John Michael Hersey

Singer/Songwriter/Actor John Michael Hersey has released nineteen albums of his music including the May 2024 album Footprints. Known for his sophisticated yet accessible melding of rock, pop, folk, blues and country, Hersey is first and foremost a storyteller. For many years he was the musical director, guitarist and second tenor for the legendary doo-wop group Speedo and the Cadillacs. In 2010, UMass Press published his book, Forever Doo-wop, about his experiences working with the Cadillacs and other vocal groups. His theater acting credits include All My Sons, Deathtrap, The Weir and An Ideal Husband with Iona University Theatre Ensemble; Common Sense with Tutti Bravi; The Whites and Betty and the Belrays at The Theater for the New City and Not about Nightingales at La Mama. His movie credits include Holistay and Magic in the Maze. He also serves as Manager of Creative Arts at The Fortune Society, a non-profit that provides services for people involved with the criminal justice system, and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Music and Theater department at Manhattan College. 

About the album The Reincarnation of a Rock, Ragtalent.com wrote that "with cinematic instrumental songs, waltzes, and songs that sound like they could easily be part of a theatrical performance, this record has a lot to soak in but damn it's fun to do so." Beachsloth.com wrote that Hersey’s album, Dreamtime “proves to be an absolute, unhinged kind of joy, one sung straight from the heart, showing off [an] uncanny ear for melody.” And Tom Franks of folkwords.com wrote that Hersey’s Adirondack “is raw, hard, observant and thought provoking.”