money, I felt very wealthy. I think that’s the richest I’ve ever felt. I loved the job and enjoyed doing admin. I was a very square child — I would ask for stationery and filing trays for birthdays and spent my time cataloguing my stamp collection. I can tell you, it was very well catalogued.
“The ratio of work to income seems to be nudging in the right directionGary Williams
When I was 19, I joined a community theatre group that gave me the confidence to get an agent and start cutting my teeth as a singer.
What’s been your most lucrative work?
I sang a few songs in a televised concert celebrating the music from Doctor Who. My agent managed to get a fantastic deal securing me a portion of the DVD sales. When the first royalty cheque turned up, I thought I’d got David Tennant’s fee by mistake [Tennant played the doctor from 2005-10]. The cheques kept coming for about 18 months. God knows how much the stars earned.
Are you better off than your parents?
Yes, in terms of assets, but they have more time to enjoy theirs. My father, Ray, was manager of a chemical plant before he retired. My mum, Kathleen, was a housewife and did a sterling job raising four children on very little money. She used to make our clothes for us.
Do you invest in shares?
No. It’s a world I don’t understand and it would make me nervous, given how hard I have to work for my money.
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What’s better for retirement — property or pension?
I think the right answer is a bit of both, but all my money is in property.
What’s been your best investment?
My home in Islington. I bought it for £340,000 about 10 years ago. I’m told it’s worth about £1m now. Coming from Grimsby, that figure seems utterly absurd to me. Property prices have been insane here, so I am very lucky.
And the worst?
I spent more than £100,000 recording three albums at Abbey Road [studios] and I’ll probably have to live another 162 years to recoup that in sales. On the other hand, they got me noticed. To a singer, an album is a calling card.
What’s the most extravagant thing you have ever bought?
When I was 22 I bought a Mercedes for £17,000, which at the time was an enormous amount of money. I thought I needed it to show everyone how well I was doing. I remember dropping my van off and driving the car off the forecourt. Within five minutes I realised the only thing that had changed was that I was £17,000 worse off. I thought: “People may think I’m rich because I have it, but I was richer when I had the van.” Instead of feeling like Mr Success, I felt like Mr Schmuck. Since then I’ve never tried to keep up appearances.
What’s your money weakness?
I spend too much money eating out.
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What aspect of the tax system would you change?
Death duty. That money has already been taxed. It doesn’t seem fair to me.
What are you worried about?
I’m worried about Brexit, particularly about how divided our country seems to have become. I spend a lot of time in the north, in places that voted to leave, and I live a typical southern artistic lifestyle in London. I am sympathetic to both sides and hope the rhetoric can soften and people can find some middle ground.
Do you support any charities?
I give to small, local projects where I have a good sense that the money is getting to the people who need it. I never give on impulse or out of guilt. I was the president of the Lincolnshire branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for years. I also work with the British Humanist Association [which works to promote a secular society].
What would you do if you won the lottery jackpot?
I love my work, so that wouldn’t really change. I would set up a foundation to encourage more music in schools. More selfishly, I would buy art. I am slightly envious of Jeffrey Archer’s London flat.
I interviewed him last year at his home for a podcast. It’s like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in there. Imagine walking past a Monet, a Picasso and a Lowry on your way to the loo.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt about money?
If you don’t have it, don’t spend it. Debt is a horrible thing. I had a period in my early twenties when I got in over my head. I managed to hold it together but I was overstretched, struggling to pay bills, receiving debt-collecting letters. I’d stop opening the mail. I would feel sick knowing what was in the letters.