Jim Croce - The Whole Nine Yards (2025)

James Joseph Croce, born January 10, 1943, was an American folk-rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pay bills while he continued to write, record and perform concerts. After Croce formed a partnership with songwriter and guitarist Maury Muehleisen in the early 1970s, his fortunes turned. Jim’s breakthrough came in 1972, when his third album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, produced three charting singles, including ‘Time in a Bottle’, which reached No. 1 after Croce tragically died the following year. His next record, Life and Times, included the song ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’, Croce's only No. 1 hit during his lifetime. On September 20, 1973, at the height of his popularity and the day before the lead single to his fifth album I Got a Name was released, Jim Croce and five others died in a plane crash. His music continued to chart throughout the 1970s following his death. Croce's wife and early songwriting partner Ingrid continued to write and record, and their son A. J. Croce became a singer-songwriter in the 1990s. This new live CD features two concerts given by Jim Croce, in 1972 - at Cleveland’s famous Agora Ballroom and in 1973 at Harper College, Palatine, IL - neither of which have previously been released. With thousands of fans still flying the flag for Jim’s timeless compositions, his exceptional vocal delivery and, not least, his unique humorous and between-song storytelling (liberally in evidence herein), this new release will prove a delightful addition to every Jim Croce collection in existence.