Edwin Rayner, a British man in his mid 90s, had a calling quite late in life: to make his singing voice known to the world. His handle on social media is Granddad Sings (@grandad_sings), and seeing as how he is a grandfather to five grandkids, it’s a perfectly apt description. But it goes beyond that. He’s moving people with his pitch-perfect voice, but also inspiring many to remember that it’s never too late to follow a dream.
Rayner’s latest viral hit has close to 900,000 likes and almost 15,000 comments on TikTok, where he has 1.3 million followers. The tune is “Hey There Delilah” off of the pop band Plain White T’s third studio album. And the kicker is it’s one of his grandkids’ favorite songs, so it has extra special meaning.
Rayner comments on the video, “I loved singing this song. It’s one of my grandchildren’s’ favourites too! I hope you enjoy it.” He then, with his trademark strong English accent, punches every word, making the lyrics—that many of us have heard so many times—sound unique. He croons each sentence in a beautifully earnest tone and it’s heart melting. “Hey there, Delilah, what’s it like in New York City? I’m a thousand miles away, but girl, tonight, you look so pretty. Yes, you do. Times Square can’t shine as bright as you. I swear it’s true…”
Of course, the song was not only meaningful to Rayner and his grandchildren, but also to its writers. In fact, its origin story is quite lovely in and of itself. It was reportedly written after the lead singer of the band, Tom Higgenson, had a chance meeting with cross country runner, Delilah DiCrescenzo. He stated she was “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
The replies under the clip, and there are nearly 15,000 of them on this video alone, are full of love and support. “This just made my day,” declares one TikToker. Another speaks directly to the singer: “Found you by accident. Stayed by choice, grandpa.”
This would be far from Rayner’s first viral video. He covers extremely popular artists like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Chappell Roan. Of the latter, his rendition of “Pink Pony Club” is moving for its earnest simplicity and his ability to reach the high notes with passion.
Grandad’s singing journey
But he didn’t start out with pop songs. In a 2024 BBC article about Rayner, writer Jamie Morris explains that, while he always loved singing, he didn’t know there was a purpose for it. However, after his late wife Margaret passed away after nearly 60 years of marriage, he felt she relayed a message. Morris shares Rayner’s beautiful sentiment. “I was given a message and I’m sure it was Margaret telling me: ‘You can sing, come on you need to start again.’ So I did.”
So, he began singing in nursing “care” homes in Bournemouth, Dorset, “often performing songs by his favourite artist – Elvis Presley.” But his grandkids felt that more of the world needed to hear their grandpa sing. Before he knew it, he was on TikTok (and other social media platforms) with a huge following. In Morris’s piece, Rayner shares, “I had no idea what it was and after a few days I had over one thousand likes. Big-headed of me I thought well, we’ll do some more of this, and it’s gone on and on from there.”
The song he feels honors Margaret the most? An Elvis number, of course. “Edwin’s favourite song is ‘The Wonder of You’ by Elvis Presley, which he sings in honour of his wife, Margaret.”
