Zach’s father, William “Curly” Smith, is a seasoned musician who passed his passion for music down to his son. Smith is best known as the drummer for the legendary rock band Boston, with whom he toured and recorded from 1994 to 2001. Beyond Boston, Smith’s career includes collaborations with renowned artists like Rick Springfield, Bette Midler, and Bonnie Raitt. He recorded “Surrender to Me” 43 years ago, co-producing it with singer-songwriter Mark Olson, who has since passed away. Unfortunately, without a record deal at the time, the track never made it to the public—until now.
Teen found his dad’s unreleased song from the '70s, it's going viral after 43 years
Zach Montana found the CD in his car and played it before realizing it was his father singing.
When Zach Montana turned on the stereo in his car, he was just planning to connect his phone and enjoy his playlist. But before he could, a track from a CD already in the player began to play. It wasn’t the usual mix of familiar songs—it was something different, something captivating. Zach let it run, completely drawn in. The music was excellent, but he couldn’t figure out where he had heard it before. Then the vocals kicked in, and everything clicked: the voice sounded just like his dad’s. That’s because it was his dad. Zach had stumbled upon “Surrender to Me,” an unreleased song his father recorded in the 1970s. Overcome with emotion, Zach shared the incredible discovery with his followers on TikTok, as reported by TODAY.
"I decided it was time to write and record some R&B funk songs. I found some great, kickass, Motown session players and, after writing the song, I hit the studio to record it," recalled Smith, reported Insider. He believes it's a miracle. "Every now and then something truly miraculous and amazing happens in your life. I think this song being released after 43 years on a dusty shelf definitely qualifies for a miracle in my life. Hallelujah!" he said.
Zach, who's a budding musician himself, was blown away by his Dad's unreleased track. “I’m listening and I’m thinking, ‘Whoa, this is really good,’” said Montana. “Then the vocals come on and I hear a very familiar voice — and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s my dad.” Zach is visibly excited jumping about in his seat, shocked at how good the track is and how good his father sounds. “There’s a horn section!” Zach excitedly tells his followers as they listen to the track. "Just wait… It’s so good.” The video went viral and has more than 3.6 million views and close to 100k likes. The song now has more than one million streams on Spotify. DragonForce guitarist Herman Li commented, "can he be my dad too?" and singer Meghan Trainor wrote, "so good."
Zach says his father, who's 70 now, "has been out of the game for a little while," but is seeing his music career kick off now. He was also invited to the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show where he performed the song. Zach said his father loves that his track has seen the light but he's more excited about what it can do for his son, as a musician. “Of course, my dad is more excited about what it means for me,” said Zach revealed. “He’s like, ‘This is gonna get your music so much attention.’ That’s what kind of person he is.”
The 19-year-old believes his father's song didn't take off because the market was already flooded with this kind of disco music. “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,” said Zach, who believes the song has also brought them closer. “He’s always been an amazing father — the best I could possibly ask for. This experience has only brought us closer together.”
This article originally appeared 2 years ago.
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