Singer
Jim Croce

In the music industry, arguably the worst tragedy that can befall an artist is to die in his or her prime, when just beginning to break through to the mainstream and reach people on a national or international level. One such artist was Jim Croce, a songwriter with a knack for both upbeat, catchy singles and empathetic, melancholy ballads. Though Croce only recorded a few studio albums before an untimely plane crash, he continues to be remembered ... posthumously. Croce appealed to fans as a common man, and it was not a gimmick -- he was a father and husband who went through a series of blue-collar jobs. And whether he used dry wit, gentle emotions, or sorrow, Croce sang with a rare form of honesty and power. Few artists have ever been able to pull off such down-to-earth storytelling as convincingly as he did. You Don't Mess Around with Jim James Joseph Croce was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 1943. Raised on ragtime and country, Croce played the accordion as a child and would eventually teach himself the guitar. It wasn't until his freshman year of college that he began to take music seriously, forming several bands over the next few years. After graduation, he continued to play various gigs at local bars and parties, working as both a teacher and construction worker to support himself and his wife, Ingrid. In 1969, the Croces and an old friend from college, Tommy West, moved to New York and record an album. When the Jim and Ingrid record failed to sell, they moved to a farm in Lyndell, Pennsylvania, where Jim juggled several jobs, including singing for radio commercials. Eventually he was noticed and signed by the ABC/Dunhill label and released his second album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, in 1972. The record spawned three hits: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)," and "Time in a Bottle," the latter ultimately shooting all the way to number one on the Billboard charts. Croce quickly followed with Life and Times in early 1973 and gained his first number one hit with "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown." Life and Times After four years of grueling tour schedules, Croce grew homesick. Wishing to spend more time with Ingrid and his infant son Adrian James, he planned to take a break after the Life and Times tour was completed. Tragically, the tour would never finish; just two months after "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" topped the charts, Croce's plane crashed in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Croce and the four other passengers (including bandmember Maury Muehleisen) were killed instantly. I Got a Name Croce's career peaked after his death. In December of 1973, the album I Got a Name surfaced, but it was "Time in a Bottle," from 1972's You Don't Mess Around with Jim, that would become his second number one single. Shortly afterwards, "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" reached the Top Ten. Several albums were released posthumously, most notably the greatest hits collection Photographs & Memories, which became a best-seller. Several other compilations were later issued, such as the 1992 release The 50th Anniversary Collection and the 2000 compilation Time in a Bottle: The Definitive Collection. Listening to the songs Croce recorded, one cannot help but wonder how far his extraordinary talents could have taken him if he would have lived longer. Unfortunately, such a question may only be looked at rhetorically, but Jim Croce continues to live on in the impressive catalog of songs he left behind. See more [+]

Time In a Bottle |||||

If I could save time in a bottle The first thing that I'd li...

Operator |||||

Operator oh could you help me place this call 'See the numbe...

I Got a Name |||||

Like the pine trees linin' the windin' road I've got a name,...

Bad Bad Leroy Brown |||||

Well, the south side of Chicago Is the baddest part of town....

Ill Have To Say I Love You In A Song |||||

Well, I know it's kind of late, I hope I didn't wake you. Bu...

You Dont Mess Around With Jim |||||

Uptown got it's hustlers The bowery got it's bums 42nd Stree...

I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song |||||

Well, I know it's kind of late I hope I didn't wake you But ...

Thursday |||||

Well it started out just like a dream and like a dream I kne...

Lovers Cross |||||

GUESS THAT IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN; WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME...

Walkin back to Georgia |||||

Mmm Mmm Walkin back to Georgia and I hope she takes me back ...

A Long Time Ago |||||

Seems like such a long time ago I was walking on lonely road...

New yorks not for me |||||

things are spinning round me and all my thoughts were cloudy...

Do'nt mess around with |||||

Uptown got it's hustlers The bowery got it's bums He's a poo...

Alabama Rain |||||

Gtr I On a dysty mid july, country summer's evening ...

Gunga Din |||||

You may talk of gin and beer When you're stationed way out h...

Rapid Roy The Stock Car Boy |||||

Oh, Rapid Roy that stock car boy He too much too believe You...

Railroad Song |||||

When I was a boy In the days of the train I'd sit by the tra...

Careful Man |||||

I don’t gamble, I don’t fight, I don’t be hangin’ in the bar...

Dreamin Again |||||

Don't you know I had a dream last night that you were here w...

These Dream |||||

Once we were lovers, But somehow things have changed. Now we...

Maybe Tomorrow |||||

Smoke another cigarette, have another drink or two Sit by th...

The Hard Way Everytime |||||

Yeah, I've had my share of broken dreams And more than a cou...

Box 10 |||||

Well outta Southern Illinois Come a down-home country boy He...

Car Wash Blues |||||

Well, I just got out from the county prison, doin' ninety da...

Cotton Mouth River |||||

Well I know that I shouldn't have done it I Know it just riv...

Big Wheel |||||

Big wheel, don't you roll Big diesel, don't you whine Throug...

Old Man River |||||

Ol' Man River, that Ol' Man River, he don't say nothin', but...

Nex time this time |||||

IF YOU GET TO FEELIN? ALL ALONE, WHEN YOUR GOOD TIME FRIENDS...

Hard Way Every Time |||||

Yeah, i've had my share of broken dreams And more than a cou...

One Less Set Of Footsteps |||||

We're been runnin' away from, Somethin' we both know, We've ...

Age |||||

I've been up and down and around and 'round and back again I...

Workin At The Car Wash Blues |||||

Well, I had just got out from the county prison Doin' ninety...

Kings Song |||||

He struggled so hard to be king Working night and day Dreami...

Vespers |||||

I'd like to think about her and the way she used to love me ...

Mr. Bojangles |||||

I knew a man Bojangles And he'll dance for you In worn out ...

Five Short Minutes |||||

Well she was standing by my dressing room After the show ask...

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