A. J. Croce
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Adrian James "A.J." Croce (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of Ingrid Croce and Jim Croce.


Biography

Croce was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 1971. His father died in a plane crash eight days before the boy's second birthday, and he and his newly widowed mother had to move to San Diego, almost 3,000 miles from his native city, with the rest of his family. Two years later, he was temporarily blinded as a result of abuse from his mother’s boyfriend. He later regained sight in one eye. When he was 15 the house in which he had lived for most of his life burned down. In 2018, his wife, Marlo Gordon Croce, died of a rare and sudden heart virus while he was in the midst of his own health scare. A.J. was left a single father to two children, a daughter, Camille, and a son, Elijah.


Musical career

Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was pai
$20 (worth $53.45 in 2019)
to perform at a bar mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflected, "I was into every kind of music... you might say I was unfocused, but I consider an eclectic taste in music to be the foundation of versatility." Ron Goldstein and
Peter Baumann Peter Baumann (born 29 January 1953) is a German musician. He formed the core line-up of the pioneering German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976, whi ...
of Private Music signed Croce to his first recording contract, at age 19. He recorded two albums for Private Music: his self-titled debut, ''
A. J. Croce Adrian James "A.J." Croce (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of Ingrid Croce and Jim Croce. Biography Croce was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 1971. His father died in a plane crash ei ...
'', produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon; and ''
That's Me in the Bar ''That's Me in the Bar'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter A. J. Croce, released in 1995. Track listing All songs written by A.J. Croce, except where noted #"That's Me in the Bar" (Croce, David Curtis) – 3:54 #"Sign on ...
'', produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring
Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
and David Hidalgo. Croce is also the owner/operator of his own record label, Seedling Records. Croce's third album, ''
Fit to Serve ''Fit to Serve'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter A. J. Croce, released in 1998. Track listing all songs by A. J. Croce, except where noted #"Fit to Serve" – 3:39 #"I Don't Mind" – 3:04 #"Lover's Serenade" – 3:55 ...
'', was recorded in Memphis and produced by Jim Gaines, who produced Van Morrison, Santana, and the Steve Miller Band. Croce then made a musical change with the release of his album '' Transit''. He explained, "I had been playing blues-based music for a long time, and I was ready to try something new." ''Transit'' was compared by critics to the work of John Lennon,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of '' New Times'' labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order". Croce's next three albums were self-produced. '' Adrian James Croce'' (Croce's only pop-oriented album) was the only independently produced album of 2004 to chart in the Top 40 in America. In Europe it was on the charts for six months, tracking between songs by U2 and Coldplay. That same year '' Adrian James Croce'' won Best Pop album at the San Diego Music Awards. His 2006 album, ''Cantos,'' on his own label, Seedling Records, features Ben Harper. In 2009, his album ''Cage of Muses'' was released on Seedling, garnering a 4-star review from '' Rolling Stone'' magazine. In 2013, Croce signed with Compass Records and released ''Twelve Tales.'' He recorded two songs with each of six producers in five U.S. cities throughout a yearlong period, simultaneously releasing one song per month exclusively on iTunes in 2013. The full album was released on CD and LP in 2014. The album's producers were 'Cowboy' Jack Clement, famous for his work with Elvis Presley and
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
; Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer
Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...
, producer of Dr. John and Irma Thomas; Golden Globe-nominated Mitchell Froom, whose work includes
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
and
Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...
; Grammy-winning engineer and producer Kevin Killen, who produced multiple albums by
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
; notable A&R executive and record producer Tony Berg, whose sessions have included Bob Dylan and
Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Apple has received numerous awards an ...
; and Greg Cohen, avant-garde bass player and producer, known for his work with Tom Waits. Croce co-wrote a few of the songs on ''Twelve Tales'', including one song with songwriter
Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...
. Croce's albums have appeared on eight radio charts, including AAA, Blues, College, Jazz, and Americana. He has performed as an opening act for Carlos Santana,
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
,
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
, Dr. John,
Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
, B.B. King, Dave Matthews, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Ray Charles. Croce has sat in with many notable artists live, including Willie Nelson, Ben Harper,
Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
, the Neville Brothers, Waylon Jennings, and David Hidalgo (Los Lobos). He has also performed on national television, on shows including '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'', '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', '' The Today Show'', ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'',
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, CNN, and '' Austin City Limits''. In 2013, Croce was asked to be a performer at TEDxLaJolla, an independently produced TED ("Ideas Worth Spreading") event, the organization that organizes annual events with speakers on groundbreaking advances in technology, entertainment, and design.


Discography

* ''
A. J. Croce Adrian James "A.J." Croce (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of Ingrid Croce and Jim Croce. Biography Croce was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 1971. His father died in a plane crash ei ...
'' ( Private Music, 1993) * ''
That's Me in the Bar ''That's Me in the Bar'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter A. J. Croce, released in 1995. Track listing All songs written by A.J. Croce, except where noted #"That's Me in the Bar" (Croce, David Curtis) – 3:54 #"Sign on ...
'' (Private Music, 1995) * ''
Fit to Serve ''Fit to Serve'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter A. J. Croce, released in 1998. Track listing all songs by A. J. Croce, except where noted #"Fit to Serve" – 3:39 #"I Don't Mind" – 3:04 #"Lover's Serenade" – 3:55 ...
'' (1998) * '' Transit'' (2000) * '' Adrian James Croce'' (2004) * ''Early On – The American Recordings 1993–1998'' (2005) * ''Cantos'' (2006) * ''Cage of Muses'' (2009) * ''Twelve Tales'' (2014) * ''Just Like Medicine'' (2017) * ''By Request'' (2021)


References

11. http://listeniowa.com/just-different-a-conversation-with-a-j-croce/


External links


A.J. Croce's father's (Jim Croce's) web siteOfficial web site of Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar

A. J. Croce's web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croce, A.J. 1971 births Living people American male singer-songwriters American people of Italian descent Jewish American songwriters Musicians from Philadelphia Musicians from San Diego Compass Records artists Private Music artists Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Singer-songwriters from California 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Ruf Records artists 21st-century American Jews