Rusty Williams, Grandfather of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Releasing Debut Album at Age 78

Here’s something fun for Paramore fans: Rusty Williams, the 78-year-old grandfather of Hayley Williams, is releasing his debut album via Zac Farro’s Congrats Records. Rusty Williams recorded his album, Grand Man, in the 1970s, but it stayed on the shelf until his production partner recently rediscovered it. Below, find a video for the album’s lead single and opening track, “Knocking (At Your Door).”

Hayley Williams, according to a press release, had heard about her grandfather’s album her whole life, but she did not realize it actually existed. Once she learned it was real, she and Farro urged Rusty Williams to let the world enjoy his work.

Hayley Williams did not wait as long as her grandfather to bring her music to the public. She was 16 when Paramore released their debut, All We Know Is Falling, in 2005, and she was 31 years old when she made her own solo debut, in 2020, with Petals for Armor—an album that samples Rusty Williams’ “Friends or Lovers” on the song “Crystal Clear.”

Revisit “Paramore’s Influence Is All Around Us” on the Pitch.