Jim Croce Artistfacts

Jim Croce song list

Jim Croce Artistfacts

January 10, 1943 - September 20, 1973
For Jim Croce, the touring life meant mostly one small collage campus after another. When he was killed at age 30 on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, he was doing what he had done many times before - taking off at night in a light plane from a small airstrip. The plane snagged in a treetop at the end of the dim runway outside Natchitoches, and sent 30-year-old Jim and five others to their deaths. Maury Muehleisen, Jim's lead guitarist and constant companion, also died in the crash. The tree Jim Croce's plane crashed into after leaving a gig at Northwestern College is gone, but Highway 1 takes you right to the end of the runway where the tragic incident occurred. Address: Natchitoches Regional Airport, Hwy 1, Natchitoches, LA.
Croce's death left his wife Ingrid Croce very much alone. She had already lost both her parents, and after Jim's fatal accident, 26-year-old Ingrid was instantly transformed into a single mother and thrust into 12 years of litigation to retrieve the rights to her husband's royalties. Two years later after Jim's death, their only child, Adrian James (A.J.) Croce, was blinded at age 4 after suffering an ear infection (he later regained some sight in his left eye). Ingrid's own singing career was dashed when surgery damaged her vocal cords.
Ingrid Croce became a very effective businesswoman, opening two restaurants and three bars in the Gaslamp district of San Diego, including one named Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar. A giant mural portrait of Jim Croce takes up the back wall of that restaurant, and Ingrid says it serves as an inspiration to her "To build a community for me and Jim's memories."
Jim's son A.J. Croce also became a musician. A singer, songwriter and pianist, he specializes in an up-tempo brand of jazz.
He was raised Catholic, but Croce converted to Judaism so he could marry Ingrid Jacobson.
Before his music career took off, Croce taught special education at Pulaski Junior High in Chester, Pennsylvania. He would play music in the classroom as a teaching aide, and was fired when he did so after the school board told him not to.
On stage, Croce was known for his between song entertainment. He spent many years playing colleges and other small venues, and in these intimate settings he told stories between the songs, constantly refining his "raps." When his 1972 album You Don't Mess Around With Jim took off, he got a lot of positive press in reviews that praised his humor on stage.
Croce's last concert, which took place the night he died, was sparsely attended. It had to compete with the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which drew huge ratings that night.
His son A.J. administers his catalog and gets to decide which of his songs to license for commercials, movies and other media. As he established himself as a musician, A.J. didn't perform his dad's songs regularly, but in 2019 he started playing entire sets of his dad's music on the "Croce Plays Croce" tour. "My father's musical legacy did not influence me as much as his record collection," he said on the Songfacts Podcast.

Comments: 7

M.williams from TennesseeOne of if not my favorite artist. Grew up to my uncles playing his music in there bands. I was born in 76 so he had passed by the time i found his music. i sang Bad bad LeRoy brown, operator, and roller derby queen to my daughter growing up and she's now 27 and still plays and sings a lot of his songs to both my granddaughters. he is known verry well in multiple generations of my family and will continue to be heard for a long time after I'm gone. Unfortunately not all his songs are listed on here, they only have 12 of them and he had many more.
Ted Thetford from Whitney TexasJim took my mind away the first time I ever heard his songs 1972.
Jenny from SeattleA VERY sad story. I thought he played bigger venues considering all of his Top Hits. College kids could barely afford a Cold Beer back then and I am sure he made a small pittance on a grueling tour. $2 Admission? Certainly not worth dying for in a crappy 90 HP little plane! Holy Smokes! When I was a kid, I thought Jim MUST BE VERY RICH cause he was all over the radio. Turns out he probably made less Clams than my square 70's Tire Salesman Old Man. Dad really knew how to make a Buck! Had 4 kids, he better know. Sad all around.
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenCroce was an amazing storyteller. The CD "Jim Croce: The Final Tour" has a fair sampling of it.
Sabatie-(harvey) from Bronx, New YorkFact that I was there, in the audience with my young (7-9) daughter, sitting 9 to 12 rows back from the band-shell, (not Rumsey field, east side but at the original band-shell stage, 72/west side), when it began to softly rain. Most people began to scatter as Jim continued singing. I took out and opened my umbrella over us and continued to sit there and listen. As the band began to disperse, he started singing a different song with 'chocolate puddin' in it. Was he singing to us, as we were the only ones sitting there? Leaving in the rain to go home, I hoped so. Never found the song so I felt he was ad libbing for us because we stayed there for a while to listen to him, in the pouring rain, in the summertime.
Larissa from Shasta , CaWhen I was little, my parents used to play Jim Croce records over and over. To this day, when I put on his albums, I am transformed in time and in spirit. He was an angel that God loaned to earth for only a short time. I'm sure he's keeping The Almighty company right now with his natural talents.
Aj from Cleveland, Gait has been 32 years since he died and that was WAY before i was born but i feel as if i know him and everytime i listen to his songs it makes me sad because i realize that on september 20, 1973 we lost so many things: a great musician, an understanding friend and a terrific husband and father. He was long before my time and yet i enjoy his music as if he was here today. that is the mark of a real artist.

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