Jim Croce

[tpj1965]

James Joseph Croce (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973), popularly known as Jim Croce (pronounced CRO-chee), was an American singer-songwriter.

In 1970, Croce met classically trained pianist/guitarist, singer-songwriter Maury Muehleisen from Trenton, New Jersey through Joe Salviuolo (aka Sal Joseph). (Sal was best friends with Jim when they attended Villanova University together, and later discovered Maury when he was teaching at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.) Sal, along with Tommy West and Terry Cashman, brought this duo together in the Cashman and West production office in New York City. Initially, Croce backed Muehleisen on guitar at his gigs. But in time, their musical strengths led them each to new heights. Muehleisen's ethereal and inspired guitar leads became the perfect accompaniment to Croce's down-to-earth music.

In 1972, Croce signed to a three record deal with ABC Records releasing You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Life & Times in the same year. The singles, "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)", and "Time In A Bottle" (written for his newborn son, A. J. Croce) helped the former album reach #1 on the charts in 1974. Croce's biggest single "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", hit number 1 on the U.S. charts in the summer of 1973, selling two million copies.

Croce, 30, and Muehleisen, 24, died in a small commercial plane crash on September 20, 1973, one day before his third ABC album, I Got a Name was to be released. The posthumous release included three hits, "I Got A Name," "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song."

Croce had just completed a concert in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and was flying to Sherman, Texas. The pilot and all passengers (Croce, Muehleisen, and the comic who was the show's warm up act) were killed instantly at 10:45 PM EST on September 20, 1973, less than an hour after the end of their last concert. Upon takeoff, the plane did not gain enough altitude to clear an area of large pecan trees at the end of the runway. The official report from the NTSB hints that the charter pilot, Robert Newton Elliott, who had severe coronary artery disease and had run a portion of the 3 miles to the airport from a motel, may have suffered a heart attack causing him to crash into the trees on a clear runway with excellent visibility. A later investigation placed sole blame for the accident on pilot error.

Croce was laid to rest in the Philadelphia area, even though he had recently relocated to San Diego. Family, friends, and fans were stunned to learn of the premature death of the two musicians.

News of the premature deaths of the duo sparked a massive interest in Jim’s first two albums – “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” and “Life and Times” - as well as the “I Got A Name” single, which was released later that same week. This was followed closely by the release of the album of the same title. Sales soared and resulted in three gold records. A “Greatest Hits” package released in 1974 also proved to be extraordinarily popular. The catalogue became a staple of radio play, turntables, cassettes, and CDs for years, and is still receiving significant airplay in the first decade of the 21st century.

In 1985, Ingrid Croce opened "Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar", located in the historic Gaslamp District in San Diego, California, as a tribute to her late husband.

Jim Croce - Workin' At The Car Wash Blues

Uploaded by asjacks75

Jim Croce - I Got A Name

Uploaded by DwightFrye

"Time in a Bottle" was a posthumous No. 1 hit for singer-songwriter Jim Croce, reaching the top of the charts in December 1973, three months after his death in a plane crash. The song, written for his son A.J. Croce, appeared on his first album in 1972, You Don't Mess Around with Jim. Croce would subsequently shoot to fame with his summer 1973 hit single "Bad Bad Leroy Brown", just months before a plane crash on September 20, 1973.

The song started receiving widespread airplay in the fall of 1973, after it was featured in an ABC TV movie She Lives! that starred Desi Arnaz Jr. and Season Hubley.

Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle

Uploaded by seidrik

Jim Croce - Don't Mess Around With Jim

Uploaded by seidrik

[Shawn]

One of my favorite all time artists.

I'd put him beside Johnny Cash for ability to capture emotion in the lyrics.

[Kooperman]

I was driving to the record store in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to see if his new album was out yet when I heard the radio announcement about his death the night before.... :(

[sideshow bob]

I remember hearing Jim's posthumous hits on American chart programmes [he didn't chart in the UK] but I never knew the details of how he met his end until reading this thread.

It's always a strange phenonemon when a promising artist dies young, cults grow up, it's like they can't spoil the magic of their work by a fall in standard further down the line, and what might they they have done if they had survived always intrigues us.

[Redneck4sure]

Flying to Texas also proved fatal for Ricky Nelson 12 yrs later.

I tell you, it's just not safe to travel.

And after the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, it seems it isn't even safe driving on or living under a bridge.

[DudeAsInCool]

Flying to Texas also proved fatal for Ricky Nelson 12 yrs later.

I tell you, it's just not safe to travel.

And after the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, it seems it isn't even safe driving on or living under a bridge.

Im sure that's why Rednecks prefer trailer parks

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

My dad had an LP of You Don't Mess Around With Jim when I was growing up. I really loved that album until I found my rock/metal side. I know if I heard the entire album again, it would be very sentimental. Same thing with Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare.

[Redneck4sure]

Im sure that's why Rednecks prefer trailer parks

True, but it's expensive to live in a trailer park. That's why so many rednecks live under a bridge.