58, Musician
Why he’s interesting: Cleveland’s piano man, Petrone has been a constant at the bar at Johnny’s Downtown since the day the Downtown Cleveland restaurant opened in 1993. You can find him performing classic Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel songs on the keys nearly every night — and he’s got plenty of stories to share from his unique, musical vantage point.
Musical Upbringing: Petrone remembers learning music early on with his five siblings. “We could read and write music probably before we could read and write, because it was really the family business, and that’s just what we did.” Together, the family performed live and televised Mr. Jingeling shows, which his parents produced; Petrone performed piano in the shows at just 10 years old. A few years later, he started performing three nights a week at the Hanna Pub (now the Hanna Theater) — and never stopped. “By the time I was 14, I was doing what I’m doing now.”
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A Johnny’s Regular: Highlights of Petrone’s career include the many celebrities he’s rubbed shoulders with over the years. He recalls one night in the ‘90s where he hung out with Don King, Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera and George Forbes. The bar also is the first place he met fellow musician Kristine Jackson, who he later married.
Theatrical Side Hustle: The pianist is also a fan of musical theater and has penned six of his own productions. That includes Caesar: The Musical, a play he wrote over 12 years and produced and recorded during the pandemic in his attic, bringing in actors one-by-one. The project won 14 awards at film festivals around the world. “I ended up going to the Burbank Film Festival, hanging out with Priscilla Presley and Beau Bridges.”
7,000: The total number of shows Petrone expects to have performed at Johnny’s by the end of 2025.
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