Jim Croce

[Bellfire]

I can't believe he's gone. I have one of his albums and I had a couple of songs meorized. (My spelling is terrible so forgive me if my spelling virus flares.) I remember a biography was done on him a few years ago where his wife talked about him as a person. I remember her saying that the really special thing about Jim was his ability to talk to anyone at anytime. He could have the president, Jay Leno and a Klu Klux Klan man in the same room and engage them all in a spirited conversation. (Well She didn't say Jay Leno or the president but she did say two other famous people and the KKK guy lol.) I was just wondering if any of you enjoy his music. I also want to know what kind of an impact you think he had on the music industry and the sound of today's muscians.

[dr2red]

I remember be very upset when I heard he had died. Loved his music and it was so tragic.

[HippieMama]

Time in a Bottle is one of THE most beautiful songs ever to happen . . . Jim Croce was a true singer/songwriter, and his music can be enjoyed by anyone. He sang of true emotions, ones that even us normal people could and can relate to.
Sad that he is gone . . .

[Fool Moon]

Operator is one of my favorite recordings. Great acoustic guitars, great vocals, great lyrics.

I've often wondered what Jim would have done if he'd lived longer.

[knothere]

Jim would still be a great love song writer/singer wooing the hearts and making people fall in love today if he was still around.

[Snoopy]

I love Jim Croce and was going to start a thread about him today! can't believe I logged in and saw this..he truly had so much more talent to give so sad! I love to see a page on him on FAD.."hint hint Scott!"

[Snoopy]

I totally agree with you HippieMama He was absolutely the best songwriter! and Time in a Bottle is my favorite too..it's just so haunting!

[joplinfrk]

Yes, what a loss. I was raised on him and Harry Chapin.

[MPetro108]

Jim Croce was a true poet. He wrote from his soul. I remember the day he died.

[ST Moron]

I was just wondering if any of you enjoy his music.

I was amazed to learn in high school that this punk rock chick I knew...liked Jim Croce.

I mean, I would have thought the distance between his music and this punker was a million miles, but she really did like some of his music.

Personally, I like how his songs are sentimental without being sappy. And the fact that they've held up so well (30+ years later) is a tribute to how great a musician Jim Croce was.

[MsDiva]

I've enjoyed his music most of my life, always have a good chuckle when I hear Roller Derby Queen.

[b57hrle]

I grew up on Jim too, He kept it simple and blew us all away... Big Loss for the world when he was taken!

[cleanskull]

Jim wrote good music you could understand and relate to.Listened to his stuff alot when the wife and i were dating.

[smellslikealmonds]

You have to love Bad Bad Leroy Brown.

[Aries65]

I used to like him when I was kid, but lost interest. "Bad Bad Leory Brown" plays on a radio station I listen to out here in Austin (Bob 103.5).

[monroe27]

Operator is one of my favorite recordings. Great acoustic guitars, great vocals, great lyrics.

I've often wondered what Jim would have done if he'd lived longer.

I like "Operator" a lot too. I also like "Have to Say I love You, In a Song", that one is real pretty. I sing " Bad Bad Leroy Brown" to my 9 month old daughter all the time, and she just cracks up. I own 2 of his albums (original vinyl) and I do enjoy his music lots.

[Jaxxx]

There is a restrauant in San Diego called "Croce" where his son sangs, I believe his wife owns it. I thought it was cool, but haven't been there since the "96 Rep. convention.

[lil_zino]

I was amazed to learn in high school that this punk rock chick I knew...liked Jim Croce.

I mean, I would have thought the distance between his music and this punker was a million miles, but she really did like some of his music.

Personally, I like how his songs are sentimental without being sappy. And the fact that they've held up so well (30+ years later) is a tribute to how great a musician Jim Croce was.

Wow! It's like you're describing me. In high school, I was very much into the whole skater punk thing. Give me my board and my punk music and I was good.

Anyways, one of my friends who I'd skated with got me into Croce. I really dug it. I still do actually. It's funny cause I'll have my music going and in the middle of all this industrial stuff, a Jim Croce song will come on.

He was just a great talent.

[deathybrad]

I love Jim Croce. My parents wedding song is Time in a Bottle. I once learned how to play "I'll have to say I love you in a song" for a girlfriend. I'll have to admit at this age I didn't really mean it. I work part time for a guy building car washes so Jim has touched us all... I love Roller Derby Queen!

She was five foot six and two fifteen
A bleached-blonde mama
With a streak of mean
She knew how to knuckle
And she knew how to scuffle and fight

[GODDESS6]

LOVED him!!!~ he was truly talented~ has anyone ever eaten at his widow's restaurant Croce's?~

[deathybrad]

Where is it at?

[Whammer Jammer]

I've enjoyed his music most of my life, always have a good chuckle when I hear Roller Derby Queen.

My favorite Jim Croce tune!

[don't_axe_me]

I kept singing "Rapid Roy the Stockcar Boy" in the shower this morning for some reason

[uwish]

Always wanted to know? This is the best source I have found with actual verifiable research to find all the answers to all the questions I ever had. It might not have ALL the answers to ALL the questions about more obsolete, underground stuff, but it is backed up by NTSB reports and evidence you can actually find yourself to if you look hard enough.

Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven

By: Rich Everitt

I got mine on Amazon.com for about $12.00

[Kareika]

We go to Croce's in San Diego's Gaslamp from time to time. Fun place to hang out always with lots of great live music.

[cash]

killed on Sept 20/1973 at 10:45pm. Croce was flying in a Beech E18S along with singer/songwriter Maury Muehleisen. 6 in total were killed. Croce's plane could not gain enough altitude to clear a bunch of pecan trees.
Cause of crash: pilot error. There was speculation that the pilot may have had a heart attack. Here is the NTSB report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=84416&key=0&print=1

Croce died one day before his last album " I Got a Name " was released.

Croce's grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1221

Muehleisen grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11118243

[endsleigh03]

Was "have to say I love you in a song" the one he wrote while arguing with his wife and they weren't speaking cause she was mad?
I saw a docu where she was talking about that song, I think.
It was pretty sweet.

[nytkrew]

What a great singer and entertainer he was.

[xenaswolf]

The music world lost one of its best the day he died. I wish he'd lived, it would be awesome to hear what he did with his music.

I think two of my favorite songs of his, added to the ones already mentioned, are Thursday and Lover's Cross.

Thursday lyrics:
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
Someone to be there
After all your night time lovers had gone,
The way they came
Someone who knew the way
And helped to play your daytime game
It's not the same
Well I started out pretending that I'd,
Come to mean enough to you to make,
You want to change
Then I came to realize that
There was just too much of you you'd have,
To rearrange
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your night time lovers to go,
The way they came
And it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one's to blame
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend

Lover's Cross Lyrics
Guess that it was bound to happen
Was just a matter of time
But now Ive come to my decision
And its a-one of the painful kind
cause now it seems that you wanted a martyr
Just a regular guy wouldnt do
But baby I cant hang upon no lovers cross for you

You really got to hand it to ya
cause girl you really tried
But for every time that we spent laughin
There were two times that I cried
And you were tryin to make me your martyr
And thats the one thing I just couldnt do
cause baby, I cant hang upon no lovers cross for you

cause tables are meant for turnin
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin
When the people and memories they join arent the same

Still I hope that you can find
Another who can take what I could not
Hell have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I aint bout to start nothin new
And baby, I cant hang upon no lovers cross for you

He said for me best!

[hollywoodsaint]

I had a little bit of a strange, coincidental Jim Croce-related thing happen a few years ago. First off I've been a fan of his since I was a little kid and my Mom would play his records all the time. I loved "Leroy Brown" and "Don't Mess Around with Jim", and as I got older I really liked Operator", "Time in a Bottle", etc. I remember my first girlfriend thought it was a little odd that I liked him, since this was the early 90s, he'd been dead for a couple of decades and most people our age had never heard of him..... So in the Fall of 1993 I transferred to a new college called Northwestern Louisiana Univ. in Natchitoches, La. Even though I grew up in New Orleans, the only thing I knew about Natchitoches (pronounced "NACK-uh-dish") was that Jim Croce had died there when his plane crashed after an on-campus concert. Well, as luck would have it, an article came out in the school paper only a couple of weeks after school started all about Jim Croce to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death, with all kinds of details I never knew- including the fact that his plane had crashed practically right outside of my dorm window. I had a view of exactly where it had gone down right after takeoff, and didn't know it until I read that article. I definitely felt more of a connection with Croce after that. Now, this being a time right before the internet took off, I wanted to know more, but information was hard to come by... The weekend after the article came out, I caught a ride home to New Orleans with a friend of mine. When she picked me up, she mentioned that we'd also be picking up a friend of hers whom I didn't know, but who needed a ride home. When we picked her up and my friend introduced me- as luck would have it- it was the girl who had written the article for the paper. I recognized her name immediately, and I think I scared her a little bit because I was so excited! I also think she was stunned that I knew who she- a student who wrote for the school paper- was. But it turned out great because she spent the entire 5 hour drive to New Orleans telling me about the things she didn't put in the article, including autopsy information. Maybe that started my FAD obsession??

[Thumbilina]

I had a little bit of a strange, coincidental Jim Croce-related thing happen a few years ago. First off I've been a fan of his since I was a little kid and my Mom would play his records all the time. I loved "Leroy Brown" and "Don't Mess Around with Jim", and as I got older I really liked Operator", "Time in a Bottle", etc. I remember my first girlfriend thought it was a little odd that I liked him, since this was the early 90s, he'd been dead for a couple of decades and most people our age had never heard of him..... So in the Fall of 1993 I transferred to a new college called Northwestern Louisiana Univ. in Natchitoches, La. Even though I grew up in New Orleans, the only thing I knew about Natchitoches (pronounced "NACK-uh-dish") was that Jim Croce had died there when his plane crashed after an on-campus concert. Well, as luck would have it, an article came out in the school paper only a couple of weeks after school started all about Jim Croce to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death, with all kinds of details I never knew- including the fact that his plane had crashed practically right outside of my dorm window. I had a view of exactly where it had gone down right after takeoff, and didn't know it until I read that article. I definitely felt more of a connection with Croce after that. Now, this being a time right before the internet took off, I wanted to know more, but information was hard to come by... The weekend after the article came out, I caught a ride home to New Orleans with a friend of mine. When she picked me up, she mentioned that we'd also be picking up a friend of hers whom I didn't know, but who needed a ride home. When we picked her up and my friend introduced me- as luck would have it- it was the girl who had written the article for the paper. I recognized her name immediately, and I think I scared her a little bit because I was so excited! I also think she was stunned that I knew who she- a student who wrote for the school paper- was. But it turned out great because she spent the entire 5 hour drive to New Orleans telling me about the things she didn't put in the article, including autopsy information. Maybe that started my FAD obsession??

What a cool story Isn't it odd how fate puts us in situations like that? Thanks for sharing

[Kathyf]

Here is a pick of his son A.J. I thought I saw a better one but he sings too I think.

[More Cheese Please]

For some reason, one of those weird "frozen in time" moments when I was a kid is watching his widow accept the Grammy posthumously (sp) for Mr. Croce. A very moving moment that kinda stuck with me through the years.

[midnitelamp]

Cause of crash: pilot error. There was speculation that the pilot may have had a heart attack. Here is the NTSB report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=84416&key=0&print=1
[/quote]

compared to randy hughes,ronnie peterson and jim reeves,actually compared to anybody,the pilot was a seasoned pro.

[stinkythejokedog]

I was attending Roosevelt High as a sophomore in Fresno, CA when he died in 1973...a long time ago...he was still "charting hits" when he died

[cash]

Cause of crash: pilot error. There was speculation that the pilot may have had a heart attack. Here is the NTSB report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=84416&key=0&print=1

compared to randy hughes,ronnie peterson and jim reeves,actually compared to anybody,the pilot was a seasoned pro.[/quote]

he may have been a seasoned pro but he still caused the death of a legend.

[midnitelamp]

compared to randy hughes,ronnie peterson and jim reeves,actually compared to anybody,the pilot was a seasoned pro.

he may have been a seasoned pro but he still caused the death of a legend.[/quote]

my point is the heart attack seems likely.

sorta like the joke about going peaceably like granddad,not yelling and screaming like the people in the car he was driving.

even if the pilot was in error,it was not a foolhardy endeavor like other tragedies.

the wiki article says the pilot had severe artery disease,and had "ran" 3 miles to the air port.

[Kathyf]

I had a little bit of a strange, coincidental Jim Croce-related thing happen a few years ago. First off I've been a fan of his since I was a little kid and my Mom would play his records all the time. I loved "Leroy Brown" and "Don't Mess Around with Jim", and as I got older I really liked Operator", "Time in a Bottle", etc. I remember my first girlfriend thought it was a little odd that I liked him, since this was the early 90s, he'd been dead for a couple of decades and most people our age had never heard of him..... So in the Fall of 1993 I transferred to a new college called Northwestern Louisiana Univ. in Natchitoches, La. Even though I grew up in New Orleans, the only thing I knew about Natchitoches (pronounced "NACK-uh-dish") was that Jim Croce had died there when his plane crashed after an on-campus concert. Well, as luck would have it, an article came out in the school paper only a couple of weeks after school started all about Jim Croce to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death, with all kinds of details I never knew- including the fact that his plane had crashed practically right outside of my dorm window. I had a view of exactly where it had gone down right after takeoff, and didn't know it until I read that article. I definitely felt more of a connection with Croce after that. Now, this being a time right before the internet took off, I wanted to know more, but information was hard to come by... The weekend after the article came out, I caught a ride home to New Orleans with a friend of mine. When she picked me up, she mentioned that we'd also be picking up a friend of hers whom I didn't know, but who needed a ride home. When we picked her up and my friend introduced me- as luck would have it- it was the girl who had written the article for the paper. I recognized her name immediately, and I think I scared her a little bit because I was so excited! I also think she was stunned that I knew who she- a student who wrote for the school paper- was. But it turned out great because she spent the entire 5 hour drive to New Orleans telling me about the things she didn't put in the article, including autopsy information. Maybe that started my FAD obsession??

it's weird how stuff happens sometimes.

[Martini]

Always wanted to know? This is the best source I have found with actual verifiable research to find all the answers to all the questions I ever had. It might not have ALL the answers to ALL the questions about more obsolete, underground stuff, but it is backed up by NTSB reports and evidence you can actually find yourself to if you look hard enough.

Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven

By: Rich Everitt

I got mine on Amazon.com for about $12.00

I'm just reading this book right now and just finished the chapter on Jim Croce. I had not heard before that he was decapitated. Very sad that such a great talent was silenced much too soon.

[lisalouver]

His voice was amazing.

Did anyone else like the remake they did of If you could read my mind in the movie 54? That was Jim Croce, was'nt it? I have it on my ipod, I love it.

[deathybrad]

Like the pine trees lining a winding road...

[phirerednga]

I was living in Beaumont, TX and was babysitting when I heard the news that his plane had gone down and he had been killed. I was devistated, he was my fave then and I still love his music. When my kids were young, I would play those songs for them. Even now my youngest son (26) can quote the words to most of Jim Croce songs, his fave song....."You dont mess around with with Jim".

[monroe27]

His voice was amazing.

Did anyone else like the remake they did of If you could read my mind in the movie 54? That was Jim Croce, was'nt it? I have it on my ipod, I love it.

I think that was Gordon Lightfoot. I do really like that song too, but I don't like the 54 remake for some reason.

[lisalouver]

I think that was Gordon Lightfoot. I do really like that song too, but I don't like the 54 remake for some reason.

You might be right on the Gordon Lightfoot thing...

I should google, but I'm too lazy!

[monroe27]

You might be right on the Gordon Lightfoot thing...

I should google, but I'm too lazy!

Yeah
i am the same way. it is hard for me to type anyhow, got my year old asleep in my lap, she has a cold. She likes bad, bad Leroy Brown, its cute to watch her dance to it!

[lisalouver]

Yeah
i am the same way. it is hard for me to type anyhow, got my year old asleep in my lap, she has a cold. She likes bad, bad Leroy Brown, its cute to watch her dance to it!

That is so cute! Congrats on the new baby (well, year old, she's almost a toddler now, huh!) I have a small daughter as well.

They are just the world. LOL at Leroy Brown. My daughter loves Barry Manilow! (well so does Mom, so maybe she is a bit brainwashed!)

PS hope her cold goes away fast, I hate it when they are sick!

[monroe27]

That is so cute! Congrats on the new baby (well, year old, she's almost a toddler now, huh!) I have a small daughter as well.

They are just the world. LOL at Leroy Brown. My daughter loves Barry Manilow! (well so does Mom, so maybe she is a bit brainwashed!)

PS hope her cold goes away fast, I hate it when they are sick!

Barry Manilow! Ha Ha! My sis loves him. Mandy is her fav song. Yes, babies are the world, I love watching my lil one grow, she is so much fun.

[SomeChick]

You might be right on the Gordon Lightfoot thing...

I should google, but I'm too lazy!

Yep, that's GL alright.

[lisalouver]

Yep, that's GL alright.

Now I know for sure, thank you!

I always liked him, btw!

[MagnusDippytack]

The day after he died I can remember several girls crying about it in the halls of my Junior High. Was weird to see.