Watch: Homeless Piano Man Nails 'Come Sail Away'

Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

There’s more to Donald Gould than meets the eye.

That becomes evident the minute the 51-year-old former Marine sits down at a piano and begins to tickle the ivories. As the soulful strains of Styx’s “Come Sail Away” flow out of the instrument, passersby on a Sarasota street look past Gould’s unkempt appearance and pause to take in the performance.

A video of one of those performances has gone viral, earning Gould near overnight viral fame. The man, now homeless, living on the streets of Sarasota, once had aspirations to become a music teacher. He even studied music education at Spring Arbor University in his native Michigan, ABC news reported. Aside from the piano, he says he can play “every instrument from the piccolo down to the tuba.”

Gould’s dreams, however, were dashed when his wife died in 1998.That loss led Gould into a downward spiral.

“I just lost it,” he told WWSB.

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After the loss, Gould, who is known as “Boone,” on Sarasota streets, watched as his life spiraled out of control. He suffered from substance abuse and eventually lost custody of his 3-year-old son. That son is now 18 and it is Gould’s hope to be reunited with him, he told WFLA.

In the meantime, that video that has made Gould’s name go international seems to also be changing his luck. A local restaurant is interested in giving him a chance to play in its piano bar and a gofundme campaign has been established on his behalf. The goal is to raise $50,000 to help Gould secure a car, a home and the last three classes he needs to earn his music theory degree.

As for the piano that’s helped remind the world not to judge books by their covers, it’s one of several placed around Sarasota through the city’s Sarasota Keys project. The community art project involved the placement of six pianos around town to entice spontaneous performances, such as Gould’s outside the Classico Café.

To contribute to Gould’s cause, visit gofundme online.

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