Jersey Boys Blog

(Chicago, IL) November 30, 2012 – Former JERSEY BOYS cast member, John Michael Coppola, is proud to announce his digital release of the Billy Joel hit single, “New York State of Mind”. 100% of proceeds from the sale of the single will equally benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and The American Red Cross. The single can be purchased at http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnmichaelcoppola.

Backed by a five-piece band featuring some of Chicago’s top musicians, the track includes musical contributions by Paul Langford (piano), Bob Lizik (bass), Kraig McCreary (guitar), Bob Parlier (drums) and Tom VanKanegan (Sax).

“JERSEY BOYS brought my family and me from New Jersey to Chicago, but as much we love it here, a large part of my heart will always be in New Jersey and my original stomping grounds of New York.” said Coppola. “The pictures of the devastation from back East are truly gut wrenching, and being so far from it all without the ability to physically help people, I felt compelled to reach out to my band here in Chicago with this idea and they were all on board immediately. Everyone donated their time and talent for this cause, and I personally couldn’t be more grateful to them. The only thing bigger than their talents are their hearts.”

John Michael Coppola appeared in the Chicago and Las Vegas companies of the Tony Award winning musical, JERSEY BOYS, where he understudied and performed the role of Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons. For the past 17 years, he has appeared in some of the top regional theatres in the US and Europe in productions such as She Loves Me, 42nd Street, Flight Of The Lawnchair Man, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Forbidden Broadway and Singin’ In The Rain. In addition to his time in JERSEY BOYS, Coppola’s Chicago stage credits include the world premiere of the musical For The Boys, The Original Grease, and Annie Get Your Gun. In 2011, he received the David Award, presented by the Italian Sons & Daughters of America, given to ‘an individual of Italian heritage displaying professional
leadership in the field of entertainment.’ He performs his own solo concert, A JERSEY VOICE: Sinatra to Springsteen…and Everyone in Between, at venues throughout the United States. For more information on John Michael Coppola, please visit www.johnmichaelcoppola.com.

The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, (CFBNJ) a member of Feeding America, distributed close to 40 million pounds of food in the last year, to help feed 900,000 people in need in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Its staff and volunteers provide food, help and hope through the distribution of food and grocery products, by education and training, and by creating new programs to meet the needs of low-income people. The Community FoodBank recently earned Charity Navigator’s highest honor, a four-star rating, for the fourth consecutive year. As Chair of New Jersey Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster (NJVOAD), the CFBNJ is helping to coordinate Sandy relief efforts with FEMA, The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army & Others. This includes distribution of over 100,000 pounds
of food each day to families displaced by Superstorm Sandy, providing over 50,000 prepared meals each week and collecting non-perishable food and hygiene kits for displaced families. For more information on the FoodBank and its services, please visit www.cfbnj.org.

With its Disaster Relief program, The American Red Cross responds to approximately 70,000 disasters in the United States every year, ranging from home fires that affect a single family to hurricanes that affect tens of thousands, to earthquakes that impact millions. In these events, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, health and mental health services to help families and entire communities get back on their feet. Although the Red Cross is not a government agency, it is an essential part of the response when disaster strikes. For more information on The American Red
Cross and its services, please visit www.redcross.org.