This is the uplifting story of Donald Gould, a homeless veteran turned skilled musician. No one knew about his musical ability before the Sarasota Keys Piano Project came to downtown Sarasota. When he noticed the pianos, he sat down and played Styx’s “Come Sail Away,” capturing the attention of the audience and beginning a new chapter in his life.

Gould majored in music at college and served in the US Marine Corps, where he learned to play the clarinet and other instruments. A video of him playing the piano and an interview went viral, garnering nearly three million views and earning him job opportunities as well as an invitation to perform the National Anthem at a San Francisco 49ers game in front of 70,000 NFL fans.

Thanks to the viral video, Gould met Sabine Perez, who wrote to him and asked him to play some music for her handicapped son. The two became partners and currently live in Germany, where they perform together and have featured on German TV. Gould remains humble, though, and in 2017 returned to the same piano where he first gained fame to play “Come Sail Away” once again, never forgetting what made him the man he is today.