"I Got A Name: The Jim Croce Story"

This marvelous book was written by Croce's widow, Ingrid, and tells the story of their life together and the stories behind some of Jim's greatest songs. 

It's hard for me to believe that one artist could have written so many incomparable songs, and in such a variety of styles. 

There are the blue collar, "working man" songs like You Don't Mess Around With Jim, Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Workin' At The Car Wash Blues, and Roller Derby Queen. 

Then there are what I call his "quest songs," ballads about a search for a better life, like I Got A Name and New York's Not My Home. 

I think, though, his "specialty" was love ballads, like Photographs and Memories, I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song, Time In A Bottle, Lover's Cross, It Doesn't Have To Be That Way, and One Less Set Of Footsteps. Each takes the listener on a journey through love like no other songwriter can.

Jim had only been famous for about a year when he was tragically killed in a plane crash on September 20, 1973. I was devastated. Jim was a huge part of my family life growing up. His music was part of our celebrations like graduations and weddings, and just everyday life, like listening to his music together at home and in the car. It was like he was a member of our family. 

I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels that way.

Yesterday, January 10, was his 81st birthday. It's hard to think of all the music he could have written in the last fifty years. And I still marvel at his output of music in such a short time. 

His ability to tell a story is the real draw for me. Songwriters are storytellers. You're putting together a story that has very little space and time to do that in. 

Jim Croce was a master at getting you interested in characters and situations in under five minutes. That is a rare gift.