Jim Croce

Jim Croce
Jim Croce was a talented singer-songwriter folk guitar player. Jim hailed from Philadelphia PA and showed an interest in music at an early age. He married his high school sweetheart in 1963 and together they formed a duo which was unsuccessful. He became a master of the acoustic guitar and played alot for spare change and at college partys. After he graduated from college he became a disc jockey for a short time before deciding to pursue music as a full time career. To supplement his income he took a job as a trucker. It was his experiences as a truck driver that would provide the lyrical fuel for his later songs. By 1970 Jim had hit rock bottom with his music career going nowhere. In addition to this, he had signed a very bad record deal and was contemplating giving up music. The turning point in his life came when his wife told him she was pregnant. He got down to business and in one week wrote most of the material for his first album. “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” was released to rave reviews and Jim began the cycle of constant touring. “Life and Times” released in 1973 spawned the lounge-act classic “Bad Bad Leroy Brown”. Although by now he was a big success he received very little income from his record sales. (His wife would eventually win control of his music after his death). Vowing to quit touring Croce hit the road for one last time, it was a fateful decision that would cost him his life. Jim Croce died September 20th, 1973 when his tour plane crashed into a tree upon take-off. His “I’ve Got a Name” album was released posthumously and contained the hit song of the same name. “Time in a Bottle” from his first album was released as a single after his death and hit number one. Jim Croce was 30 years old.