Gord's Influence on Other Artists

balaguy · 10-26-2006, 11:15 AM

OK I recently purchased a Jim Croce DVD which was compiled by his wife Ingrid and son AJ, and released in 2003. In my opinion Jim Croce is another singer/songwriter in the same class as Gord. It was a wonderful, wonderful DVD and I would encourage everyone who loves Croce as I do to purchase it.

But what I wanted to share with you all, was that after spending a couple of hours viewing the live performances of Jim Croce, and then playing it through again with the commentary by his wife Ingrid, and then methodically going through all of the special features, I finally came to the last feature, which was a clip of an interview done at the Croce farm back in 1973 not long before Jim's untimely death in a plane crash. Anyway, I had been watching this DVD and loving every minute of it, and sadly coming to the very end, and this is what happened in that last clip: Jim was being interviewed on the porch of his farmhouse, he had his guitar in hand, and his baby boy AJ was in the house screeching (Jim said he was singing), and Jim called for his wife Ingrid to bring out AJ, and then Jim starts playing this familiar tune on his guitar, and Ingrid begins singing with Jim, and I about fell over when I realized what song they were singing: Song For a Winter's Night. WOW!!!

Just wanted to share that story with you all.

[ October 27, 2006, 08:47: Message edited by: Gitchigumee ]

Gitchigumee · 10-26-2006, 11:15 AM

OK I recently purchased a Jim Croce DVD which was compiled by his wife Ingrid and son AJ, and released in 2003. In my opinion Jim Croce is another singer/songwriter in the same class as Gord. It was a wonderful, wonderful DVD and I would encourage everyone who loves Croce as I do to purchase it.

But what I wanted to share with you all, was that after spending a couple of hours viewing the live performances of Jim Croce, and then playing it through again with the commentary by his wife Ingrid, and then methodically going through all of the special features, I finally came to the last feature, which was a clip of an interview done at the Croce farm back in 1973 not long before Jim's untimely death in a plane crash. Anyway, I had been watching this DVD and loving every minute of it, and sadly coming to the very end, and this is what happened in that last clip: Jim was being interviewed on the porch of his farmhouse, he had his guitar in hand, and his baby boy AJ was in the house screeching (Jim said he was singing), and Jim called for his wife Ingrid to bring out AJ, and then Jim starts playing this familiar tune on his guitar, and Ingrid begins singing with Jim, and I about fell over when I realized what song they were singing: Song For a Winter's Night. WOW!!!

Just wanted to share that story with you all.

[ October 27, 2006, 08:47: Message edited by: Gitchigumee ]

Cathy · 10-26-2006, 01:53 PM

I have the same DVD and have watched it many times.
If I remember correctly, they either skipped a verse in SFAWN or sang the wrong words, but other than that, I agree, it's a beautiful rendition.

SilverHeels · 10-26-2006, 02:01 PM

Please - name of DVD, guys. I am such a Jim Croce fan! If it isnt on sale here, I will get it when I am next over the pond.

10-26-2006, 03:13 PM

The name of the DVD is "Have You Heard Jim Croce Live" and was released by his wife Ingrid.

I'm also a huge Jim Croce fan. Back in the early 70's there were several shows on TV that spotlighted the recording artists of that time. Off hand, I can readily recall Don Kirschner's Rock Concert (a big-time producer at the time), In Concert, and the Midnight Special. Because of this exposure, Jim Croce got to appear on these shows several times during his short career. Thankfully, some of these tapes are still around. Also, at that time, when somebody hit it big, a camera crew was sent out to spend some time with the artist. Hence the footage of Jim at home with Ingrid and A.J.

This is a wonderful DVD. Jim Croce was a great singer and the acoustic guitar work was tremendous, as well.

GJM · 10-26-2006, 03:13 PM

The name of the DVD is "Have You Heard Jim Croce Live" and was released by his wife Ingrid.

I'm also a huge Jim Croce fan. Back in the early 70's there were several shows on TV that spotlighted the recording artists of that time. Off hand, I can readily recall Don Kirschner's Rock Concert (a big-time producer at the time), In Concert, and the Midnight Special. Because of this exposure, Jim Croce got to appear on these shows several times during his short career. Thankfully, some of these tapes are still around. Also, at that time, when somebody hit it big, a camera crew was sent out to spend some time with the artist. Hence the footage of Jim at home with Ingrid and A.J.

This is a wonderful DVD. Jim Croce was a great singer and the acoustic guitar work was tremendous, as well.

Gitchigumee · 10-26-2006, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
Please - name of DVD, guys. I am such a Jim Croce fan! If it isnt on sale here, I will get it when I am next over the pond.

You will not be disappointed. It is incredible. Not only did Jim have an incredible talent for songwriting, but he also had a wonderful voice and was a talented guitar player. Sounds like someone else I know!!!

Jim had such an amazing face, and many of the live performances have close-up shots, and his facial expressions and eyes are mesmerizing. There are also clips of him talking, introducing songs, and telling stories. A special treat is an early clip of Jim & Ingrid singing together, and I must say that she has a voice like an angel. I would be interested to know more about their son AJ, who by the way has a wife and 2 children of his own (Jim & Ingrid Croce's grandkids). Enjoy the DVD!

RaisinSpores · 10-26-2006, 05:50 PM

I have this DVD as well, and I really enjoy watching it. Lightfoot was definitely a big influence on Jim Croce, maybe even the BIGGEST influence. Jim also recorded "Steel Rail Blues" in the mid-'60s, which is the first track on the album Facets. I've never heard his version in its entirety, but I'm sure it's interesting.

You've really got to wonder how much more great stuff Croce would have written had he not died so young. Meanwhile 50 Cent gets shot eight times and still isn't dead. All Jim did was ride in a plane! There's a lesson here, kids: If you have no talent and enjoy playing with guns, you can become filthy rich and live to a ripe old age. But, if you have talent and work hard, you'll probably just die in a plane crash, even if you do everything else correctly in your life. Isn't life fantastic?!

Winter's Claw · 10-26-2006, 05:50 PM

I have this DVD as well, and I really enjoy watching it. Lightfoot was definitely a big influence on Jim Croce, maybe even the BIGGEST influence. Jim also recorded "Steel Rail Blues" in the mid-'60s, which is the first track on the album Facets. I've never heard his version in its entirety, but I'm sure it's interesting.

You've really got to wonder how much more great stuff Croce would have written had he not died so young. Meanwhile 50 Cent gets shot eight times and still isn't dead. All Jim did was ride in a plane! There's a lesson here, kids: If you have no talent and enjoy playing with guns, you can become filthy rich and live to a ripe old age. But, if you have talent and work hard, you'll probably just die in a plane crash, even if you do everything else correctly in your life. Isn't life fantastic?!

brink- · 10-26-2006, 07:02 PM

I love that DVD, I also saw a Behind the Music episode on Croce that was very good.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out he died. So sad that he died so young, he was at the college making up for a cancelled concert and was just taking off from the college when the accident happened.

brink- · 10-26-2006, 07:07 PM

Just looking at what the price is now (I bought it in '04, I think)on Amazon and it is paired with the Live in Reno DVD of Gord. Both for $35.98.

Gitchigumee · 10-26-2006, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by brink-:
Just looking at what the price is now (I bought it in '04, I think)on Amazon and it is paired with the Live in Reno DVD of Gord. Both for $35.98.

Yep, I bought those 2 + the John Denver Wildlife concert all together recently. Came to $50-something for the 3.

Peter Bro10 · 10-27-2006, 10:23 AM

Thanks for you posts, guys!
I think you tend to have similar interests here and Jim Croce and John Denver are on my lists of favorites for sure. And if you hadn't mentioned them I'd not known they even exist!
So I really do appreciate the info! might be on my Christmas list this year.

SilverHeels · 10-27-2006, 10:35 AM

Greg kindly alerted me to Amazon who have the DVD. I rushed over but it is the Region 1 type and this does not play in the UK. AAAAAAARGH!
I'll keep looking.

Auburn Annie · 10-27-2006, 11:00 AM

A.J. is also a musician, but much more blues influenced. He has his own website at www.ajcroce.com and there's a nice write-up in wikipedia:

A.J. Croce (born Adrian James Croce on September 28, 1971 in Bryn Mawr, PA) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of singer-songwriter, Jim Croce.

Shortly before his father's death in a 1973 plane crash, Croce's family moved west to San Diego, California, where his mother, Ingrid, raised him.

At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."

Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "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 Bauman of Private Music signed Croce to his first record deal at age 19. He recorded two CDs for Private Music: his self-titled debut, "A.J. Croce," produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon, and "That's Me In The Bar," produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring artists such as Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, and Keltner himself.

Croce's third release, "Fit To Serve," was recorded in Memphis, and produced by Jim Gaines, who had previously produced Van Morrison, Santana, and The Steve Miller Band. Croce then took a musical turn 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, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of New Times labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order."

A fifth CD, titled “Adrian James Croce,” was released in the summer of 2004, and a sixth CD, Cantos, in 2006.

Croce has performed as an opening act for artists such as Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, James Brown, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, and Ray Charles. He has also performed on such national venues as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Austin City Limits.

Auburn Annie · 10-27-2006, 11:00 AM

A.J. is also a musician, but much more blues influenced. He has his own website at www.ajcroce.com and there's a nice write-up in wikipedia:

A.J. Croce (born Adrian James Croce on September 28, 1971 in Bryn Mawr, PA) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of singer-songwriter, Jim Croce.

Shortly before his father's death in a 1973 plane crash, Croce's family moved west to San Diego, California, where his mother, Ingrid, raised him.

At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."

Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "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 Bauman of Private Music signed Croce to his first record deal at age 19. He recorded two CDs for Private Music: his self-titled debut, "A.J. Croce," produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon, and "That's Me In The Bar," produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring artists such as Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, and Keltner himself.

Croce's third release, "Fit To Serve," was recorded in Memphis, and produced by Jim Gaines, who had previously produced Van Morrison, Santana, and The Steve Miller Band. Croce then took a musical turn 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, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of New Times labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order."

A fifth CD, titled “Adrian James Croce,” was released in the summer of 2004, and a sixth CD, Cantos, in 2006.

Croce has performed as an opening act for artists such as Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, James Brown, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, and Ray Charles. He has also performed on such national venues as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Austin City Limits.

10-27-2006, 12:54 PM

Hey Bru,

Sorry the DVD won't play in the UK. Best of luck in finding a copy that will. It will very definitely be worth the trouble. If you continue to have no luck in your search, perhaps you should e-mail Jim's widow Ingrid at her restaurant, Croces, in San Diego. Maybe she could point you in the right direction.

Jim very definitely idolized GL. Croce's early recordings, before he hit it big with his three albums for ABC Records that made him famous, feature John Stockfish on bass. He hooked up with John in the hope that they could make Croce an "American Lightfoot."

Both Jim Croce and GL seem to have been very similar types of people - very regular, down-to-earth, humble, and kind.

Years ago when I was in college (more years than I care to remember), I was talking music with my friend, Joanne. We were discussing, among others, Jim Croce and GL. She had an interesting story to tell.

It seems that, more than a decade earlier, Joanne was home on a typical evening watching television with her parents. Her Dad was reading the paper while the news was on. He heard something, looked over the paper and exclaimed "What happened to Jimmy? Why is he on TV?" Joanne replied "What?! You know Jim Croce?" It turns out that her father used to go on camping trips with a bunch of guys, to relax, hang out, and have some fun. One of the guys would pull out his guitar and sing songs at night around the campfire. The other guys would tell him how great they thought he was and that he should try to make a career out of it. He would always respectfully decline and thank them for the compliments, saying he just sang for fun. He never let on who he really was. My friend couldn't get over her father used to go camping with Jim Croce.

GJM · 10-27-2006, 12:54 PM

Hey Bru,

Sorry the DVD won't play in the UK. Best of luck in finding a copy that will. It will very definitely be worth the trouble. If you continue to have no luck in your search, perhaps you should e-mail Jim's widow Ingrid at her restaurant, Croces, in San Diego. Maybe she could point you in the right direction.

Jim very definitely idolized GL. Croce's early recordings, before he hit it big with his three albums for ABC Records that made him famous, feature John Stockfish on bass. He hooked up with John in the hope that they could make Croce an "American Lightfoot."

Both Jim Croce and GL seem to have been very similar types of people - very regular, down-to-earth, humble, and kind.

Years ago when I was in college (more years than I care to remember), I was talking music with my friend, Joanne. We were discussing, among others, Jim Croce and GL. She had an interesting story to tell.

It seems that, more than a decade earlier, Joanne was home on a typical evening watching television with her parents. Her Dad was reading the paper while the news was on. He heard something, looked over the paper and exclaimed "What happened to Jimmy? Why is he on TV?" Joanne replied "What?! You know Jim Croce?" It turns out that her father used to go on camping trips with a bunch of guys, to relax, hang out, and have some fun. One of the guys would pull out his guitar and sing songs at night around the campfire. The other guys would tell him how great they thought he was and that he should try to make a career out of it. He would always respectfully decline and thank them for the compliments, saying he just sang for fun. He never let on who he really was. My friend couldn't get over her father used to go camping with Jim Croce.

Gitchigumee · 10-27-2006, 03:26 PM

Yeah it sounds like Jim Croce had a guitar with him at all times. He would sit up all night long playing guitar. The DVD is so interesting because it tells of how he never thought of himself as a success, because his Italian upbringing defined being successful with making money and being able to comfortably support your family. Jim and Ingrid struggled financially for years, and she tells a story in the DVD of them going to a thrift store in California so Jim could buy a "new" shirt to perform in, and the hippie guy working at the store said "Wow man, you could make a million dollars, you look just like Jim Croce!" But seriously, Jim's guitar was an extension of himself, and I'm not surprised at all to hear the story about camping with the guys and him playing guitar around the campfire. That's awesome, thanks for sharing!

Jennifer · 10-31-2006, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gitchigumee:
...and then Jim starts playing this familiar tune on his guitar, and Ingrid begins singing with Jim, and I about fell over when I realized what song they were singing: Song For a Winter's Night. WOW!!!

Just wanted to share that story with you all.

Jim Croce singing Song for Winters Night? Wow must be right. I will have to look into this DVD. Croce is top notch.


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