The first DJ to play Tim Montana’s Butte America on country radio in his hometown of Butte, Montana, was Tom O’Neill, the brother of Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill (the man credited with killing the terrorist Osama bin Laden — maybe you’ve heard of him). Turns out, Tom wasn’t the only fan of Montana; while Rob was deployed to locations like Iraq and Afghanistan, he took Montana’s music with him.
Montana is a musician with a “rip-roaring, swamp’rockin’ vibe” — and he’s just getting started. He maintains a can’t-quit attitude that has lifted him from obscurity to Rolling Stone magazine. On one New Year’s Eve, an industry executive told Montana he’d never write a hit on his own. That night, he skipped the celebrations and wrote Low Class, just to prove the guy wrong.
Tim Montana makes his network television debut on Letterman | YouTube
In his youth, Montana had hoped to become a SEAL himself, but an injury prevented him from serving. His patriotism and support for the military, however, never faded (he says we’re all red, white, and blue-blooded). After Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was killed, Montana discovered there would be a Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit and Auction in Fort Worth, Texas. He immediately picked up the phone and volunteered to play for free.
He took it one step further and teamed up with Gibson to auction off a custom Chris Kyle Commemorative Les Paul Standard Special. It sold for $117,500.
So yeah, the guy makes sh*t happen.
And he’s chosen to use music to make his mark. He told We Are The Mighty there’s no way to know what music can do, but it’s cool to think about the possibilities.
“Music evokes emotion. It evokes thought. It captures a moment.”
He maintained his connection with Rob O’Neill, and featured the SEAL in his latest music video for Hillbilly Rich. Check it out:
Montana is getting ready to wrap up his latest tour. Check out the details right here, and keep an eye out for this musician, who keeps an eye out for vets.