Jim Croce
b. 10 January 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 20 September 1973. Origin ally 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 (b. 27 April 1947, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) 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 Boy Leroy Brown. Exactly two months later, he died in a plane crash at Natchitoches, Louisiana. In the wake of his death he registered a Top 10 hit with I Got A Name, which was featured in the film The Last American Hero. The contemplative Time In A Bottle was released in late 1973 and became the fin al US number 1 of the year. It was a fitting valediction. During 1974, further releases kept Croce's name in the US charts, including I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song and Workin' At The Car Wash Blues.