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Jim Croce
American singer-songwriter (1943–1973)
James Joseph Croce was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles.
During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pay bills while he continued to write and record songs as well as perform concerts. After Croce formed a partnership with songwriter and guitarist Maury Muehleisen in the early 1970s, his fortunes turned.
Croce's breakthrough came in 1972, when his third album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, produced three charting singles, including "Time in a Bottle", which reached number one after his death. The follow-up album Life and Times included the song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", the only number-one hit Croce had during his lifetime.
genres: traditional folk music, folk rock, blues, soft rock
plays: guitar, voice
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
folkamericansinger/songwriter
The Static TimesExtra
Early life and education
Croce was born on January 10, 1943 (although some sources say 1942), in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Flora Mary (née Babusci) and James Albert Croce, Italian Americans whose parents had emigrated from Trasacco and Balsorano in Abruzzo, Italy.
Croce did not take music seriously until he studied at Villanova, where he became a leader of the Villanova Singers, formed bands, and performed at fraternity parties, coffeehouses, and universities around Philadelphia. Croce played "anything that the people wanted to hear: blues, rock, a cappella, railroad music ... anything." His band was chosen for a foreign exchange tour of Africa, the Middle East and Yugoslavia. Croce later said, "We just ate what the people ate, lived in the woods, and played our songs. Of course they didn't speak English over there but if you mean what you're singing, people understand." On November 29, 1963, while judging a contest at the Philadelphia Convention Hall during a hootenanny, he met his future wife,...
The album I Got a Name was released on December 1, 1973. The posthumous release included three hits: "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues", "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song", and the title song, which had been used as the theme to the film The Last American Hero, released two months prior to his death. "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" reached No. 9 on the singles chart.
Jim Croce (born January 10, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - died September 20, 1973, Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA) was an American singer and songwriter. He tragically died in an airplane crash at the age of 30. Father of A.J. Croce, spouse of .
Also known as: Croce, Croche, Crose, Groce, J Croce
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Jim Croce, the records, oldest first
Facets
1966 album
Jim & Ingrid Croce
1969 album
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim
1972 album
wanted
I Got a Name
1973 album
Life and Times
1973 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is an uptempo, strophic story song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. Released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times, the song was a No. 1 hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973.
Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1973.
Inspiration
Croce's inspiration for the song was a friend he met in his brief time in the US Army:
"You Don't Mess Around with Jim" is a 1972 story song by Jim Croce from his album of the same name. It was his debut single, released on ABC Records as ABC-11328.
ABC Records promotion man Marty Kupps took the song to KHJ 930 AM in Los Angeles, CA where it first aired. The song made the KHJ "30" chart that week of June 6, 1972.
Reception
Cash Box described it as being "perfectly polished and honed for super Top 40/MOR/FM impact" despite being Croce's first single. Record World said that the song "is just fine, and it appears another star is born."
Poison cover
American glam metal band Poison covered the song (under the name ''Don't Mess Around With Jim (demo)''). It is included as a bonus track on the 2006 remaster of their 1986 debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In. It is the 13th track on the album.
Josh Turner cover
Josh Turner covered "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" on his 2003 debut album Long Black Train.
