The teenager turned his aging rock star father into a Generation Z music icon after discovering one of his unreleased ’70s songs and posting it on TikTok.
Zach Montana, 19, from Arizona, helped make the dreams of his father, drummer William “Curly” Smith, come true after he found an old song he wrote and recorded 43 years ago but never released.
Zach, who is an aspiring musician himself, immediately fell in love with the track after hearing it back in January, so he decided he should share it with the world.
He uploaded a clip of himself rocking to TikTok and it quickly took the internet by storm.
A catchy tune called “Surrender to Me” exploded instantly, and his father soon became a viral sensation.
Zach’s video reached over three million views in a matter of days and became so popular that Zach and his 70-year-old father decided to release the song.
The teenager turned his aging rock star father into a Generation Z music icon after discovering one of his unreleased ’70s songs and posting it on TikTok.
Zach Montana helped fulfill the dreams of his father, drummer William “Curly” Smith (pictured in 1973), after he discovered a song he had recorded 43 years earlier but never released.
Zach (pictured with his father), 19, who is an aspiring musician himself, immediately fell in love with the track after hearing it back in January, so he decided he needed to share it with the world.
He uploaded a clip on TikTok of him rocking it and it made a splash online. A song called Surrender to Me exploded instantly and his father soon became a viral sensation.
Now, just two months later, Kerli has received over a million auditions on the rocker and was even invited to perform on Jimmy Kimmel last week.
Zach’s video reached over three million views in a matter of days and became so popular that Zach and his 70-year-old father (pictured in 1970) decided to release the song.
“I just got out of therapy, I’m in my car and my dad put some music on here and I enjoyed it and I found out he wrote it in the 70s. It’s really damn good, listen!” Zach said in the original video as he started to play the song and dance to it.
‘Listen to this. What the fuck! It is so good! He sings too! The bass line is very good. And there is a horn section.
– Wait, it gets better. And he never let her out, I’m so mad at him.”
Curly was best known as the drummer for the rock band Boston from 1994 to 2001, but he has also worked with top artists such as Rick Springfield, Bette Midler and Bonnie Wright.
Zach, a sophomore at Arizona State University, told parents today that his father has been “out of the game for a while” but is excited about what’s to come, especially the impact it could have on Zach’s own career.
“Of course my dad is more excited about what this means to me,” Zach told them. He’s like, “This will bring so much attention to your music.” That’s what kind of person he is.
He explained that the track was never released because Curley did not have a record deal and had no way of distributing it without a label.
He produced it with singer-songwriter Mark Olson, who has since passed away.
“At the time, the market was flooded with that kind of music,” Zach explained. “I believe they introduced it to Motown Records and a few other subsidiaries, but nothing happened.
Now, just two months later, Curly has racked up over a million plays on the rocker.
Last week he was even invited to perform with Jimmy Kimmel.
Curley was best known as the drummer for the rock band Boston from 1994 to 2001. He has been featured in photographs throughout his career.
He has also worked with renowned artists such as Rick Springfield, Bette Midler and Bonnie Wright. Curly is depicted throughout his career
Zach, a sophomore at Arizona State University, said his father “has been on the sidelines for a while” but is looking forward to what’s next.
Since Zack and his father have gone viral, they have attracted the attention of some major celebrities, including pop star Meghan Trainor, who called the song “so good.”
It even caught the attention of Marvel Music Supervisor Dave Jordan, who said he would send it to the director of the upcoming third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy series.
Zach explained that the track was never released because Curly (pictured in 1973) did not have a recording contract and had no way of distributing it without a label.
“And then they didn’t have the option to distribute it without a label. Obviously there were no streaming platforms.”
Since Zack and his father have gone viral, they have attracted the attention of some major celebrities, including pop star Meghan Trainor who called the song “so good” and country singer Clay Walker who wrote that Zack should ” release it” in the comments section. his first video.
It even caught the eye of Marvel Music Supervisor Dave Jordan, who said he would send it to the director of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy series 3.
Zach uploaded a video to TikTok with a screenshot of an email he received from Dave that said, “Hey Zach, I really like this song and I’m happy to send it to the director.”
“We are currently filming this film, so I have no idea if he will have time to listen to it right now. I can not promise.’
“It’s just incredible,” he said today of the reaction online. “He has always been a wonderful father – the best I could ask for. This experience only brought us closer.”