Grand Man (Indie Exclusive)

It was one of the first pieces of music that Hayley Williams ever remembers hearing, sitting on a piano bench next to her grandat Rusty Williams as his ring-adorned fingers tapped the keys. The song was called "Riverboat Gambler,” one that Rusty had written and recorded back in the seventies at his friend and collaborator Frank Morris’ Meridian, MS studio along with dozens of others. Rusty's singing, and love of a beautiful, lilting melody, helped shape Hayley into the performer she is, but, when it comes to art, timing is often everything. Short of a few local radio plays, Rusty never released an album, instead watching his granddaughter command the stage as the frontperson of Paramore with immense pride and just a little pocketed grief. That is, until now.

At 78, Rusty Williams’ debut record, Grand Man, will finally see the light of day. Released by Hayley’s bandmate Zac Farro on his Congrats Records, Grand Man is a testament to music as one of the most evergreen artforms, and proof that it’s never too late to let your creations be shared with the world around you. Evoking the luxe pop of the Brill Building, the crooning songcraft of Burt Bachrach and little bit of the Nashville Sound, what Rusty created was a singular piece of work, mostly crafted lovingly for Sharon, his wife (and Hayley’s granny) who has been by his side since they were barely twelve. But Grand Man is no time capsule: built on the grains of the past, it is a vibrant, living work of a man who had so much to say. It just took the world a minute to be able to hear it.