Jim Croce – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Jim Croce – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts
Jim Croce publicity portrait ABC Records. Image source: ABC Records, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jim Croce Biography

Jim Croce was an American folk and rock singer, songwriter, and performer. He released five studio albums and various singles between 1966 and 1973. “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” his third album, yielded three hit songs, including “Time in a Bottle,” which reached No. 1 after his death. “Life and Times,” his follow-up album, featured the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” which was his lone No. 1 success during his lifetime.

Jim Croce was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 1943, to Italian immigrants Jim and Flora Croce. Jim began playing music at a young age, having grown up listening to ragtime and country music. When he was five years old, he learned to play his first accordion song, “Lady of Spain.” He eventually learned to play the guitar on his own. “Facets”, Jim’s first album, was released in 1966 in a limited edition of 500 copies. Jim’s parents gave him a $500 wedding gift ($3,988 in 2020 values) with the proviso that he use it to record an album. They hoped that following the album’s failure, he would abandon music and utilize his college education to seek a “respectable” career. The album, on the other hand, was a huge hit, with every copy sold.

He has had 10 songs in the Top 100 Hot Billboard, 8 of which made it to the top 40, and 5 made it to the top 10. His song “Bad, bad Leroy Brown” was a top one hit and remained on the chart for 2 weeks. “Time in a Bottle” has also hit number one on the chart for 2 weeks.

At a folk music party, Jim met his future wife, Ingrid Jacobson. They married in 1966, the same year he released “Facets”, his self-published solo album. Jim and Jacobson were a partnership from the mid-1960s until the early 1970s. They began by singing versions of songs by Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie, but soon began writing their own music.

Jim and his group of friends, which included guitarist and close friend Maury Muehleisen, flew out of Natchitoches Airport on a chartered plane after their show on September 20th. The plane crashed seconds after taking off. Nobody made it out alive.

Jim Croce became a household name, ironically, because of the news of his sad plane crash. I Got A Name debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album Chart shortly after its release, while his previous album, Life And Times, debuted at #2. (a feat unequaled until Guns and Roses achieved it in 1991). Croce received a posthumous award for “Favorite Male Vocalist Pop/Rock” at the 1974 American Music Awards. The top ten was filled with singles from all three albums, with “Time In A Bottle” reaching number one in 1974. The song’s powerful, sorrowful lyrics foretold a brief life and all that it held dear.

Jim Croce Discography

I Got a NameSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Life and TimesSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
You Don’t Mess Around with JimSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Jim & Ingrid CroceSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
FacetsSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Genre Is Jim Croce?

Jim Croce’s music can be classified as folk rock. Some of his most popular songs include “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “Time in a Bottle,” and “I Got a Name.

When Did Jim Croce Come Out?

Jim Croce’s self-titled debut album was released in 1972. The album was a success, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and yielding the hit singles “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” and “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)”.

Why Did Jim Croce Write Time In A Bottle?

“Time in a Bottle” is a hit single by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. Croce wrote the lyrics after his wife Ingrid told him she was pregnant, in December 1970.

What Caused Jim Croce’S Plane Crash?

The official cause of Jim Croce’s plane crash was determined to be pilot error. The pilot, Robert Gibbs, had only a few hours of flying experience and was not properly licensed to fly the type of aircraft that Croce was chartering. Additionally, the weather conditions were poor at the time of the flight, and visibility was low.

Most Searched For Jim Croce Songs

Time in a BottleSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A SongSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
You Don’t Mess Around with JimSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I Got a Name – Stereo VersionSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Bad, Bad Leroy BrownSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Photographs & MemoriesSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Walkin’ Back to GeorgiaSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Lover’s CrossSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
New York’s Not My HomeSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon