'Beautiful Crazy' Songwriter Rob Williford Continues to Make a Name for Himself with 'Eden' from Sophomore Album Johnny & Jenny

Serendipity has always played a big part in the history of country music, and no one knows that better than Rob Williford. The singer songwriter from Gastonia, NC, moved to Nashville with no backup plan, and he stuck to it, putting a new plan in place whenever the time seemed right and the opportunity allowed it.

“I quit my job at the time, walked out, hopped in my truck, and headed to Nashville," he says about the move from North Carolina in 2006. "I didn’t even tell my mom - it was just something I knew I had to do.”

After Williford spent the next several months couch surfing and taking in every aspect of the industry, he signed his first publishing deal in 2014, but it was a phone call from an unlikely source that turned out to be the most serendipitous moment of all.

“My high school science teacher called and told me her son was rooming with a guy at college that was wanting to head to Nashville to make a record,” Williford remembers. That unknown songwriter was Luke Combs and what began as a songwriting relationship and friendship quickly turned into Combs moving to Nashville at Williford’s encouragement, and the two putting together a band.

“Luke’s band coming together in the way it did was so serendipitous - and a few of those guys are still out with Luke. It was a really beautiful thing.”

Williford himself toured with Combs beginning in 2014and found success as a co-writer with Combs, penning four songs on his This One’s For You album - the most notable being the CMA Song of the Year 'Beautiful Crazy,' which is now RIAA certified Diamond - as well as the Grammy nominated 'Doin’ This' and 2022 BMI Country Song of the Year Award 'Forever After All.'

But in 2020, when the world shut down, Williford started to glance sideways from the lane he was in and wonder if it wasn't time for him to switch again.

“At that point, Luke was playing stadiums. And it was a really surreal thing to be a part of," he recalls. "But on some level, I felt unfulfilled. Deeply called towards something just like I was to Nashville at 16. At the time I didn't know what that was, but I could feel it."

During his downtime, away from the road, Williford turned, as aways, to songwriting but this time he began to imagine himself as the singer of these songs.

"All my favorite songwriters - Tony Lane, Jonathan Singleton, all the way back to Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash - they all made records," he remembers thinking. Around the same time, Williford stumbled upon a documentary on Muscle Shoals, and from that a love and appreciation began to develop for the rich musical history the area possessed. This appreciation led to a trip down the Tennessee River to Colbert County, Alabama, and in turn to him recording his debut album Wildcard with Dave “Messy” Mescon, and Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty at Fame Studios.

“It was part fun, part chaos," Williford remembers about the recording. "The album isn’t cohesive at all, but I’m so proud of it. And hey - Tim McGraw ended up cutting a song from it. I know after cutting that record that I couldn’t go back to the side-man thing. I thought about it, I prayed about it, and at the end of the tour I knew the decision I had to make. Thankfully, Luke was nothing but supportive - but that gig was harder to quit than drinking.”

Williford purchased a home near Muscle Shoals, which he calls his “Redneck Shangri-la" and began writing for for his next record - largely on his own, until he was ready to record again. This time, with producer Andy Park at the helm and once again at Fame Studios, Williford began recording what would become Johnny and Jenny,

“When we recorded Johnny & Jenny, there was no pre-production," Williford explains. "There were no charts. I wanted to experiment and try something new - something that gave everyone involved creative freedom. During the recording process, the band reacted to each other emotionally. It wasn’t about the notes as much as it was about being moved by the emotion of the songs. I wanted the imperfection at the expense of feeling something. The end result is a 14-song album that paints a melodic storyline. I am very proud of this record and extremely grateful for every person that was a part of bringing it to life.”

The release of the 14-song project will also be accompanied by a short film, shot in Muscle Shoals by Dustin Haney.

“This album is real life," Williford says. "It’s about me. But I want it to be accessible for people going through whatever shades or colors of emotion. I personally embrace that a lot more than, ‘I need the face and brand recognition of Rob Williford.’ Who cares who created it. I’m not trying to push streams - I just want it to make you feel something. I write to speak to the soul.”

Having already been teased with 'Beautiful Breakdown' and 'Ain't No Mountain,' as well as the two tracks 'Jenny' and 'Johnny' that make up the album's title, Holler is exclusively premiering one of the many standout moments on the album with the poignant ballad, 'Eden,' a song that somehow seems to capture all the things that make us human in the same powerfully universal way that songs like 'Everybody Hurts' by R.E.M. or 'Under The Bridge' are able to.

"One evening over dinner, my friend Charles remarked, 'The grass is greener where you water it,' which inspired the song alluding to the biblical garden," explains Williford. "The lyrics emphasize the sacrifice, time, and energy needed to nurture a relationship so it can grow stronger. 'Eden' was a labor of love itself, taking seven months to complete—a reflection of how songwriting and love both demand patience and dedication."

Listen to 'Eden' exclusively on Holler below

Johnny & Jenny is released on Rowdy's Imaginary Records on 27 June