Early life
Croce was born in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania in 1960 where in 1976, he was the first former student to be added to the high school's Wall of Fame. Then, while attending Villanova University (1965 graduate), Croce became interested in becoming a professional musician and met his future wife, Ingrid, at a hootenanny at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, where he was a judge for the contest.
Early career
During the early 1960s, Croce formed a number of college bands and performed at coffee houses and universities, and later with his wife Ingrid as a duo in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. At first their performances included songs by Ian and Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie, but in time they began writing their own music, such as "Age", "Hey Tomorrow", and "Spin, Spin Spin" which later led to Croce's hit songs in the early seventies.
At the same time, Croce got his first long-term gig at a rural bar and steak house in Lima, Pennsylvania, called the Riddle Paddock. There, over the next few years, Croce developed a very engaging rapport with tough audiences and built his musical repertoire to over 3,000 songs. His set list included every genre from blues to country, rock 'n roll to folk, with tender love songs and traditional Bawdy Ballads, always introduced with a story and an impish grin.
In 1968, Jim and Ingrid Croce were encouraged to move to New York City to record their first album with Capitol Records. For the next two years, they drove over 300,000 miles playing small clubs and concerts on the college concert circuit promoting their album Jim & Ingrid Croce.
Then, disillusioned by the music business and New York City, Croce sold all but one guitar to pay the rent, and they returned to the Pennsylvania countryside where Croce got a job driving trucks and doing construction to pay the bills. He called this his "Character Development Period" and spent a lot of his time sitting in the cab of a truck, composing songs about his buddies and the folks he enjoyed meeting at the local bars and truck stops.
Success
In 1970, Croce met classically trained pianist/guitarist, singer-songwriter Maury Muehleisen from Trenton, New Jersey. Initially, Croce backed Muehleisen on guitar at his gigs. But in time, their musical strengths led them each to new heights. Muehleisen's ethereal and inspired guitar leads became the perfect accompaniment to Croce's down-to-earth music.
In 1972, Croce signed to a three record deal with ABC Records releasing You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Life & Times in the same year. The singles "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)" and "Time In A Bottle" (written for his newborn son, A. J. Croce) helped the former album reach #1 on the charts in 1974. Croce's biggest single "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", hit number 1 on the US charts in the summer of 1973, selling two million copies.
Sudden death
Croce, 30, and Muehleisen, 24, died in a small commercial plane crash on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana one day before releasing his third ABC album, I Got a Name. The posthumous release included three hits, "I Got A Name", "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song."
Musical legacy
In 1990, Croce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In the late 1990s, Ingrid Croce, Croce's widow, and their son, A.J. Croce obtained the publishing rights for Croce's entire catalog of songs. Since then they have released Jim Croce Home Recordings, Facets, Jim Croce: Classic Hits, and the first-ever DVD of Jim's television performances on "Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live", with their most recent release in January 2006 of a CD of the same title. They also co-produced a PBS special, with archive footage from the Croce family collection, along with excerpts of their DVD Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live.
In 1985, Ingrid Croce opened "Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar", located in the historic Gaslamp District in San Diego, California, partially as a tribute to her late husband.
Quotes
His personal motto: "If you dig it, do it. If you really dig it, do it twice."
On his roots: "I never really thought of my neighborhood in South Philly as being a neighborhood, it was more a state of mind. For people who aren't familiar with those kind of places, it's a whole different thing. Like 42nd Street in New York City is a state of mind."
This Land Is Your Land
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest
To the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw below me the golden valley
This land was made for you and me
The sun was shinin' and I was strollin'
The wheat fields waving, the dust clouds rolling
And all around me a voice was singing
You know that this land was made for you and me
This land is your land
This land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest
To the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
This land was made for you and me
This land was made for you and me
Jim Croce's version of This Land Is Your Land is a cover of Woody Guthrie's classic song that serves as a reflection on the vast expanse of America and its people. The lyrics speak to the unity of the country and the idea that everyone, regardless of their background, has a right to the land that they call home. The song praises the beauty and diversity of various regions of the United States and speaks to the idea that America is a shared home for all who live there.
The first two stanzas of the song describe the vastness of America and how it belongs to everyone, regardless of their background or where they come from. The next two stanzas describe Jim Croce's personal experiences walking on the highway, as he marvels at the majestic beauty of America's natural landscapes. Throughout the song, Croce's voice communicates a sense of awe and gratitude towards America and its natural beauty.
The repeated line, "This land was made for you and me" serves as a call to action for Americans to appreciate and protect the land they live on. Overall, the song serves as a poignant reminder that America is a shared home and that we all have a responsibility to respect and care for the land we live on.
Line by Line Meaning
This land is your land
The land of the United States belongs to everyone who lives in it.
This land is my land
The land of the United States belongs to me as well as to you.
From California to the New York Island
From the westernmost state to the easternmost island, this land is for all Americans.
From the redwood forest
Starting from the towering redwood trees in northern California,
To the Gulf Stream waters
all the way down to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, this land belongs to us.
This land was made for you and me
This land was created for every single one of us to appreciate and benefit from, regardless of race, religion, or background.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
While I was taking a walk down the highway,
I saw above me that golden skyway
I looked up and saw the beautiful golden sky above me.
I saw below me the golden valley
Beneath me was a beautiful golden valley filled with fertile land.
The sun was shinin' and I was strollin'
The sun was shining and I was taking a leisurely walk.
The wheat fields waving, the dust clouds rolling
The fields of wheat were waving in the breeze, and the dust was swirling all around me.
And all around me a voice was singing
I heard a voice singing, coming from all around me.
You know that this land was made for you and me
Everyone knows that this beautiful, bountiful land was created for all of us to appreciate and care for.
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ChiefWarEagle-
Thank you
ARDENTARTISTIC STONEMASONRY
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