Jim Croce has always been a favorite singer of mine. I remember back in the 70s, my brother got his first stereo for graduation. My cousin, who didn’t necessarily know my brother’s taste bought him a brand new Greatest Hits Album of Jim Croce’s music entitled Photographs and Memories. While he quickly moved on to Jesus Christ Superstar…an album that I grew to love much later on…I took the opportunity to use his new stereo to play the Jim Croce Album.
It is perhaps one of the reasons that I started playing guitar and may also have contributed to my career as a music teacher. I marveled at some of the stories and observations that he made at life and love. When I moved to California, I visited his wife’s restaurant in San Diego called Croce’s. I soon found myself emailing her and discussing his impact on my life which she was willing to discuss with me. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to see A. J. Croce perform some of his father’s music. The sounds were different but the songs still resonated with me.
Recently, I have realized how much I miss singing. After retiring from teaching music where I sang everyday, I sang with the Philly Pops until their demise and then moved to California where my singing stopped. While listening to Jim Croce’s Box Set, one that my father had acquired, I heard a song that resonated with me because it deals with issues that I am struggling with today. One might even say that he wrote a modern day protest song…even though he passed away over 50 years ago. Maybe it means that today’s issues have always been with us. It is just the volume has been turned way up.
I hope you appreciate the fact that this is my first time singing in awhile. This song is full of mistakes but I still feel like I want to share.