Rusty Williams is a songwriter and musician who created a body of work during the 1970s and 1980s that remained largely unheard until 2025 – he recorded much of his music onto analog tapes, and the majority of these recordings remained private.

His songs were recovered by his granddaughter, Hayley Williams from Paramore, with the help from her bandmates, Taylor York and Zac Farro, and were officially released throught Zac’s record label, Congrats Records, in 2025.

From Rusty’s Spotify profile:

At 78, Rusty Williams' debut record, Grand Man, will finally see the light of day on February 14, 2025. Released by Hayley Williams' Paramore 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.