Ive got a name, Ive got a name;
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
In terms of longevity, A.J. Croces music career long ago eclipsed that of his father, the iconic rock-folk artist Jim Croce.
A.J. has made quite a career In his own right. Hes shared a stage with a veritable whos who of musical superstars, from Ray Charles, B.B. King and the Neville Brothers to Vince Gill, James Brown and Lyle Lovett.
It was Willie Nelson who raved about A.J.s music.
A.J. Croce has wisdom beyond his years, Nelson said. With his music, he represents his generation with a profound sense of honesty. The future of entertainment is safe in his hands.
But for much of his childhood and adulthood, for that matter A.J. purposely avoided comparisons with his father, in order to establish his own musical identity, even if performing covers to such standards as Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown or Ive Got a Name likely would have brought an even brighter spotlight to his own career.
It was more important becoming great at what I did than having immediate success, and I was lucky that people dug what I was doing, A.J. said.
A.J.s relationship with his fathers music began to change about a dozen years ago the elder Croce died in a plane crash in 1973, before his sons second birthday when A.J. began digitizing his fathers old tapes.
One tape in particular, a bar performance filled with a number of old blues songs, resonated deeply.
It gave me chills, A.J. admitted. He was playing stuff I played myself.
As he cataloged his fathers music, A.J. a skilled multi-instrumentalist began teaching himself some of Jim Croces beloved music the old fashioned way: by listening to the tapes and strumming alongside.
Since then, A.J. has begun touring with Croce Plays Croce, where he performs his fathers old standards, his own tunes and a number of songs that influenced the two of them.
A.J. Croce will be on the main stage at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center tonight at 7 oclock. Tickets are still available at www.bowluscenter.org.
