Williams grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. After serving with the United States Air Force in Korea and earning a degree in education from Newark State Teachers College, now Kean University, he became active in politics, education, and business in New Jersey.

In 1975, Williams found another way to serve the public by hosting At Your Service on WCTC in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This was soon followed by his second show, Bruce Williams at Large. Williams then set his sights on reaching a larger audience, and his persistence paid off. In 1978, he was hired by WMCA in New York City. Williams made his debut on NBC Talknet when the programming block began on November 2, 1981. His national reputation began to grow. Williams flew airplanes and on December 5, 1982, while attempting to abort a landing, crashed into a few trees in Princeton, New Jersey. Maurice Tunick, Talknet creator and Executive Producer remembers the incident:

Williams was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999 and has since been listed as the sixth greatest talk show host in radio history by Talkers Magazine. Williams ran an advice show focused on personal business matters such as real estate transactions, career planning, entrepreneurship, and travel until the September 11, 2001 attacks. Since then, the show has become a mix of business and politics, and every show ends with the song God Bless America.

On February 22, 2010, Williams announced in an email to affiliates that he would end his show and radio career effective March 5, 2010.

Williams has authored several books, and he writes the Smart Money newspaper column, which appears in over 600 newspapers.

Williams speaks frequently on the radio about the jobs he has held throughout the years. He began by melting down lead pipes into toy soldiers and selling them to other children at the age of 11 during World War II. Later in life, Williams entered a wide variety of business ventures including insurance sales, driving a beer truck, driving a taxi, real estate sales, a flower shop, a barber shop, and several nightclubs. He drove an ice cream truck in New York and was the founder of Lane Robbins, now Oak Crest Day Camp, a private preschool in Somerset, New Jersey. He also spent two terms as mayor of Franklin Township, New Jersey from 1967-1975.

He is currently involved in a flower shop business and is on the board of a bank.