Biography
Tim Montana merges hard rock with country in a distinctive way, carving out space as a rugged mountain man performer whose persona comes through both his recordings and assorted online ventures tied to barbecue offerings. The visibility he gained in the early 2020s by promoting grilled meats and related items stemmed from an extended, circuitous route that opened with an unforeseen opportunity from David Letterman in 2008 and progressed via a partnership with ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons on "This Beard Came Here to Party," a track the Boston Red Sox embraced as a victory anthem during their 2013 World Series run and that also spurred the two musicians to establish the Whisker Brothers. Montana forged ties with figures ranging from Kid Rock to Dave Grohl, underscoring a style that balances Southern rock and grunge influences evenly, a mix first highlighted by the breakthrough 2023 single "Devil You Know" and the subsequent full-length album Savage.
Born January 5, 1985, in Kalispell, Montana, Tim Montana spent his childhood in a trailer in Butte, Montana. He began playing guitar at age six and entered talent competitions while still in school. Absorbing classic rock, country, and hard rock ranging from Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, he forged a style fusing Southern rock and grunge. Following his 2003 high school graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to chase a music career. Producer Johnny Hiland persuaded Montana to shift to Nashville, where he refined his hard rock and country blend before issuing the Hiland-produced indie album Iron Horse in 2007. An unplanned meeting with David Letterman at a rodeo resulted in a 2008 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, during which he performed "Butte America."
Although that opportunity proved significant, Montana encountered a stretch of limited progress before resurfacing in 2012 with Tim Montana and His Shrednecks, an album that included a guest spot from Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer. At the time the Shrednecks existed more as an idea than an active group. Montana assembled the lineup throughout 2013 by recruiting guitarist Kyle Rife, bassist Bryce Paul, and drummer Brian Wolff.
An introduction to Billy F. Gibbons sparked a 2013 collaboration. The pair composed "This Beard Came Here to Party," which the Boston Red Sox selected as a theme during their 2013 World Series championship push and which later served as an anthem for the Nashville Predators' 2017 Stanley Cup pursuit. The Gibbons partnership extended through the mid-2010s, yielding three further tracks, among them "Rust and Red," which aired on Fox News in a segment about Robert J. O'Neill, the Navy SEAL Team 6 member who stated he alone killed Osama bin Laden.
In 2016 Tim Montana issued a second album titled Tim Montana and His Shrednecks that contained four appearances by Billy Gibbons, after which he toured as an opener for ZZ Top and Kid Rock. Montana joined Kid Rock on "Greatest Show on Earth" and "Tennessee Mountain Top," both cuts from the 2017 album Sweet Southern Sugar. During the late 2010s Montana drew notice for videos accompanying the singles "Hillbilly Rich" and "Mostly Song," the former including Robert J. O'Neill, another Butte native, and the latter directed by Charlie Sheen, which attracted Music Knox Records/BBR, a BMG Rights Management imprint. Music Knox signed Montana in 2020 and released Long Shots in 2021.
Around that period Montana returned to his home state and built a substantial social media audience amid the COVID-19 pandemic through content centered on his interest in smoking meat. The posts generated a loyal following that led to appearances in barbecue competitions, including a 2022 event in Memphis where he met Dave Grohl. He soon secured sponsorships with outdoor and grilling companies that sustained him through the pandemic.
Montana expanded his presence beyond music, securing acting parts including a role alongside Heather Graham and Thomas Jane in the western The Last Son, hosting Tim Montana's Wild Side on Velocity Outdoor Channel, and founding the clothing line Ol' Boy. Throughout these activities he preserved his association with Billy F. Gibbons. In 2019 Montana and Gibbons created the Whisker Brothers, a group launched alongside their hot sauce Whisker Bomb. The two also became co-owners of the World Famous Wise River Club, a Montana bar and grill opened in 2023.
During 2023 Montana's recording career accelerated. "Devil You Know" reached number five on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and number 16 on the Hard Rock chart, paving the way for the July 2024 release of Savage, an album he promoted by opening for Jerry Cantrell and Bush.
Born January 5, 1985, in Kalispell, Montana, Tim Montana spent his childhood in a trailer in Butte, Montana. He began playing guitar at age six and entered talent competitions while still in school. Absorbing classic rock, country, and hard rock ranging from Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, he forged a style fusing Southern rock and grunge. Following his 2003 high school graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to chase a music career. Producer Johnny Hiland persuaded Montana to shift to Nashville, where he refined his hard rock and country blend before issuing the Hiland-produced indie album Iron Horse in 2007. An unplanned meeting with David Letterman at a rodeo resulted in a 2008 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, during which he performed "Butte America."
Although that opportunity proved significant, Montana encountered a stretch of limited progress before resurfacing in 2012 with Tim Montana and His Shrednecks, an album that included a guest spot from Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer. At the time the Shrednecks existed more as an idea than an active group. Montana assembled the lineup throughout 2013 by recruiting guitarist Kyle Rife, bassist Bryce Paul, and drummer Brian Wolff.
An introduction to Billy F. Gibbons sparked a 2013 collaboration. The pair composed "This Beard Came Here to Party," which the Boston Red Sox selected as a theme during their 2013 World Series championship push and which later served as an anthem for the Nashville Predators' 2017 Stanley Cup pursuit. The Gibbons partnership extended through the mid-2010s, yielding three further tracks, among them "Rust and Red," which aired on Fox News in a segment about Robert J. O'Neill, the Navy SEAL Team 6 member who stated he alone killed Osama bin Laden.
In 2016 Tim Montana issued a second album titled Tim Montana and His Shrednecks that contained four appearances by Billy Gibbons, after which he toured as an opener for ZZ Top and Kid Rock. Montana joined Kid Rock on "Greatest Show on Earth" and "Tennessee Mountain Top," both cuts from the 2017 album Sweet Southern Sugar. During the late 2010s Montana drew notice for videos accompanying the singles "Hillbilly Rich" and "Mostly Song," the former including Robert J. O'Neill, another Butte native, and the latter directed by Charlie Sheen, which attracted Music Knox Records/BBR, a BMG Rights Management imprint. Music Knox signed Montana in 2020 and released Long Shots in 2021.
Around that period Montana returned to his home state and built a substantial social media audience amid the COVID-19 pandemic through content centered on his interest in smoking meat. The posts generated a loyal following that led to appearances in barbecue competitions, including a 2022 event in Memphis where he met Dave Grohl. He soon secured sponsorships with outdoor and grilling companies that sustained him through the pandemic.
Montana expanded his presence beyond music, securing acting parts including a role alongside Heather Graham and Thomas Jane in the western The Last Son, hosting Tim Montana's Wild Side on Velocity Outdoor Channel, and founding the clothing line Ol' Boy. Throughout these activities he preserved his association with Billy F. Gibbons. In 2019 Montana and Gibbons created the Whisker Brothers, a group launched alongside their hot sauce Whisker Bomb. The two also became co-owners of the World Famous Wise River Club, a Montana bar and grill opened in 2023.
During 2023 Montana's recording career accelerated. "Devil You Know" reached number five on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and number 16 on the Hard Rock chart, paving the way for the July 2024 release of Savage, an album he promoted by opening for Jerry Cantrell and Bush.
Albums
Savage
2024
Long Shots
2021
American Thread
2020
Tim Montana and the Shrednecks
2016
Tim Montana and His Shrednecks
2012
Singles
