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| Jim Croce - Upper Darby |
Though born in South Philadelphia, Jim Croce spent his formative years in Delaware County and graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1960. He attended Villanova, and while there became a member of the Villanova Singers and Villanova Spires, and performed off campus as a part of the group The Coventry Lads.
Croce got his first long-term gig at a suburban bar and steak house in Lima, Pennsylvania, called The Riddle Paddock. His set list covered several genres, including blues, country, rock and roll, and folk.
In the mid-sixties he performed with his wife as a duo and moved to New York City, but became disillusioned with the music business and returned to Pennsylvania.
His career took off in 1972 with two breakout albums, You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Life and Times. Much loved by his audiences, Croce's career was ended when his chartered Beechcraft crashed on take off from Natchitoches, Louisiana. Many of his songs were released posthumously.
Croce's son Adrian James, born in 1971, is a singer-songwriter and musician with his own record label, Seedling Records.
