New project continues family legacies of two Connecticut musicians
Sofia Nunzia and Chuck Peterson combine their inherited musical talents in the recording studio
Singer-songwriter Sofia Nunzia and drummer Chuck Peterson, who each credit their talents to previous generations of Connecticut-born musicians, have teamed up on new music that is set for release May 30, 2025, on all major music platforms.
Nunzia is the granddaughter of Richard Cappola, a Hamden native who was an award-winning drummer at the Quinnipiac College Jazz Festival. In the early 1970s, Cappola joined the Vesuvio Five band. The band, later called Vesuvio, was a staple of Connecticut’s Italian American music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. Vesuvio performed for numerous events and was the house band at venues including the Villa Capri in Wallingford and Costa Azzurra in Milford. The band performed popular music and original music in both Italian and English.
Peterson is the son of Keith LeBlanc, a drummer, recording artist, and producer from Bristol. LeBlanc, who passed away in 2024, is well-known for his contributions to early hip-hop music with record labels Sugar Hill and Tommy Boy Records. He created the beats for popular songs by Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang such as “Apache”. LeBlanc recorded with James Brown, Annie Lennox, Miles Davis, Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel, Seal, and Tina Turner, and produced Nine Inch Nails’ “Pretty Hate Machine” Extended Play (EP) release. Following this success, he also formed a band, Tackhead, with studio musicians from the Sugarhill Gang.
Despite being influenced by drummers with contrasting music styles, Nunzia and Peterson came together over country music at The Recording Den in Bethany, where they were introduced by owners Travis and Lois Branch. Peterson performed on drums for two songs, “Lily” and “On Memory Lane”, written and sung by Nunzia, that will be on her upcoming EP.
“I started writing music when I was eight years old and lived in North Carolina, so my country music influence came from living in the South,” says Nunzia. “My grandfather helped me to explore other sounds, including the Motown music that inspires some of my songwriting.”
Peterson was also exposed to diverse types of music by his family, stating, “I grew up listening to all different types of music thanks to my parents. Due to that, I can easily play any style of music thrown at me. I would get bored if I just had to play only one style of music.”
This will be the first EP for 18-year-old high school student Nunzia, who released her debut Nashville-recorded single, “Do or Die,” in 2021.
Sofia Nunzia
Sofia Nunzia is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose instruments include voice, piano, guitar, and drums. She lived in North Carolina for most of her life before relocating to New England as a teenager. Her unique music style is influenced by 1990s country music and classic Motown and pop. Sofia has participated in songwriting programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville since age 12 and completed coursework at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Chuck Peterson
Chuck Peterson started playing drums at age four and has worked professionally as a session musician, teacher, and performer for over two decades. He has recorded across music genres such as R&B, rock, hip hop, jazz, Latin, country, and pop. He has worked with Sandoval Band, The Adventures of Thaddeus Black, Warner Brothers artists including The Gablz and Nic Gonzales (Salvador), The Sugarhill House Band, Jimi Bell (House of Lords), The Diamonds, Eliot Lewis (Hall and Oates: Live From Daryl’s House), Corey Glover (Living Colour), Michael Medeiros (Law and Order, X-Men: First Class, Robocop 2), and others.
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