I Got a Name: The Jim Croce Story
Like the pine trees lining the winding road, I’ve goat a name: I’ve got a name.
His name was Jim Croce, an accomplished American folk singer and songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973 Croce released five albums and hit singles like “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and “Time in a Bottle,” both of which reached number one on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Croce’s success was cut short on September 20, 1973 when a small Beechcraft plane took off from a tiny airport in Louisiana. When it was less than thirty feet off the ground the plane rammed into a tree ripping the craft apart and killing everyone on board.
Decades later, Ingrid Croce, Jim’s widow, wrote a memoir about her life with her pop-star husband. I Got a Name: The Jim Croce Story provides an honest look into Jim Croce’s life and times.
Jim Croce grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where his Roman Catholic Italian parents raised him. While in college he met his sweetheart, Ingrid Jacobson, who shows her readers intimate glimpses into their lives from 1963-1973. Her story retells the joys and heartbreak of a couple trying to break into the music business. Along the way they uncover deceit by music business executives and the thrill of entertaining appreciative fans.
Though encouraged by Ingrid’s father, Jim’s dad did not want his son to become a professional musician, and frowned upon his son’s musical endeavors.
But Jim Croce knew what he wanted and pursued his dream with vehemence. The authors, Ingrid Croce and Jimmy Rock, write about Jim’s determination and passion in a 307-page biography. Each chapter is titled with one of Jim’s famous songs. Throughout the book the authors find creative ways to include the lyrics to those songs, so this reviewer found himself singing the tunes he has loved since his twenties.
The Jim Croce Story will pull at heartstrings as we watch Jim hone his craft in small town clubs while trying to support himself and his bride. During the day he worked as a teacher, construction worker, and truck driver and at night he accepted any gig that would come along. This is one biography Croce fans will have trouble laying down on their nightstands.
Note: here’s a LINK to a Jim Croce concert. Enjoy.
About the Authors
Ingrid Croce is an American author, singer-songwriter, and restaurateur. She is the author of Thyme in a Bottle,an autobiographical cookbook with memories and recipes from Croce’s Restaurant.
Jimmy Rock is a writer, musician, attorney, and Ingrid’s husband.
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” really brings back great memories from my younger days.