A.J. Croce On “Croce Plays Croce,” Future Jim Croce Releases, Touring Plans, San Diego & More

Jim Croce found long-overdue success in 1972 following years of struggling to make a name in the music business. That year he released his debut album You Don’t Mess Around With Jim, which topped the Billboard Album chart for more than a month, spawning the hit singles “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels” and “Time In A Bottle.” His final studio effort, I’ve Got A Name, was released just after he passed in Fall of 1973, 10 days after his death. 3 more hits (“Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues,” “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” and the title song) came from that album, which reached #2 in the album charts. In total, Croce’s records earned 2 #1’s and 6 Top 10’s, and his 3 classic albums amazingly were recorded in just a 1 1/2-year period, as Croce was just 30 when he died. His music continues to be included in major films, TV shows and commercials, including an Apple Siri ad, Tarantino’s Django Unchained, the X-Men franchise, and Netflix’s Stranger Things.

A.J. Croce was only 2 years old when his father was killed in a tragic airplane crash in 1973. He ultimately came to love and appreciate his dad’s blue-collar, empathetic wordplay and irresistible melodies, “just like everyone else…by listening to the albums.” The younger Croce never performed his dad’s song live until he came across a batch of old covers Jim Croce recorded of classic and obscure blues and folk songs, including work by Fats Waller, Bessie Smith, and Pink Anderson. The revelation eventually led the singer to conceive the Croce Plays Croce concert experience where he delves into both artists’ mesmerizing work, their shared influences and career paths. Earlier this year, A.J. Croce brought Croce Sings Croce to SiriusXM Radio’s popular radio channel The Bridge in a guest DJ role, which kicked off the upcoming 50th Anniversary celebration of You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.

On April 4, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with A.J. Croce via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond Croce Sings Croce, we spoke about his musical evolution — his first major release was 1993’s self-titled album, as co-produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon — along with future plans he has related to touring, recording and his father’s legacy. More on the Croce’s can be found here, here and here.

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Tags: A.J. Croce, California, Croce Plays Croce, Jim Croce, San Diego, SiriusXM, T-Bone Burnett

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."