Jimmy bought me my first guitar. He stayed at our house on the south side of Chicago when the Villanova Spires came to town to sing at the Gate of Horn. Ted didn’t mention his producer and Villanova classmate TP West, who was also in the Spires. Years later, Tommy and Terry Cashman formed a production / publishing company in NY signing Jimmy, Maury and...me as a writer. I was 15.
There’s too many stories for a comment. In many ways I owe a wonderful career to Tommy and Jim as well, but one short story is worth a comment. They were to record one of my songs. I was allowed to ditch school and fly to NY for the session. Cool parents. In the small white office of Blendingwell Music, Jimmy and I sat waiting with guitars and tapes. He said, “got some new tunes I’d like your opinion on”. He always made you feel important. I was a kid, he had a wife and had already done an album. He played “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim”, “Bad bad Leroy Brown” and “Operator”not an audience of one. It was magical. We dreamed big musical dreams those days in NY.
Note: great to mention Maury. He was so gifted. His song Salon and Saloon on Jimmy’s record also got them thinking Jim had reached another level vocally, opening the door to interpreting other writers work like Gimble and Fox’s “I Got A Name”.
Holy moly I was just listening to “Working at the Carwash Blues” this evening, didn't know it was the anniversary of his death. Then I got the notification for this post. Funny how things happen like that. He’s truly one of the greats. I remember my dad playing his songs on cassette tape in the car when I was a little boy. Guess I’ll go put more Jim Croce on now.
I enjoyed reading this story very much. I too saw Jim Croce on this tour, opening for Woody Allen, only it was the previous week at the Circle Star in San Carlos. I was recounting the experience of seeing this show to a friend just the other day. My friends and I were there to see Woody on his farewell to stand-up, our last chance to see him live on stage. Jim Croce was totally unknown to us, but we were all very impressed with him, his voice, his compositions, his playing. "He's going far", was our conclusion. As we were all graduating from high school in a few months, our group would be split and spread out around the country and planet by the end of the coming year. When the news came, it was a shock. We were all commenting by phone and by letter. Some of us had heard him sing "I got a name" by that time. An ironic hymn. The impact was great and it was a very sad Fall of '73.
Loved this so much - being 12 in 1972 and listening to “time in a bottle” my first album. Cherished memories. Thank you for this beautiful tribute and what a gem in AJ just marvelous.
If you grew up in the 1970’s, you have heard many Jim Croce songs! His songs were the soundtrack of a decade. Listening to AM radio in the car & on your transistor radio under the blankets in bed late at night!
“You don’t spit into the wind & you don’t tug on Superman’s cape & you don’t mess around with Jim”
Jim Croce is an American treasure. AJ used to play quite a bit around the Ohio State Campus area back i. the day. it’s clear talent ran rich in that family. Great essay!
The best venues with the best music are never the most expensive. Take (what used to be) The Basement next to Opera House in Sydney or Smallz Jazz Club in NYC for example.
Actually, never really thought of him as a "player" until Ted mentioned it. He could definitely play, like many self accompanied folk house singers, like Lightfoot who they listened to, but there was a big studio scene in NYC and we all knew who the "players" were. Guys whose chops can't be busted. Jim was about the stories, sprinkled over innovative changes. Maury earned while he learned. You don't start as a singer songwriter playing acoustic blues riffs over a rhythm player. You accompany you. Another interesting side note: Tommy asked me once if I wanted to play bass with them on the road. I said, think I'll go to college instead. Who knows how that would have played out or if it would have happened, but one possibility is I wouldn't be around to tell this part of the story.
Jim Croce and me too... thanks, Ted
Jimmy bought me my first guitar. He stayed at our house on the south side of Chicago when the Villanova Spires came to town to sing at the Gate of Horn. Ted didn’t mention his producer and Villanova classmate TP West, who was also in the Spires. Years later, Tommy and Terry Cashman formed a production / publishing company in NY signing Jimmy, Maury and...me as a writer. I was 15.
There’s too many stories for a comment. In many ways I owe a wonderful career to Tommy and Jim as well, but one short story is worth a comment. They were to record one of my songs. I was allowed to ditch school and fly to NY for the session. Cool parents. In the small white office of Blendingwell Music, Jimmy and I sat waiting with guitars and tapes. He said, “got some new tunes I’d like your opinion on”. He always made you feel important. I was a kid, he had a wife and had already done an album. He played “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim”, “Bad bad Leroy Brown” and “Operator”not an audience of one. It was magical. We dreamed big musical dreams those days in NY.
Note: great to mention Maury. He was so gifted. His song Salon and Saloon on Jimmy’s record also got them thinking Jim had reached another level vocally, opening the door to interpreting other writers work like Gimble and Fox’s “I Got A Name”.
The way this story made me feel is exactly why I replaced mindless scrolling on social media with quality reading on Substack. Thank you for sharing.
Holy moly I was just listening to “Working at the Carwash Blues” this evening, didn't know it was the anniversary of his death. Then I got the notification for this post. Funny how things happen like that. He’s truly one of the greats. I remember my dad playing his songs on cassette tape in the car when I was a little boy. Guess I’ll go put more Jim Croce on now.
I enjoyed reading this story very much. I too saw Jim Croce on this tour, opening for Woody Allen, only it was the previous week at the Circle Star in San Carlos. I was recounting the experience of seeing this show to a friend just the other day. My friends and I were there to see Woody on his farewell to stand-up, our last chance to see him live on stage. Jim Croce was totally unknown to us, but we were all very impressed with him, his voice, his compositions, his playing. "He's going far", was our conclusion. As we were all graduating from high school in a few months, our group would be split and spread out around the country and planet by the end of the coming year. When the news came, it was a shock. We were all commenting by phone and by letter. Some of us had heard him sing "I got a name" by that time. An ironic hymn. The impact was great and it was a very sad Fall of '73.
"Time in a Bottle" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. "Operator" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Thank you, Jim.
Loved this so much - being 12 in 1972 and listening to “time in a bottle” my first album. Cherished memories. Thank you for this beautiful tribute and what a gem in AJ just marvelous.
Beautiful tribute, Ted.
TIME IN A BOTTLE
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you
If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you
But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go through time with
If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty, except for the memory of how
They were answered by you
But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go through the time with
If you grew up in the 1970’s, you have heard many Jim Croce songs! His songs were the soundtrack of a decade. Listening to AM radio in the car & on your transistor radio under the blankets in bed late at night!
“You don’t spit into the wind & you don’t tug on Superman’s cape & you don’t mess around with Jim”
Great read, brilliantly written tribute, albeit incredibly heartbreaking. I felt like I was right there with you.
Jim Croce is an American treasure. AJ used to play quite a bit around the Ohio State Campus area back i. the day. it’s clear talent ran rich in that family. Great essay!
"badder than ol King Kong, & meaner than a junkyard dog..."!
Such a great revisiting of the greatness of Jim Croce. Earlier this year, I watched Rick Beato talk about OPERATOR with the young British singer-songwriter/guitarist Mary Spender. And it’s pretty great. https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=rick%20beato%20croce%20operator&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e12b0467,vid:Yan-qTEG4lI,st:0
The best venues with the best music are never the most expensive. Take (what used to be) The Basement next to Opera House in Sydney or Smallz Jazz Club in NYC for example.
Jeez, half a century ago ... i remember him so well...
One of my all time favorite songwriters. Maury was a criminally underrated guitar player. A few months ago I wrote about my investigation of the fact that Queen and Croce both wrote songs about a man named Leroy Brown https://open.substack.com/pub/chrisdallariva/p/the-mystery-of-leroy-brown
Actually, never really thought of him as a "player" until Ted mentioned it. He could definitely play, like many self accompanied folk house singers, like Lightfoot who they listened to, but there was a big studio scene in NYC and we all knew who the "players" were. Guys whose chops can't be busted. Jim was about the stories, sprinkled over innovative changes. Maury earned while he learned. You don't start as a singer songwriter playing acoustic blues riffs over a rhythm player. You accompany you. Another interesting side note: Tommy asked me once if I wanted to play bass with them on the road. I said, think I'll go to college instead. Who knows how that would have played out or if it would have happened, but one possibility is I wouldn't be around to tell this part of the story.