NASHVILLE, TENN – As the Predators were enroute to a 5-4 SO win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 20, two other competitors were at Bridgestone Arena; Hockey Fights Cancer and ZERO, featuring Superman songwriter Jimmy Charles.
As Pro Hockey News reported in a press release Oct. 19, the NHL has begun its annual Hockey Fights Cancer awareness initiative. The charity has raised more than $15 million since 1998, and for its 17th season has announced a partnership with ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer – for 2015.
The drive kicked off with a live speech by Charles displayed on the Jumbotron about the importance of early detection, and then his hit song Superman. A Nashville recording artist and former American Idol contestant, Charles has worked with ZERO for the last year as national spokesman raising awareness about prostate cancer. Charles and co-author Goose Gossett wrote the song in honor of prostate cancer patients and survivors. The following is a link to the official video :
www.jimmycharlesmusic.com
“This is all really exciting,” said Charles, a native of Baltimore. “It feels good to be able to provide comfort to families facing cancer through my gift of music. Superman is the anthem for the fight against prostate cancer. A friend of mine – Phil Shulka – had prostate cancer. He wasn’t given much hope, but he battled through and he won. Now he is a mentor at Chesapeake Urology where he goes to bedsides and helps other men with cancer. He made it through his treatment and has made it his mission to help others.”
Jimmy first met Shulka in Baltimore. “We brought him to Nashville,” said Charles. “Goose and I set up in a writer’s room and just listened to his stories for over an hour. It was an emotional experience, and when he finished we went to work and came up with this song.”
The result was a project gone viral. “The video premiered on CMT and they were blown away by response,” recalls Jimmy. “It had 5000 shares – not views – in one day. It’s incredible how many people have seen it. It was the number 1 video, and I was the 4th most searched artist next to Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift for a day or two. That was so cool to see.”
Superman was also picked up by GAC, Zuus TV, and Heartland. In September, Jimmy was in 10 cities doing morning TV and radio interviews. “Prostate cancer is called the silent killer because most men don’t know it until it’s too late,” said Charles. This song is sending a great message that is spreading nationwide and saving lives.”
ZERO is highly optimistic about the new partnership. “With the enormous fan base of the NHL, this is a tremendous opportunity to educate men and their families about prostate cancer and the importance of early detection,” said Jamie Bearse, ZERO’s CEO. “With the help of advocates across the country, we hope to leverage this exciting partnership to make ending prostate cancer a national priority.”
Special thanks to thedailycountry.com and zerocancer.org.
Photos courtesy of Jimmy Charles and Zero.
For more information visit the Jimmy Charles Music fan page on Facebook.
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