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Hayley Williams celebrates her 78-year-old grandfather releasing his debut album

Out now via Zac Farro’s Congrats Records, Hayley Williams’ grandfather Rusty is “putting his music into the world for the first time” on debut album Grand Man.

Hayley Williams celebrates her 78-year-old grandfather releasing his debut album
Words:
Emily Garner
Hayley photo:
Zachary Gray
Album cover via
Congrats Records

In incredibly wholesome news, Hayley Williams’ 78-year-old grandfather Rusty has released his first-ever album, entitled Grand Man.

Out now via Zac Farro’s record label Congrats, Rusty had worked on this material some 50 years ago, with the members of Paramore encouraging him to share it officially after rediscovering these songs only last year.

Sharing a photo of the two of them, along with some backstory about it all, Hayley has taken to Instagram to write: “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 I’m 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.

“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.”

Standing the test of time is something Hayley also spoke about in a new interview with Garden & Gun, in which the singer enthused of Grand Man, “It’s such a time capsule. You can hear exactly where they were at, and there really is a magic to it.”

And this love and admiration clearly goes both ways, too, with Rusty sharing how moved he is by watching Hayley and Paramore: “Seeing her onstage with that band, I’m telling you, if it didn’t rip your heart out something’s wrong with you. Everybody else would sit. I had to get down by the stage, and I’d stand there and watch everything. It brings something out of you, and you say, well, maybe I had a little bit to do with that. You never know.”

Stream Grand Man below:

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