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Thread: Jim Croce

  1. #51
    Martini Guest
    The story behind "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=ru5exYqe5_M

  2. #52
    Jenny Mulhenny Guest
    When I was in college around 1993 my bf at the time and I were driving around listening to "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" at volume 11 and we passed these two old men working on a car by the road. They stopped working and started dancing, wrenches still in hand. We drove by a couple more times that afternoon and they did it again. It was so cute! Jim Croce was and is universally appealing.

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snoopy View Post
    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!"
    Ditto. Scott, if you ever do a FAD page for Croce, let me know, I have a bunch of pictures from Natchitoches I'll contribute, crash site, funeral home etc.

  4. #54
    docsmilitarywife Guest
    Hi.. i'm new here w/ this being only my 2nd post.

    ..I was compelled to reply to this thread & tell a very, very true story that you, (speaking in general terms) might enjoy.

    My dad was was fresh out of USMC boot camp & leaving for Vietnam soon & was in San Diego. He along w/ 3 other comrades decided to go to the zoo & try to "score" some smoke. Well, guess who happened to be sitting on the big red brick wall of the zoo smoking one? Yep, Jim Croce. My dad & his buddies hopped up there w/ him & got high all afternoon into the evening & left for Vietnam about 4 days later. This was summer 1968. My dad returned from Vietnam in January of 70.

  5. #55
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    That book, Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven

    Which musicians are listed in it? I'd like to get that book myself.

    I'd love to see Jim on FAD, but Scott would need his DC. Does anyone out there have a copy? If so, please let me know.

    Me, I love Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown. The first time I heard that song was on a jukebox in a diner in the Catskill Mountains, when I was 17 years old. I was hooked right then and there.




    -K.

  6. #56
    janel Guest
    Does anyone remember the name of the man who always played guitar with Jim? You can see him on some of the youtube clips and I know he died in the crash too.

  7. #57
    tuesdays_jupiter Guest
    wonderful songwriter with a very soothing voice(to me anyway)

  8. #58
    docsmilitarywife Guest
    Time in a Bottle IMO is one of the best songs, ever written. I just love it.

  9. #59
    Martini Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by janel View Post
    Does anyone remember the name of the man who always played guitar with Jim? You can see him on some of the youtube clips and I know he died in the crash too.

    His name is Maury Meuhleisen. Here's a link to his tribute site.

    http://www.maurymuehleisen.com/main.html
    Attached Images Attached Images
    • File Type: jpg 8.jpg (71.4 KB, 57 views)

  10. #60
    Martini Guest
    [quote=Kman0072;134245]Which musicians are listed in it? I'd like to get that book myself.





    The book is called Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven by Rich Everitt. Chapters in his book include:
    Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & The Big Bopper, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Jim Croce, Ronnie Van Vant, Ricky Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughin, John Denver, Aaliyah and more.

  11. #61
    Dragonlair Guest
    I loved Jim Croce growing up. Operator is still a classic today.

  12. #62
    janel Guest
    Thanks Martini for the info on Maury. He really was a great musician and it was sad to see him go. I didn't realize he was only 24 years old.

  13. #63
    harlequin_clown Guest
    I sound like my dad did when I was younger, but I hate turning on the radio anymore, all you hear is crap. No real instruments, just a bunch of banging, thumping, bad rhymes, and innuendos. I really miss the good stuff like Jim Croce songs and others in that era. My kids would be horrified at my Timelife "mellow gold" CD I have LOL

  14. #64
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    New York's Not My Home

    The guitar playing in that song is amazing. One of his best.




    -K.

  15. #65
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    Thank you!

    [quote=Martini;137288]
    Quote Originally Posted by Kman0072 View Post
    Which musicians are listed in it? I'd like to get that book myself.





    The book is called Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven by Rich Everitt. Chapters in his book include:
    Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & The Big Bopper, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Jim Croce, Ronnie Van Vant, Ricky Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughin, John Denver, Aaliyah and more.
    I'm definitely going to get that book.

    Regarding getting Jim on FAD, I have a story somewhere, all we need are pics, and & or a DC.

    Come on, death hags!




    -K.

  16. #66
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Martini View Post
    The story behind "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=ru5exYqe5_M
    Martini... thanks for this great post and for the information on Maury as well.

    http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=A2iS8XctJKo

    Another great song with Jim and Maury playing together

  17. #67
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    Jim Croce on FAD

    Quote Originally Posted by slinger1111 View Post
    Ditto. Scott, if you ever do a FAD page for Croce, let me know, I have a bunch of pictures from Natchitoches I'll contribute, crash site, funeral home etc.
    I have a story around here somewhere. If you have those pics, please pass them along to Scott or myself.

    It would be great if we had a DC......

  18. #68
    BAGOBONES Guest
    I Got Bad Bas Leroy Brown On For My Bday In '82 I Was 6 Loli Trmember Playingor Pounding My Toy Piano Along 2 That One I Love It!

  19. #69
    Historia Guest
    I recently bought a CD of his greatest hits. I loved his music when I was a kid. I was born in 1970, so he died not long after I was born. Anyway, I only knew the really big songs like Time in a Bottle, Bad Bad Leroy Brown, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, Operator, I got a Name...but there are so many others that are awesome. I love New York is Not My Home for example. The music is timeless. I think if he lived he would have a career similar to James Taylor. Both of those guys have the most soothing voices. Does anyone have anymore information on his funeral, someone mentioned autopsy info. Just curious.

  20. #70
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    Wow, this thread is like time in a bottle....I had a 1st grade teacher that played the guitar, and we'd get to choose the songs. "Bad Leroy Brown" was a fave, but we had to sing "baddest man in the whole darn town", LOL. When I was in kindergarden, I loved to sing Time in a Bottle and Seasons in the Sun.

    What a little weirdo I must have been......

  21. #71
    pvezz Guest
    I love Jim Croce. "Lover's Cross" is one of his best songs, IMO.

  22. #72
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    I just remember this story my late friend always swore was true.... He really liked Jim Croce, and had all the albums. He had the albums stacked near the stereo which was next to the sofa, with a Croce album on top of the pile. Of course, the album cover had a large picture of Croce on it.

    Anyway, my friend was dozing off while looking at the album, when he saw SMOKE slowly consume Croce's face! After jumping up to make sure there really wasn't a fire, caused by a short circuit in the stereo or his dad's cigar butts in the ashtray nearby, he went back to sleep.

    Fast forward to the next morning, when he heard, along with everyone else, about the plane crash the night before, around the time he noticed the "smoke" engulfing the album cover.

    It was an interesting coincidence, if nothing else.
    Last edited by Linnie; 07-19-2009 at 09:46 PM.

  23. #73
    havoc Guest
    I remember right after he died, my neighbor got a new puppy and named it Cinnamon Croce....

    .

  24. #74
    Historia Guest
    Watch a little bit of Jim and Maury
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flzyjQhE5jg

  25. #75
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    Quote Originally Posted by Historia View Post
    Watch a little bit of Jim and Maury
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flzyjQhE5jg

    Great clip. Thanks for sharing.

  26. #76
    Historia Guest
    Bad Bad Leroy Brown performed live less than 2 months before his death.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CnKEGmquck

  27. #77
    Historia Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Inked_Daddy View Post
    Great clip. Thanks for sharing.
    No problem Inked_Daddy, as I had mentioned up thread, I have been on a real Jim Croce kick lately.

  28. #78
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    Here is Jim's son. Jim died when he was a baby and AJ doesn't remember him .

    he looks a lot like him.

    A.J. Croce






    A.J. Croce, May 2007




    At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."

    Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "I was into every kind of music... you might say I was unfocused, but I consider an eclectic taste in music to be the foundation of versatility." Croce's house burned down when he was age 15. His website makes reference to a wife and children.
    I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death; I am not on his pay-roll.

    Edna St. Vincent Millay

  29. #79
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    A.J. is one very lucky young fellow to have survived all that. I can only imagine the pain his mother, grandparents, and other family members would have felt to lose both Jim and his little son.

  30. #80
    pvezz Guest
    I had no idea A.J. was blind. He sure does look like his Dad.

  31. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bellfire View Post
    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.
    I remember hearing "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" when I was a little kid and how sad I was when my mom told me that Jim was dead. If he died in 1973, I was eight at the time and I don't remember hearing about the accident.
    His songs are timeless and I even have them burned onto a CD. He really embodied the everyman and was a gifted storyteller with his songs.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  32. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by More Cheese Please View Post
    Martini... thanks for this great post and for the information on Maury as well.

    http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=A2iS8XctJKo

    Another great song with Jim and Maury playing together
    I tried to see the "Story of Bad,Bad Leroy Brown" but the video was removed. What's the story?
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  33. #83
    ShockDoc Guest
    I love ONE LESS SET OF FOOTSTEPS, and still get misty when I hear OPERATOR. I still cant believe he's gone, either. Same w/ Carl Wilson and Buddy Holly. Weird.

  34. #84
    ShockDoc Guest
    I loved ONE LESS SET OF FOOTSTEPS and still get misty when I hear OPERATOR. I found it hard to believe he's gone, too. I feel the same way about Carl Wilson and Buddy Holly. Some terrible mistake...

  35. #85
    ShockDoc Guest
    Uh, sorry about the double post...

  36. #86
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    Ingrid

    This is Jim's widow, Ingrid, who runs a restaurant in San Diego.
    http://www.croces.com/croces.shtml
    She does a lot to keep Jim's memory alive.

    Villanova University also have a Picture of JIM Croce (graduated) and Don McLean "american pie( didn't graduate) in the Connelly Center as a memorial.
    I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death; I am not on his pay-roll.

    Edna St. Vincent Millay

  37. #87
    Fancynancy Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by cash View Post
    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

    I remember I was getting ready for school when I heard the news and I went and woke up my sister and told her. I was pretty shocked. I like his Operator because it's so true--thinking you are going to be able to speak to a lost lover and even the person who split you up, but you just can't.

  38. #88
    wozzy Guest

  39. #89
    Taggerez Guest
    I was 12-years-old when he died and I'd see clips of him on The Midnight Special and shows like that. I really liked him because he could do athems like "I've Got a Name" and bittersweet songs like "Operator."

    Really a fine talent.

  40. #90
    Forever-27 Guest
    Just listened to Dont Mess with Jim on the oldies station here - KFRC - as I think I said every time I hear his songs it takes me back to thoes long ass summer nights, playing poker or Blackjack with my 3 uncles, my grandfather and tow or three cousins after a long day of roughing it camping. I hate camping and always have but this makes the memories of my days as a 9-10-11 year old all that much better. Thoes AM memories havent faded at all since thoes days among the bugs and my grandfathers old AM radio.
    Dont Mess with jim and Bad bad leroy brown take me back to the camping trips near the Oregon border id go on with my cousins , uncles and grandfather in the 1970s. I was a kid back then in the middle to late 70s and my grandfather had this old 60s AM transistor radio hed bring to listen to the Oakland A's games. After the game wed all get busy doing pretty much nothing and hed leave it on the station. As it would get dark wed all be playing poker or bullshit , drinking beer ( Yep my grandfather would let us kids have one if we wanted ) and wed hear all these now old 60s and 70s songs as we played cards by lantern.

    I only wonder how much farther hed have gone had he survived the plane crash.

  41. #91
    opheliahardin Guest
    He wrote a little known song about a baseball player.

    If I remember correctly, it starts off with "If I could save Ted Williams head in a bottle..."

  42. #92
    what condition were the bodies in when found? anyone know
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  43. #93
    Mammy Guest
    I looked at his grave on Find A Grave and it is one of the most depressing looking ones that I have ever seen. I guess I expected something much more elaborate for such a popular singer and it is sad looking. I think "Time In A Bottle" is one of the best songs ever! It is sad that he died so young.

  44. #94
    Quote Originally Posted by mammyofthree View Post
    I looked at his grave on Find A Grave and it is one of the most depressing looking ones that I have ever seen. I guess I expected something much more elaborate for such a popular singer and it is sad looking. I think "Time In A Bottle" is one of the best songs ever! It is sad that he died so young.
    OMG, I know right....The only other grave that gave me that feeling was Brad Renfro....personally I think he was the next De Niro...he was a superb actor
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  45. #95
    Mammy Guest
    Brad's is pitiful looking, too. I hate how their graves are all by themselves, no other ones around them. It just makes them look forgotten, which I know they aren't. At least Brad's had flowers, Jim's was completely bare!

  46. #96
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    I was with a buddy of mine and we heard the news over the radio as we were just leaving Philadelphia. I remember we were talking about the crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson and the pilot Roger Peterson. We just stopped talking and looked at each other. I said something like "how crazy is that?". Then we didn't talk for awhile. I enjoyed Jim's music but over the years I realized just how special and talented he was. From these threads it seems he was a genuinely great guy as well. Does anyone know the circumstances of the crash? Was weather a factor?

  47. #97
    RogerV Guest
    I suspect that Jim is buried in a cemetery that requires markers to be flush with the ground. It makes it much easier to care for the grass, though it makes for a rather boring cemetery.

    Jim's plane clipped a tree during takeoff, apparently the only one around for hundreds of yards. It is suspected by some that the pilot might have suffered a heart attack.

  48. #98
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    Everytime I hear "I Got a Name" it gives me chills. I was thirteen when he died, and remember the stations were playing this song a lot at the time. Beautiful song. Great songwriter.
    Cindy

  49. #99
    I think he know like a lot of others that he wouldn't live to be old just my opinion of course but listen to his words it seems to me that darkness always was around the bend but hell isn't always
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  50. #100
    Plano Mark Guest
    My wife was a student at Northwest State University, and saw his last concert.

    Taken too soon.

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