Brad Paisley always had a strong moral code. When he was just a boy of eight, he sang in hospices to help people recover, and now that he is older, he runs a grocery store with his wife where they provide free food for the needy.
Brad Paisley had his first taste of fame as a child of eight when he became famous in Glendale, West Virginia. It all started one day at his hometown Methodist Church when he performed a rendition of “Life’s Railway To Heaven” one Sunday.
News of his talent quickly spread after that, and soon, he was the most talked about eight-year-old in the neighborhood. In the following years, he received invitations from different parts of the town, including community groups, nursing homes, and even hospitals.
One day, he visited a hospital where one elderly woman who only ever responded with an “OK” used to stay. One staff member from the hospital told Paisley what the lady’s favorite song was, and after he started playing and singing the song, there was an instantaneous change in the woman.
Up until then, she would only say “OK” to every question she was asked. But when Paisley sang, she joined him in singing the song softly. She sang every word, and at that moment, Paisley realized how powerful music could be when it came to healing.
Paisley continued to sing after that, using the guitar his grandfather got him, his first, and not long after, he started opening for country singers like Charlie Daniels, Roy Clark, and Ricky Skaggs at the Wheeling Jamboree.
He First Saw His Wife on a Cinema Screen
Paisley, who recently turned 50, has been married to the same woman, Kimberly Williams, for years now, and the two are still very much in love even though they come from different backgrounds. They have made enough free food deliveries to make almost 1.3 million meals, and their whole family is deeply involved.
The first time he saw her, Paisley was an aspiring 19-year-old singer in Glendale on his first date with a local girl. It was a movie date, and the movie they saw was “Father of the Bride,” Williams’ debut film.
When the sequel came out, a heartbroken Paisley, then 23, who had been jilted by the local girl for his friend, went to see the release alone at the cinema. He saw Williams in a different light then. He thought she was a great girl with all the attributes a man would not easily find. It was no more than a passing thought, but it had planted something within Paisley he was unaware of.
Five years later, Paisley’s career was going full throttle, but his relationship status had not changed; he was still very single, and he had not forgotten about the local girl who broke his heart.
One of his albums, Part II, included multiple tracks he wrote about her, including the part where they went to see “Father of the Bride.” When it was time for him to shoot the music video, he remembered the girl in the movie, and he decided he had to involve her in the video.
According to him, it felt natural, even though he had no idea where she was or what she was doing at the time. His desire led to a phone call between them, and they got along so well that the phone calls became a regular thing between them.
When he told her he was visiting L.A., she got tired of waiting for him to shake off his southern gentleman charms, so she asked him out on a dinner date. From that first meeting, Paisley, who was determined to be serious and genuine, let Williams know he liked her.
One night, Paisley told her he believed they were meant to be together and promised to always be there for her. Six months later, the singer popped the big question at the exact location, not caring that they were standing in front of the public toilets.
Nine months after, the pair tied the knot in a ceremony both pastors from their respective churches officiated. They welcomed their first child, William Huckleberry Paisley, in 2007 and gave birth to their second, Jasper Warren Paisley, in 2009.
The pair have spent almost two decades married, but their love for one another has not waned, and they enjoy sharing the story of how they met even though they both seem to remember it differently. According to Williams, he stalked her, and she only fell in love with him after a month or two, but Paisley maintains that he loved her at first sight.
They Give Back
Paisley and Williams have shown the world that even though they both grew up with different values, they can learn to co-exist, and their happy family is a testament. The pair have great kids and successful careers, but that is not all.
This family also derives pleasure from doing good for those around them. They run a grocery store called “The Store,” where the less fortunate can walk in and get groceries for free. The idea started on Thanksgiving Day when they decided to teach their kids that there were others suffering in the world.They took them to Unity Shoppe grocery store in Santa Barbara, California, and immediately delved into helping the staff there take care of daily business, like checking people out and packing rice in bags.That day, they all went away with many lessons, which led to the creation of their own store giving away groceries. Now they have made enough free food deliveries to make almost 1.3 million meals, and their whole family is among the more than 3500 hands that were involved in the first year of its existence.
The Store began operations around the same time the pandemic started, so they had to convert into a pick-up service for families and groceries deliveries to the older folks.While they were putting the store together, Paisley and Williams were very clear about maintaining the process they witnessed with their kids at Unity Shoppe. Williams believes that allowing the less fortunate the dignity of picking what they want from the aisle negates the resentment that might have risen due to handing out pre-picked items.
She and her husband believe that the little they do is, in a way, their family’s legacy and have shown no desire to stop. After all, a family that gives together stays together.