“Billy Brown, I’ll tell your Mother”

Bill Brown was the club’s speaker on 23 August. Born in Brixton in 1942 and raised in Guinness Buildings, Bill spoke about his adventures as a young child and his later life. Inspired by an Alan Titchmarsh’s People’s Author Competition in 2009 he realised “There’s a book in you” and wrote a non-fiction book about his life. His book, “Billy Brown, I’ll tell your mother” was widely expected to win but in fact came second. Nevertheless, it became a best seller across the world and has been re-printed.

Bill spoke of growing up in post-war black-market Brixton and, as a young child, becoming a very successful dealer getting anything, but anything, people wanted even if it meant consorting with criminals. Forever in trouble, neighbours would shout out, “I’ll tell your mother!” The word of Bill’s father, a blacksmith, was absolute law so Bill and his mother would sort things out in a fairly even way without involving his father.

Bill attended Brixton Building School and learned all trades; he wasn’t happy at his first job and then got a job assembling cine projectors. Asked to deliver and install one in a Soho strip club, he was offered a job at double his wage which he accepted and, aged 17, worked 4pm to 2am showing movies in the club! One day Freddie Mills, the boxing champion, came in with Ronnie Kray who offered Bill a job in his clubs but Bill turned him down. Bill then returned to the building trade but hit by the 1962-63 bad weather found himself without work;  at an uncle’s suggestion  he joined the Fire Brigade and was officer in charge of specialised rescue, a job which took him, among others, to the Moorgate disaster. He suffered an accident at work which invalided him out of the service after 21 years. Returning to his building training as a carpenter he opened a picture framing business in Wimbledon getting clients such as The Rolling Stones, Richard Branson, major car companies and Princess Diana, who he later met. Such was his success he opened five galleries some of which he had to close when the recession hit and he went through a lengthy divorce. He sold the shop, which continues to be successful, for a considerable sum.

He has since remarried and his wife, a former office manager at Reader’s Digest, encouraged him to tell the story he had in him and acted as his editor. The result is “Billy Brown, I’ll tell your mother”. He has recently heard from his literary agent who wants him to write two more books which will be turned into a TV series. Watch this space!

Bill concluded with some tips on how to write a best seller.