Singer Maizie Williams: Where is she now?
MODEL turned singer Maizie Williams was born on the Caribbean island of Montserrat before coming to England in the 60s.
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Moving to West Germany, she joined German vocal group Boney M and enjoyed some of the biggest hits of the 70s, including Daddy Cool, Rasputin, Rivers Of Babylon and the 1978 Christmas number one Mary’s Boy Child.
Maizie, now 66, lives alone in Buckinghamshire.
“I lived with my grandparents in Montserrat before coming to Birmingham to live with my parents, who had moved to England in the ’50s. My mother worked for the local hospital as a nurse and my father worked for Cadbury. My sister sang in shows and my brother was talented, but neither wanted any part of the show-business world. Instead, I was encouraged to get involved.
“I became a model and a dancer. I also did theatrical stuff like pantomime, just to get my foot in the door.
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"I moved to London to work for Selfridges and Vidal Sassoon – anything to do with the glamour world. I won a beauty contest in 1973, then joined a band called Black Beautiful People – the singer Patti Boulaye was a member.
“At the end of 1974, I was sent by my agent to do some modelling shows in West Germany. I was approached in a cafeteria by an entertainment agent. She explained, through an interpreter, that a German producer called Frank Farian wanted to put a group together called Boney M. I took a chance and the rest is history.
“Soon, Frank found Bobby Farrell, an exotic dancer from Aruba, Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, and Liz Mitchell, a former member of the Les Humphries Singers.
“The four of us drove from one end of Germany to the other, performing in nightclubs. By the time our first single, Daddy Cool, was released it took off like a rocket.
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“We did TV shows and tours with all the big artists. We had a friendly rivalry with ABBA, taking turns at number one. We’d laugh about that.
“It was the disco age and we wore outrageous outfits. For Rasputin we had Russian costumes, and for Rivers Of Babylon we had Egyptian costumes. Then we had another hit with Mary’s Boy Child, the Christmas number one of 1978. That was really exciting, having a religious song in the charts – I’d been brought up Christian.
“We filmed a video for the song, a sort of nativity scene with us in white furry coats, with some scenes filmed in Moscow’s Red Square. We were the first pop group to play in Russia. The Russian government invited us, and they sent a private jet. I’d never been so cold in my life, but it was another adventure.
“We had hits through the early 80s, but music was changing. Bobby sadly died, and Marcia suffered from cancer. Liz did some solo stuff, but I’m the one keeping Boney M going. I’ve just come back from Australia where we did nine shows, and next year I’m part of the 40 Years Of Disco tour with Sister Sledge and Rose Royce.
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“I live in the UK now, in the countryside outside London. I never got married or had kids. I think all the years of dedication to Boney M soaked up those childbearing years.
“It’s wonderful to still have fans from the 70s – and children, and grandchildren of those fans. We’re a household name. It’s a blessing.”
The 40 Years Of Disco tour 2018, featuring Sister Sledge, Tavares, Rose Royce, Boney M, The Real Thing and Odyssey starts on March 15. For tickets, go to tdpromo.com/40-years-of-disco.
