Jim Croce is one of the most famous American folk and blues artists. During his short creative career, which was tragically cut short in 1973, he managed to release 5 albums and more than 10 separate singles.
Youth Jim Croce
The future musician was born in 1943 in one of the southern suburbs of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). His parents, James Alberto and Flora Croce, were Italian immigrants from the Abruzzo region and from the island of Sicily. The boy's childhood passed in the city of Upper Darby, where he graduated from high school.
From early childhood, the child was not indifferent to music. Already at the age of 5, he learned the song "Lady of Spain" on the accordion. In his youth, he learned to play the guitar well, which later became his favorite instrument. At 17, Jim successfully graduated from high school and entered Malvern College. And then - to Villanova University, where he studied psychology and German in depth.
As a student, Croce devoted almost all his free time to music. He sang in the university choir, performed as a DJ at local discos, and hosted a music program on WKVU radio. Then he created his first team, the Spiers of Villanova, which included his acquaintances from the university choir. In 1965, Jim graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
The Beginning of Jim Croce's Musical Career
According to Croce's memoirs, not only while studying at the university, but even after graduation, he did not seriously think about a musical career. Nevertheless, according to the singer, thanks to his participation in the choir and the Villanova Spires group, he gained invaluable experience in public performances.
In particular, Jim praised a charity tour of Africa and the Middle East, which included his student group in the 1960s. During the tour, the participants of the tour interacted closely with the locals. They visited their homes and sang songs with them.
But even after receiving a diploma, Croce did not leave his hobby, continuing to act as a DJ in discos. He also played live music in cafes and restaurants in Philadelphia. Here in his repertoire there were different melodies - from rock to blues, everything that visitors ordered.
During these years, he met his future wife Ingrid, who became his faithful assistant and most devoted admirer. In order to obtain permission for the wedding from the girl's parents, who were Orthodox Jews, Jim even converted from Christianity to Judaism.
The wedding took place in 1966, and Croce received $500 as a wedding gift from his parents. All this money was invested in the recording of the first Facets album.
It was recorded in a small studio and released in a limited edition of 500 copies. The initiative was taken by the parents of the future singer - James Alberto and Flora. They hoped that, having convinced themselves of the “failure” of trying to become a singer, their son would leave his hobby and focus on his main profession. But it turned out the opposite - the debut album, despite the small circulation, was highly appreciated by the audience. All records were sold out in a short time.
Jim Croce's hard road to fame
The success of the first album changed Jim's life a lot. He was firmly convinced that sociology was not his forte. And the only thing that interested him was music. Croce began to give concerts, making performances his main income.
The first of his solo concerts took place in the city of Lima (Pennsylvania), where he sang a duet with his wife Ingrid. At first they performed songs of famous singers of that time. But gradually, the music written by Jim began to prevail in the duo's repertoire.
With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, in order not to be called to the front, Croce volunteered for the US National Guard. After demobilization, in 1968, the singer met with his former classmate, who by that time had become a music producer. At his invitation, Jim and his wife moved from Philadelphia to New York. Their second album Jim & Ingrid Croce was released there, already recorded at a high professional level.
The next few years were spent touring extensively in North America, where Jim and Ingrid performed songs from their first album together. However, the tours could not recoup the funds spent on them. And the couple even had to sell Jim's guitar collection to pay off their debts.
Artist failures
As a result, they left New York and settled on a country farm, where Croce worked part-time as a driver and handyman. After the birth of his son Adrian, he retrained as a builder to support his family.
Despite the first unsuccessful attempt to conquer the musical Olympus, Jim did not give up his attempts. He wrote new songs, the heroes of which often became the people around him - acquaintances from the bar, colleagues from the construction site and just neighbors.
Jim had an interest in creativity all this time. And in the end the family moved again to Philadelphia. Here, the performer got a job at the R&B AM radio station as the creator of music commercials.
In 1970, he met the musician Maury Mühleisen, having met him through mutual friends. Producer Salviolo, with whom Croce was working at that time, became interested in Mori's talent. The latter had a classical musical education. The young talent sang well, played the guitar and piano well. Since then, the most successful part of Jim Croce's creative career began - his collaboration with Mühleisen.
Jim Croce's broken song
At first, Jim acted only as an accompanist, but later they became equal partners on stage. On studio recordings, in some cases, Croce was the soloist, and in others, his partner. Together with Mori, they recorded three more albums, which received high praise from listeners and critics.
Popularity slowly but surely gained Croce. The songs written and performed by him were increasingly heard on radio stations and in musical television programs. Jim and Maury were sent even more invitations to perform in different cities of the country and abroad.
In 1973, Croce and Mühleisen went on a big tour of the United States, timed to coincide with the release of the next (the last for them) joint album. After a concert in Louisiana, a chartered private jet hit trees and crashed during takeoff at Natchitoches Airport.
The next city on the tour was Sherman (Texas), where they did not wait for the performers. All 6 people on board were killed. Among them was Jim Croce, his stage partner Maury Mühleisen, an entrepreneur, a concert director with his assistant, and an airplane pilot.
