Hayley Williams’ grandfather has dropped his lost 1970s album, ‘Grand Man’

Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Zac Farro have released the former’s grandfather Rusty Williams’ debut album ‘Grand Man’ via Farro’s Congrats Records.

The 13-track collection, recorded in the 1970s but never formally released, features songs that Williams created at Frank Morris’ studio in Meridian, MS.

“I don’t expect anything, and I’m too old to be famous,” Rusty Williams says. “But I just want to know someone liked what I did, and to be touched by whatever the hell they are listening to. I want people to see how it felt when things were real.”

The release came about after Farro discovered the recordings while on tour. “I thought that it was a crime that these songs were sitting there on the shelf,” he explains.

Hayley Williams reflects on her grandfather’s musical influence, saying, “So many people our age are mining these albums for tones and things you can’t even replicate. And Grandat has a way of cutting to the core of a feeling, and not overcomplicating it. Which we tend to do, because the world is hard. It’s nice when you can hear something plain and simple and know that it is true.”

The album ‘Grand Man’ features collaborations with Williams’ friend and producer Frank Morris, incorporating elements of the Nashville Sound and influences from artists like Herb Alpert and Burt Bacharach. The collection includes songs Williams wrote throughout his life, many of which were inspired by his relationship with his wife Sharon.