(b. 10 January 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 20 September 1973)

Originally a university disc jockey, Croce played in various rock bands before moving to New York in 1967 where he performed in folk clubs. By 1969, he and his wife, Ingrid, were signed to Capitol Records for APPROACHING DAY. The album’s failure led to Croce returning to Pennsylvania and taking on work as a truck driver and telephone engineer. Meanwhile, he continued with songwriting and, after sending demo tapes to former college friend and New York record producer, Tommy West, Croce secured a new deal with the ABC label. Croce’s second album, YOU DON’T MESS AROUND WITH JIM, provided him with a US Top 10 hit in the title track and, along with Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels) helped establish Croce as a songwriter of distinction. In July 1973, he topped the US charts with the narrative Bad Bad Leroy Brown. Exactly two months later, he died in a plane crash at Natchitoches, Louisiana. when the chartered  Beechcraft D-18 snagged the top of a pecan tree during take-off. link to buy:  Jim Croce Complete