Paramore’s Hayley Williams may the be the rock star of her family, but now she’s not the only one as her 78-year-old grandfather just released his first album.
Rusty Williams’ new album, Grand Man, was very much a family affair with Hayley’s bandmate Zac Farro deciding to put an album out through his Congrats Records imprint after hearing some of Rusty’s recordings that date back to the early ’70s.
In total, the album features 13 songs recorded by Rusty with his longtime friend Frank Morris in their younger days. Over the years, some of the songs were heard in the Williams household, but the actual recordings weren’t heard until they resurfaced last year.
“I had only ever heard him play on piano a couple of things he had written,” the Paramore singer told Garden and Gun.
How Did Rusty Williams’ Songs Become an Album Release?
In a featurette detailing the history of the album, it’s revealed that Rusty started writing music in 1972 with the hopes of eventually releasing it. Williams noted acts such as Bread, the Shondells, Elvis Presley and Kenny Rogers who were inspiring him at the time.
“I had two songs I had written – ‘Joey’ and ‘Sail on By’ – and we got to talking and the next thing I know we just started writing,” recalled Rusty of his creative collaborator Frank Morris. Frank had suggested making their music more country in style, but Rusty had fought against that idea. While there was a period of trying to find a common ground, eventually Rusty didn’t care for the direction the music was heading and their sessions came to an end. The elder Williams revealed he had last heard the original recordings in 1974.
But the songs still stuck with Rusty and became the stuff of legend in their household. “I remember him playing ‘Angel Eyes’ and ‘Riverboat Gambler’ around the house, and he was always playing piano,” recalls Hayley. “By the time I came around, I don’t think he had a guitar in the house really anymore, but he did teach me to play the drums, and we always were talking about music or listening to music. I feel like I got my musical education as a kid from Grandat showing me.”
And once the recordings were eventually uncovered, Hayley Williams shared them with Zac Farro who became interested in sharing them with the world.
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“Really it was Zac wanting to hear everything as a collection. But at a certain point, [to Rusty] I don’t know if you were just wanting to reminisce, but suddenly he was looking for all these songs, and that’s why he had originally asked Taylor [York, also of Paramore] to put stuff in a form that he could listen to in his car, just for him to enjoy. But once we all heard what he was listening to, we were like, hold on, this is kind of a big deal. It’s such a time capsule. You can hear exactly where they were at, and there really is a magic to it,” Hayley noted.
According to Farro, Rusty was presented with a test-pressing of his album o his 78th birthday.
What Rusty Williams Shared About Seeing His Music Released?
In the teaser feature below for the album, Rusty Williams shared a piece of advice with others who have a dream. “Keep chasing, don’t quit,” remarked the elder Williams. “You get an idea and if you don’t take it to the end you’ve wasted your time and that’s not helping anybody.”
“It all ties together if you do it right, and I hope we did it right. I go to bed at night and think, ‘Look at what’s happening,” he continued before getting emotional over the experience.
The act of seeing the material finally being released into the world also touched Hayley Williams, who noted, “Grandat wrote all these songs with his friend Frank, and it’s like they were a band even though they weren’t. But I know how important that feeling is, and that’s what I was searching for, whether I was singing with the choir at church or when I moved up here [to Nashville] and got in a band with the guys.”
Rusty Williams, Grand Man (Behind the Album)
What Hayley Williams Said About Her Grandfather Finally Releasing His Music
Hayley Williams shared an Instagram post along with a photo taken with her grandfather for the Garden and Gun feature.
She remarked, “My grandparents have been together since they were 12. and they are the only people in my immediate family who’ve stayed together. i have learned a lot about love from them— but im learning more than ever now, at 36, while watching them both experience Grandat putting his music into the world for the first time. there is nothing better than seeing both of them light up over everyone’s reaction to these songs. these songs have stood the test of time, just like Granny & Grandat’s love..”
She added, “Zac took this picture of Grandat and i going for a lil smoke in the backyard. no, i don’t recommend smoking to aspiring singers (and neither does Grandat!)… but having half a cig with him every now and then is a special kind of romance. but woo them marlboros are strong, lord.”
Hayley concluded, “Stream GRAND MAN by Rusty Williams anywhere you want. to get it on vinyl go to congratsrecords.com.” Rusty Williams’ Grand Man album is currently available through multiple platforms.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
