A Bite of Jim Croce πͺ
A Bite of Jim Croce πͺ
Over 50 years ago, Jim Croce became one of my mom's all-time favorite artists. Now he's one of mine too.
Fun facts about artists you know and donβt, readable in 3 minutes or less. By Grace Lilly.
π A top-read post
β’ 3 min read β’
βI looooved Jim Croceβ
My mom would say this dozens of times to me over the course of my childhood. She gushed about him. I knew she loved him before Iβd ever heard his music, so Iβm sure it biased me toward liking it too, but I didnβt really get into it until college.
It was fall 2012 and Iβd just left McGill University. I was going through a really hard time. From November to December, I probably listened to βOperator (Thatβs Not The Way It Feels)β over 100 times. It relieved so much of my stress. His voice soothed me like a lullaby.
Thereβs something so calming about his voice. I donβt know how to explain it. It feels like heβs talking to you. In some songs heβs down β but not all the way out. In others heβs full of pure joy and playfulness. Always, he sounds smooth and grounded.
Jim Croce
The basics
π€ American folk and rock singer-songwriter
π€ b. 1943 (Pennsylvania) - d. 1973 (Louisiana)
π€ Appealed to fans as a common man, he was a father and husband who went through a series of blue-collar jobs
Why you should know him: Jim wrote upbeat, empathetic songs with dry wit and sang with a rare form of power and honesty
If you like
β¨ Cat Stevens
β¨ Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
β¨ James Taylor
β¨ Bob Dylan
Known for
π His heartfelt and introspective lyrics
π Writing about real, everyday life
π Being a friendly & sincere performer, endearing him to a wide range of fans
Bite-sized facts
πͺ Started playing the accordion at age 5
πͺ Had a degree in psychology; his songwriting was often influenced by his understanding of emotions and human behavior
πͺ Discovered by accident while working as a truck driver
πͺ Worked on construction crews, as a Special Education teacher at a junior high school, taught guitar at a summer camp; didnβt pursue music as a career until his mid-20s
πͺ Released 3 successful albums in less than 2 years and performed in more than 250 concerts from 1972 to 1973
Songs & dates
β« 1966 His first album, Facets, is released with 500 copies pressed after having been financed with a $500 wedding gift from Croce's parents. They set a condition that the money must be spent to make an album, hoping he would give up music after the album failed and use his college education to pursue a βrespectableβ profession. But the album proved to be a success with every copy sold.
β« 1972 His first studio album, You Don't Mess Around With Jim, is released and becomes an instant success; the title track reaches the Top 10 on the pop charts while βOperator (That's Not the Way It Feels)β reaches the Top 20
β« 1973 His song βTime in a Bottleβ hits number one on the Billboard Hot 100 just a couple of months after his untimely death in a plane crash at just 30 years old
He said
β βIf you dig it, do it. If you dig it a lot, do it twice.β
β βLife and love are not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain.β
β βIf I can touch people's lives with a song, then I feel like I have accomplished my purpose.β
My Croce Playlist
I gathered my fav Croce songs, from me to you with love. Save on Spotify and listen all week π
Where to start
His first hit
Singing βYou Donβt Mess Around with Jimβ
γ°οΈ
Talking growing up in Pennsylvania
Reminiscing about Sunday stock car races (and pretzels) in Reading, then performing βRapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)β
γ°οΈ
Performing βOne Less Set of Footstepsβ
The first single from Life and Times, the final album Croce released in his lifetime
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
The Midnight Special Ep 20 on Youtube
Jim Croce hosts this hour-long musical show on June 15, 1973. Special guest appearances by Little Anthony & The Imperials, Savoy Brown, Barbara Fairchild, Shawn Phillips, Wishbone Ash, Bobby Womack, and Wolfman Jack. Watch here.
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Sources
Biography Jim Croce www.biography.com/musician/jim-croce
Bookey Jim Croce www.bookey.app/quote-author/jim-croce
Wikipedia Jim Croce en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Croce
"I've Got a Name" never, ever fails to hypnotize me. Ever. I love a lot of his stuff, but that's the one for me. I love Jim. He is much missed.
His son is currently on tour performing his songs.