‘The best is yet to come’: 93-year-old writes song about life lessons
Posted March 9, 2023 5:35 pm.
Herb Williams is a naturally gifted musician who has played the piano for most of his life with no formal training. Last year, he finally wrote and recorded his very first song at the age of 93.
“When I was four years old, my mom popped me on the bench and said ‘keep hitting the keys. I’ll know where you are,'” says Herb of his musical beginnings.
While his sister received lessons, Williams explains that he was able to play by ear without needing sheet music or any other instruction.
Given his natural talent, Williams was an obvious choice for a program called ‘Lyrics and Legacies’ at Amica Senior Lifestyles, where he is a resident.
“It was developed in partnership with Roy Thompson Hall and Massey Hall as a way to help connect our seniors with premium musical experiences that provided deep connections while we were in COVID restrictions,” explains Ashley Sumler, director of quality of life at Amica.
The program pairs residents with professional musicians to help turn their life stories into songs. Williams chose to put to music life lessons passed down to him by his grandfather.
“I remember so distinctly, my grandpa Williams saying to me ‘live every day like the best is yet to come.’ I heard that almost every time I met him. To rest is to rust, keeping busy is a must,” he says.
‘To rest is to rust’ came to be the title of Williams song, co-created with singer/songwriter Katie DuTemple.
“We really connected with each other. He was very forthright with his story, but more than talking about his life story, he wanted to really share about how he really connects with music and how he finds music really helps reach others. And so that kind of became the basis, the ethos for the song,” she says.
Since the collaboration took place when COVID-19 restrictions were still in place, the process had to be conducted remotely.
“I have a PA system and … she’d sing the song, I’d play it here,” explains Williams.
“It was just really great to get to know each other and to actually make music together. I was not expecting that — that was a pretty incredible part of the process,” adds DuTemple. “It ended up being this really wonderful experience where we ended up recording in the studio together.”
“I just thought, ‘mom, I hope you’re watching from on high and grandpa Williams, I hope you’re hearing the words’, because who could have predicted at 93 I’d be down at the recording studios for Roy Thompson Hall?” says Williams.
“The end product is just this beautiful song that he’s so proud of and if I can be of any service in any way to give those feelings of pride and excitement to him — [it] felt like a real privilege and was really heartwarming for me to participate in,” says DuTemple.
Williams adds that he hopes people enjoy the song and take the message to heart, reiterating that it’s not just about sharing his life story but how he can improve the lives of others, even at 93.
“There’s still lots that you can do, not only for yourself, but what’s even more important — what joy can you bring to other people?” he says.
To that end, Williams regularly plays piano for fellow residents who have trouble with their memory.
“I can go to the memory-care floor and bring smiles to their faces and bring memories back,” he says, recalling an incident involving a resident who often couldn’t remember her own name.
“One of the ladies came up to me and said ‘stop the music, stop the music — my sister and I used to dance to that in high school. So I said, ‘really? Do you know the name of the song?’ [She said] ‘Yes, As Time Goes By,'” he explains.
“It was phenomenal to watch the PSWs there that take care of her, [they couldn’t believe] she remembered that. And then I said to her, ‘what was your sister’s name?’ [She said] ‘Edith was her name.’ [I asked] ‘Well, when Edith was speaking to you, what did she call you? Well, my name’s Marion [she said].’ They nearly fell over! The song put her on connect and it’s phenomenal that way — the power of music.”
Following his experience with the ‘Lyrics and Legacies’ program, Williams says he want to encourage people to stay open to new experiences at any age.
“Open the door and let the challenges come in and give it a try. And don’t say ‘well, I’ve never done this before, so I’m not going to do it now.’ I think new things are wonderful,” he says.
“It’s been really beautiful because it helps them celebrate all of the beautiful lives they’ve had even before moving in with us and helps leave a little bit of a legacy with their family and their friends,” says Sumler.
Williams adds that he hopes to be back in the recording studio before long.
“It’s been a wonderful experience and I look forward to doing it some more,” he says. “And I don’t know — if I ever get to heaven — whether I’ll be resting and rusting up there, but I’ll get those angels singing!”
