If you’ve ever questioned the power of social media, meet Zach Montana. Montana, the son of drummer William “Curly” Smith, used the platform to help his father’s unreleased song from the ’70s go viral earlier this year.
Montana, a 19-year-old musician, unearthed the disco-inspired tune titled “Surrender to Me,” when he was driving Smith’s truck in January and it was in the CD player.
“I’m listening and I’m thinking, ‘Whoa, this is really good,’” Montana told TODAY Parents. “Then the vocals come on and I hear a very familiar voice — and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s my dad.”
The Arizona State University sophomore was so impressed that he decided to play the track for his TikTok followers.
“There’s a horn section!” Montana exclaims. “Just wait… It’s so good.”
Two months later, Smith’s infectious song “Surrender to Me,” has more than one million streams on Spotify. Last month, Montana, an aspiring musician, and Smith, 70, performed together on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Smith is best known as Boston’s drummer — he toured and recorded with the rock band from 1994 to 2001 — but the singer and guitarist has also done session work for artists such as Rick Springfield, Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt.
Montana noted that Smith has “been out of the game for a little while,” but is now experiencing a career resurgence thanks to TikTok.
“Of course, my dad is more excited about what it means for me,” Montana revealed. “He’s like, ‘This is gonna get your music so much attention.’ That’s what kind of person he is.”
Montana explained that “Surrender to Me,” which was recorded roughly 43 year ago, was never released because Smith didn’t have a record deal. Smith co-produced the single with singer-songwriter Mark Olson, who has since passed away.
“At the time, the market was flooded with this kind of music,” Montana said. “I believe they pitched it to Motown Records and a few other subsidiaries, but nothing happened. And back then, they had no way of distributing it without a label. Obviously, there were no streaming platforms.”
Since going viral, Smith has been praised by thousands including Meghan Trainor, who wrote “it’s so good” in the comments on Montana’s original TikTok video.
“It’s just incredible,” Montana said. “He’s always been an amazing father — the best I could possibly ask for. This experience has only brought us closer together.”
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A teen found his dad’s unreleased song from the ’70s and it’s going viral
Source: Best News Global